Machinery and equipment

Modernization and conversion—alternatives to new machinery

Before investing in new machinery and plants, spinners should consider the alternative of modernization and conversion. Hans-Joachim Schaupp and Rudolf Opitzer of Mainsite Technologies argue that lower investment costs, the retention of established process

Sewing needles—vital components for technical applications

Niki Tait learns from various key suppliers about the importance of the correct selection of a sewing machine needle, and how this choice can significantly improve the quality and productivity of sewn technical textiles.

Calendar technology refined for technical textiles

1 October 2012

Andritz Kusters of Krefeld, Germany, has developed a calendar technology specifically for the manufacture of technical textiles.

Monforts soft coating solution makes an impact at trade shows

1 October 2012

An improved soft coating solution from Monforts of Monchengladbach, Germany, which could be used for medical textiles, is reported to be making a strong impact following launches at recent trade shows

Trutzschler Nonwovens acquires winding capability

1 July 2012

The acquisition of Bastian Winder Technologies GmbH & Co KG of Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock, Germany, will allow its new owner Trutzschler Nonwovens of Egelsbach, Germany, to offer complete nonwoven

Making an alternative to asbestos for reinforcing concrete

1 April 2012

A staple fibre of polypropylene (PP) has been developed as an alternative to using asbestos to reinforce concrete.

Power sources for welders revamped by Branson Ultrasonics

1 February 2012

A range of redesigned power supplies for the ultrasonic welding machinery used in the automated assembly of textiles is now available from Branson Ultrasonics Corp of Danbury, Connecticut, USA.

Retrofitting pack for cabling machine saves on energy consumption

1 January 2012

Engineers at Oerlikon Saurer have developed a pack that they can fit to the company's cabling machine, the Allma CC3, in order to save on its consumption of energy.

Tear testing more accurately and safely

1 January 2012

A UK manufacturer has redesigned its tear-testing machine to make it more accurate, safer and cheaper.

Merz launches medical compression hosiery machine at ITMA

1 November 2011

German producer of circular knitting equipment for medical stockings Merz launched a new four-feed machine with reciprocating heel and toe movement at the ITMA textile machinery exhibition held in Bar

Treating air and recovering heat

1 September 2011

A specialist in air-treatment systems for manufacturing plants, Luwa Air Engineering from Uster, Switzerland, is introducing two new products--the MultiCell Filter and the EasyHeat Plus.

Electrical heating of electrospinning components optimizes viscosity

1 August 2011

A novel means of heating certain parts of an electrospinning device to control the properties of the solution or polymer melt has been proposed by Elmarco.

Etched plates combine to spin fibres

1 July 2011

A US company has developed a rotary die made of thin etched plates stacked in a configuration that defines the outflow (or die-extrusion) edge through which polymer flows.

Tatham equips global medical technology supplier

1 May 2011

UK machine builder Tatham has supplied a nonwovens production line to medical technology supplier Advanced Medical Solutions (AMS) at its new facility in Winsford, Cheshire, UK.

Tow drawing and double-rollers

1 May 2011

Trutzschler Nonwovens is set to introduce a Tow Drawing Unit at the Techtextil exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, 24-26 May 2011 (Hall 3.0 B03).

Design of dryer for hydroentangled nonwovens helps save energy

1 May 2011

A modular system for the bonding and finishing of hydroentangled (spunlaced) nonwovens will be exhibited for the first time by Bruckner at Techtextil in Frankfurt, Germany (24-26 May 2011; Hall 3.0 F2

Scanner for fibreglass nonwoven mats and brake glass yarns

1 May 2011

GF Machinery from the Czech Republic will present two innovations at the forthcoming Techtextil (Frankfurt, Germany, 24-26 May 2011; Hall 3.0 D33):

Long-life cutting blades with reduced needs for maintenance

1 February 2011

Equipment desinged to meet better the needs of manufacturers who need to cut the edges of knitted fabrics is now available from Erhardt+Leimer.

Spinneret designed to make nanofibres

1 February 2011

Two inventors based in Texas, USA, have patented a spinneret, associated apparatus and methods that exploit centrifugal forces for the production of nanofibres.

Warp knitting machine developed for research project on 3D fibrin textiles

1 January 2011

Italian narrow fabric machine builder Comez has developed an electronic double needle bar warp knitting machine for use in a regional governmentfunded biomedical textiles project.

Warp knitting to aid diabetes cure

1 January 2011

An Italian company has developed a warp-knitting machine with an electronic double needle-bar especially for use in a biomedical textiles project.

Simplified technology holds promise to make nanotextiles a mainstream product

1 July 2010

Bioengineers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA claim to have developed a practical technology for fabricating nanofibres at production speeds far in excess of current methods.

Compact, improved horizontal drive for needle beam

1 April 2010

Engineers at Oerlikon Textile have redesigned the horizontal drive and gear kinematics of a needling machine to make it more compact.

Making lightweight nonwovens wider than 5 m at high throughputs

1 December 2009

Lightweight, dry processed nonwovens having widths greater than 5 m can be manufactured at throughputs of more than 200 kg h-1.m-1 on a machine developed by Rieter Perfojet.

