According to TMAS – the Swedish Textile Machinery Association – next week’s ITMA 2023 (June 8–14) will make it abundantly clear that digitalization has evolved into the primary enabler for long-term gains throughout the whole textile industry.
Therese Premler-Andersson, secretary general of TMAS, adds “so much has been accomplished in the turbulent years since the last ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, especially in terms of automation.” “For instance, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the requirement to address numerous shortages, such as those in PPE, led to significant improvements in automated machine efficiency, remote monitoring, and supply chain transparency. These are currently having an impact on the unwavering desire to create a textile sector that is more sustainable.
Automation:
ACG Kinna showcased their robotic pillow filling technology at ITMA 2019 with the capacity to3,840 pillows each eight-hour shift, to fill and finish.
However, a year later, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s attention was turned into quickly meeting Sweden’s urgent need for PPE by establishing up a dedicated new single-use garment making-up plant in only three weeks, based on its extensive industry relationships and previous expertise.
According to CEO Christian Moore, “we learned so much from that experience and we have subsequently applied many of the lessons learned to our latest technologies.”
The pillow system from ACG Kinna now has new capabilities such an integrated marking solution that enables customers to print QR codes, batch numbers, and dates on the labels of the pillows, as well as a special AI programme for automatically identifying pre-programmed flaws that will alert users to the problem. be made public in Milan.
Bold Actions:
Automatex reports similar improvements in the creation of a sewing and assembly unit for the fully finished manufacturing of consumer bags. It can now be set up to automatically perform tasks like hemming, handle insertion, cutting, labelling, bag formation, and gusset formation that previously had to be done by hand, producing about 540 units per hour.
The Covid-19 outbreak, as terrible as it was, offered the company’s chief of business development, Chuck de Sousa, the chance to step back from what he was doing and advance automated features.
Managing Materials:
Individually addressable product carriers made out of automated material handling systems from Eton Systems are created to reduce handling and eliminate human transportation. drastically lengthening the time needed to add value to produced goods like clothing.
According to CEO Jerker Krabbe, following Covid-19 supply chain problems, these benefits have proven to be a potent incentive for textile manufacturers in Europe and the United States to move some production closer to home.
At ITMA 2023, Eton will introduce its brand-new ETONingenious software platform, which continuously collects, analyses, and provides operators, supervisors, quality control staff, and management with useful, value-adding product information.
Other noteworthy TMAS machine demonstrations to watch out for at ITMA 2023 include Svegea’s EC 300 collarette cutting machine and Eltex’s most recent EyETM system, which can monitor literally hundreds of strands on a warping creel in real time. components that are now working at up to 20,000 metres per hour.
The basis of the textile business is still bedrock weaving, and Vandewiele Sweden AB gains from all the synergies and collected knowledge of the market-dominating Vandewiele Group.
The business offers weft yarn feeding and tension control units for weaving looms to the majority of the top manufacturers of weaving machines as well as for retrofitting in active mills around the globe. At ITMA 2023, the business will also introduce its newest X4 yarn feeders with integrated accessory displays as well as its own e-commerce website, iroonline.com.
Three variants of X4 feeders are available: rapid release, which permits weft attachment, integrated active tension control, and tension display (TED). Transferring tension settings between machines enables a quick start-up the following time the same article is woven. Even if adjustment is made while the power is off, an internal sensor continuously tracks the position of the S-Flex Tensioner.
Meanwhile, TEXO AB, which has experienced a rise in demand for its Compfelt weaving machines for press felt base textiles for the paper making sector, specialises in weaving technology for the paper producing industry. A recent machine successfully delivered and commissioned by TEXO AB has a working width of 23 metres.
Finishing and Dyeing:
Visitors to ITMA 2023 will quickly learn that cutting-edge dyeing and printing technologies now make it possible to achieve fantastic, sustainable advantages. finishing and two TMAS members are at the forefront here, offering highly digitised alternatives to a water and energy-intensive sector.
Baldwin’s TexCoat G4, a non-contact spray technology for textile finishing and remoistening not only reduces water, chemicals and energy consumption, but also provides the flexibility to adapt to a customer’s requirements in terms of single and double-sided finishing applications.
“TexCoat G4 can reduce water consumption by as much as 50% compared to traditional padding application processes,” says Rick Stanford, Baldwin’s VP of global business development.
Similar impressive savings can also now be made in textile dyeing with imogo’s Dye-Max spray dyeing technology.