ITA, the Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, has developed a new digital ring spinning tester that enables full control and monitoring of the ring spinning of fine yarns with a high recycled fiber content of 60-70%. The tester will be introduced at ITMA 2023 in Milan from June 8-14.
According to Professor Thomas Gries, ITA director, yarns with such a high recycled fiber content have mainly been rotor-spun, resulting in coarse yarns that are not suitable for finer textiles such as outerwear. The ring spinning of recycled yarns results in finer yarns for more valuable applications.
The new tester can automatically determine the strength and elongation of the spun yarn and allows process parameters and yarn properties to be adjusted intuitively and quickly in both direct spinning from sliver and in the classic ring spinning process. The tester has been upgraded to Industry 4.0 standard and is operated via tablet, enabling the adjustment of process parameters and online quality monitoring remotely from anywhere in the world.
The tester opens up new market potential for recycled yarns, especially for processing in Europe. The ITA’s Recycling Atelier will hold Walk4Recycling tours of the ITMA stands of various industrial partners to demonstrate the cycle of process steps involved in the transformation of used knitwear into a new knitted pullover, via a ring yarn made from a blend of 65% recycled cotton and 35% virgin polyester.
Detailed information on the mechanical recycling of clothing via QR codes, websites, and flyers about the participating exhibitors and their technologies will be available at stand A207 in Hall 3, along with a short film. The ITA’s ring spinning tester will also process the fiber mixture of recycled and new fibers as part of the Walk4Recycling tour.
The ITA has a second stand at ITMA in Hall 3, B304, and other exhibits will include a smart glove based on polymer optical fibers and quantum dots. The quantum dots can be programmed to detect hazardous substances and trigger a fluorescent effect on contact that changes the glove’s luminous color.
In summary, the ITA has developed a new digital ring spinning tester that enables full control and monitoring of the ring spinning of fine yarns with a high recycled fiber content of 60-70%. This new technology will allow the ring spinning of recycled yarns, resulting in finer yarns for more valuable applications and opens up new market potential for recycled yarns, especially for processing in Europe.