Italy's machine builders target USA for sales in technical textiles

1 November 2009

The Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) and the Italian Trade Commission (ICE), in partnership with the Nonwovens Institute of North Carolina State University (NCSU), Ralei

More efficient multiaxial constructions for reinforcement

1 November 2009

Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH is set to reveal details of the latest improvements made to its Malitronic machine, which is used to make multiaxial textile constructions as reinforcements for c

What did IMB have to offer for the technical textile industry?

1 June 2009

IMB--World of Textile Processing took place on 21-24 April 2009 with the aim of covering a comprehensive range of technologies and services for the processing of flexible materials.

Technology gains ground as India moves to technical textiles

1 June 2009

Indian companies serious about their technical textiles and nonwovens businesses are increasingly demanding state-of-the-art European and Japanese technologies.

Digital printing revolution: opportunities for technical textiles

1 June 2009

The latest market and technology trends were the subject of discussions at the second Digital Textile conference, held in Amsterdam in May and organized by the Federation of European Screenprinters As

Lasers for textile manufacturing

1 May 2009

Z-Laser, an international designer and manufacturer of laser modules, systems and projectors for positioning applications, has introduced two new lines for the textile industry-- the Z M18-B and the Z

First industrial three-dimensional loom debuts at JEC

1 April 2009

Jointly developed by Biteam AB of Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Department of Lightweight Structures at Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, a three-dimensional (3D) loom became oper

Infra-red dryer provides fast drying in confined space

1 March 2009

Heraeus Nobelight of Neston, UK, has developed a made to order infra-red (IR) dryer to solve a problem one of its customers was experiencing in dyeing a special fabric.

Forming head improves dry-laying

1 February 2009

Sellars Absorbent Materials Inc has developed a forming head that the company from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, claims produces a more uniform web of fibres.

SureWrap nozzles target precise adhesive coating

1 January 2009

Precision dispensing equipment supplier Nordson has introduced improved versions of its Universal SureWrap nozzles, which are said to accurately apply hot melt adhesive to elastic strands used for ela

Online gauge measures coating weights and moisture for webs

1 January 2009

Designed for simultaneously measuring coating weights and moisture on substrates such as textiles and nonwovens, a range of online gauges is now available from NDC Infrared Engineering of Maldon, UK.

Improved production of spunlaid webs

1 December 2008

Improvements to the production of spunlaid webs by the twin means of controlling the airflow around the extruded filaments and the way they are subsequently collected are the subjects of two recently

Spunlaid fabrics from cellulose filaments

1 December 2008

A cooling chamber with at least two sections is at the heart of an invention relating to making cellulose filaments into spunlaid fabrics.

Blood pressure monitoring system

1 October 2008

An innovative system for monitoring blood pressure is disclosed in US Patent 7 381 187 by Textronics. This features an inflatable arm cuff that can be inflated to different air pressures.

Spinning nanotubes into yarns

1 September 2008

A system that turns nanomaterials into fibrous materials - yarns, tows or nonwoven sheets - is the subject of International Patent PublicationWO 2008/036068.

Portable moisture monitor

1 September 2007

Strandberg Engineering Laboratories has developed a portable moisture meter to measure the moisture content of fabric, nonwovens, carpet, yarn and raw stock across the full moisture spectrum from bone

Stride forward in vacuum degassing of polymer melts

1 September 2007

Gneuss Kunststofftechnik GmbH has introduced its latest development: a patented evacuation technology for polymer melts, describing it as a significant step forward in vacuum degassing.

Making carbon nanotubes

1 August 2007

Surrey NanoSystems of Newhaven, UK, made its debut at Nanotech 2007 (Santa Clara, California, USA, 20-24 May) where it displayed equipment for nanomaterial fabrication suitable for research or commerc

Automatic water tightness tester

1 July 2007

MRS Seitter of Holzmaden, Germany, has launched the WSP 3600, an automatic device for testing the water tightness of sheets, membranes and other flat textiles, including bandages, plasters and medical

Heater for yarns

1 April 2007

A tubular device for heating yarns, especially suitable for texturing equipment, has been developed by Saurer GmbH & Co KG of Monchengladbach, Germany.

Ultrasonic bonding technology gains momentum in manufacturing

1 April 2007

As medical professionals demand better infection control, ultrasonic bonding technology appears to be gaining momentum in medical product manufacturing.

Improved yarn feed for braiders

1 April 2007

A Taiwanese inventor claims to have improved the strand feeding device for a coaxial braiding apparatus.

Making chenille yarn

1 March 2007

An Italian machinery builder says it has found a way to make chenille yarn without one of the traditional drawbacks of the process: systematic defective yarn production can usually only be detected du

Denkendorf Institute improves roller coverings for drafting systems

1 March 2007

A new kind of roller covering for use in drafting systems has been developed by a research team at the Denkendorf Institute in Germany.

Gate assembly for a tufting machine

1 February 2007

Card-Monroe Corp says it has developed an improved gate assembly for a tufting machine.

Multi-weft insertion helps weave lattices

1 January 2007

A machine modification that allows for a multiple weft lattice to be constructed is described in International Patent WO 2005/064058.

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Forthcoming events list

1 May 2024

Please find below the list of forthcoming conferences and exhibitions on technical textiles and nonwovens.

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Modernization and conversion—alternatives to new machinery

Sewing needles—vital components for technical applications