Twine Solutions announces partnership with Gerber Technology
The TS-1800 machine by Twine will be installed at the Gerber Innovation center in New York City in early September. This machine is the world’s first on-demand digital thread and yarn dyeing solution. The system can dye various types of filament and spun polyster. It is designed to be implemented in any production environment and can be operated by anyone.
Twine Solutions is a technology start-up in Israel which was founded in 2105. The company has developed a proprietary and revolutionary digital on-demand thread dyeing system and a digital dye-to-match colour application. Gerber Technology is a USA-based company founded in 1968. In June 2021, it was acquired by Lectra. Gerber Technology develops software and automation solutions for fashion, automotive, furniture and other businesses across the globe.
The best rapier technology for technical textile applications
Technical textiles are textiles that are engineered with a definite functionality. The sector of such functional textiles is regarded as a sunrise sector as it has varied and growing applications across multiple industries such as healthcare, construction, automobile, aerospace, sports, defense, and agriculture. Indian textile mills have realised that the wide-ranging uses of technical textiles represent a huge opportunity and are enhancing their capabilities to create a greater variety of technical textiles. India is becoming a key player in the global technical textile scene.
In the past few years, woven fabrics manufactured on rapier looms have comprised a significant part of the total production of technical textiles, especially for applications such as agro textiles, airbags, canvas fabrics, car seats, coating fabrics, conveyor belts, gauze, geo grids, filter fabric, fiberglass fabric, tire cord, etc.
SMIT srl, a globally renowned weaving machine manufacturing company from Italy with more than 80 years of history, has been supplying advanced rapier looms for technical textile applications. A.T.E. – committed to supporting the Indian textile industry with the latest technology solutions –has recently joined hands with SMIT for the promotion of their rapier looms in India. A.T.E. is a one window solution provider in textile engineering across the textile value chain, with 80+ years of experience. The partnership between these two textile engineering leaders is expected to provide a fillip to the Indian technical textile segment.
SMIT was recognised for the development of the well-known dynamically controlled rapier ribbon system in the late 80s, which was the most significant development of the guideless carbon punched tape technology. The philosophy of innovation at SMIT is evident in its new, revolutionary weaving machine – the SMIT-ONE– a patented single rapier weft transfer weaving machine for the manufacture of technical textiles.
Key features of the SMIT-ONE:
SMIT-ONE gripper system has a smaller cross section that complies with the warp shed geometry, which is narrower compared to a traditional double gripper machine
- Weft insertion at low weft tension, resulting in higher insertion efficiency
- Reduced warp shed amplitude, thus increasing efficiency
- Easy to adjust machine during article change, reducing machine downtime
- Can use all yarn types that were so far not weavable on traditional rapier systems – such as delicate yarns, fancy yarns, carbon yarns, etc.
- Special pliers that perfectly hold any weft shape, weight, and consistency
- Laser stop motion, or full-width temple can be offered
- PosiLeno® system: positively controlled leno system which ensures perfect leno binding; is applicable for all fabric constructions including technical fabrics
- Reinforced backrest structure increases warp tension by more than 50%, thus enabling the production of heavy density technical fabrics
- Special type of pressure rollers prevents slippage of cloth on take-up roller
- Stronger sley bar enables production of dense fabrics on the machine
- Take-up designed for ultra-high warp tension
- Working width – 1700 mm to 2200 mm
- Weaver beams up to 1100 mm and fancy beam can be used
Benefits:
Fabrics for technical, fashion, furnishing applications, as well as classic fabrics with exclusive yarns and patterns, can be woven with excellent quality and high efficiency on the SMIT-ONE
SMIT’s “dynamically controlled” flexible free-flight tape rapiers system, combined with the development of advanced solutions enhances the weft insertion
The highest versatility and efficiency in terms of weft insertion allows the use of a wide range of yarns, and unparalleled simplicity in the article change, as well as minimum maintenance costs
- Free flight technology – no friction on the warp yarn
- Minimum stress on warp
- Consistent fabric properties from full to empty warp beams
- Laser warp stop motion to avoid friction on the warp ends
- Special type of full width temple for low cloth recoiling or high weft density
The SMIT-ONE can be used in the manufacture of:
Fashion fabrics
- Safety gear
- Glass fabrics
- Carbon fabrics
- Filter fabrics
- Sportswear
- Sophisticated clothing and furnishing
- Suitable to produce fabrics in which complicated yarns are used
Mono-rapier system has been tested mainly in fashion fabrics with different and complicated weft.
Carbon fabrics
Fibre glass fabrics
Filter fabrics
Further, SMIT-ONE offers highest versatility, efficiency in terms of weft insertion, flexibility with the widest range of fabrics, and energy savings. Due to these numerous benefits, SMIT-ONE is emerging as a preferred choice for weavers around the world to meet the rising demand for technical textiles.
Stäubli at Techtextil North America 2021
One-piece woven airbags (opw), or individual fabrics for lightweight construction, whatever the technical textile need and requirements, Techtextil North America (August 23-25) will be an inspiring platform for its visitors. Weaving mill managers, weavers, or investors will have the great occasion to learn more aboutadapted production solutions among the broad Stäubli machinery range dedicated to technical textiles. Visitors to Techtextil North America are invited to meet the Stäubliteam at the German Pavilion booth n° 1315.
Because technical fabrics are subject to the highest quality standard requirements, weaving requires more than ordinary production means. To fulfill high-end standards, each step in the weaving process is crucial and has to be operated with utmost precision. In addition, to stay competitive, at optimized weaving speeds.
Continued R&D resulting in ingenious technologies, premium construction materials, and services before, during, and after the machinery installation, make the sustainable reputation of long-lasting quality Stäubli machinery, as well as its capability of running durably at highest production speeds.
Techtextil North America is the ideal opportunity to find out more about Stäubli solutions, including weaving preparation solutions, such as the MAGMA tying or SAFIR automatic drawing-in machines, the renowned S3000/S3200 rotary dobbies, or the LXXL and UNIVAL 100 Jacquard machines, and the TF weaving system.
With its local US team, the Stäubli textile division provides the weaving mills speedy support and a wide range of services, with one key objective: to keep customers agile and competitive in the challenging textile industry. Weavers being concerned about any weaving project or the productivity of their mill should take the chance to schedule a talk with the Stäubli team at Techtextil North America in Raleigh.
ColorJet Launches SubliXpress Plus – 9000 Sq.Meters Daily Production Industrial Sublimation Printer
Dye sublimation printing is dominant in the digital textile printing sector accounting for almost 50% of all digital textile prints across the polyester & apparel domain. The dye sublimation textile printing market which was valued at USD 8.1 billion in 2019 is facing a CAGR of 10.7% during the forecast period of 2020-2025 and is expected to reach a value of USD 14.2 billion by 2025. Considering the need for a high production sublimation printer to mitigate this high demand, ColorJet has launched SubliXpress Plus.
The SubliXpress Plus comes with 8 staggered Kyocera heads that can print variable drop sizes of 5,7, and12 pL as demanded to produce exceptionally sharp lines and create smooth gradients in color tones. The high-speed, high-quality printing with minimal ink consumption is a result of decades of experience in manufacturing digital inkjet printers. ColorJet’s proprietary AST™ and HSTR™ technology are inherent features of the machine.
The ColorJet SubliXpress Plus is ideally positioned for existing high-volume dye sublimation printers & first-time investors looking to upgrade their business with high production machine. The company also foresees a good potential for this zero water-consuming printing technology that would add a fillip to sustainable garment manufacturing as it would work very well on fabrics made with recycled polyester– knit and woven. Despite the adverse impact of the pandemic, ColorJet has continued to work and develop the next ground-breaking technology for the sublimation printing market.
Trailblazing technology to suit all kinds of paper
On its 1.8 m printing width, the machine can handle a wide range of paper starting from 18 gsm and above.
The Leaf clamp is yet another ingenious improvisation to prevent the paper from curving up at the edges when printing. Being able to use low gsm paper and the ability to print on a less than ideal paper roll with ease, it addresses some major practical shop floor concerns. The vacuum bed which holds the paper in place is wider and the suction pressure can be varied.
The two-stage drying system provided immediately after the printing zone stops the paper from puckering even when printing large patches of solid color. HSTR™ or High Sense Paper Tension Regulator detects fluctuation in paper tension and corrects it almost instantly to ensure error-free printing.
Increased machine up-time, uninterrupted production
The printer includes features for enhanced productivity including a 900 mm diameter feed roll, high precision servo motor, and large rubber roller with pneumatic shafts for a firm grip of the paper roll core. The machine is also equipped with multiple brush rollers to continuously smoothen out the paper as it moves from feed roll to re-winding of printed paper
Superior print quality
The new SubliXpress Plus is equipped with gold plated metal encoder to give more precise ink jetting at high speeds, effectively leading to longer service life. In addition to this, the AST™ or Active Seaming Technology is used for producing superior quality at high speed. In short, the SubliXpress Plus is a high production, high-quality printing solution for sublimation inks on paper that are low on printing costs.
Thailand’s leading garment manufacturer selects FastReactPlan for digital transformation
As the industry emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand’s leading garment manufacturer, Hi-Tech Apparel ensures business stability and boosts profitability by digitizing its production planning and control processes with FastReactPlan from Coats Digital. FastReactPlan, Coats Digital’s market-leading solution, will support Hi-Tech with effective master planning across multiple factories, as well as detailed and accurate scheduling of manufacturing lines, providing a firm foundation for a faster, more efficient and agile production and delivery process.
Established in 1991, Hi-Tech Apparel Co Ltd is one of the leading garment manufacturers of Thailand, with production facilities in 10 different locations including cities in Thailand, as well as in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. They manufacture a wide range of sportswear and formal wear and caters to leading brands, including Nike, Target, Warrix Sports and Joe Boxer.
The Hi-Tech team was faced with numerous challenges in their planning process which was having a huge impact on the profitability of their business. There was a lack of a centralized planning mechanism, which meant it was difficult for the team to monitor planning across multiple factories at the same time. Unanticipated issues related to critical path and material availability meant that the team had to spend a lot of time and effort firefighting, which affected the on-time start of production, delivery performance and increased air freight costs.
Hi-Tech recognised that the digital transformation of its business was essential to respond to these challenges and gain a competitive advantage in a market that is rapidly changing. In December 2020, Hi-Tech selected Coats Digital’s FastReactPlan solution to enhance control and visibility in its planning process to optimise efficiency, lead time and delivery performance.
“The Covid-19 crisis has brought unprecedented changes in the industry which affected our business as well. There is increased uncertainty and a high level of competition in the industry. So it was important for us to carefully prioritise business initiatives that provide firm foundations for a faster, more efficient and agile production and delivery process.
FastReactPlan was the answer to all our critical business needs. We wanted to quickly adapt to the best-practice planning process and improve communication and coordination across departments without wasting any time. We’re confident that FastReactPlan will enable us with sustainable improvements in our performance which is really essential, particularly in the current situation.” said Wason Vitanakorn, CEO of Hi-Tech Apparel.
The project at Hi-Tech Apparel will include detailed planning of the sewing factories using FastReactPlan’s highly visual planning board, scheduling and visualisation of load on secondary processes such as cutting and printing, dynamic planning of material requirements (MRP) as well as third party integration to a wide range of in-house business systems.
Kholchapol Chuensawang, Director (IT), Hi-Tech further commented, “Considering the rapidly changing consumer demands and increasing competition in the industry, we realised it was important to take a step forward to streamline and digitize planning, communication and coordination in and across our factories. We found that Coats Digital was the perfect partner to enable us best practice processes and digitization of production planning and control (PPC) through their solution FastReactPlan.
Earlier it was difficult for us to have visibility of planning boards of multiple factories in one place. We’re confident that FastReactPlan will enable fast, detailed and accurate planning and order confirmation process, with informed order allocation and management across our multiple factories. FastReactPlan’s master planner will allow us to manage total demand and capacity and have a consolidated picture of materials and pre-production activities across the business.”
Before FastReactPlan, the Hi-Tech team had to spend a huge amount of time and effort to solve unforeseen problems either related to material availability or pre-production critical path activities. This directly impacted the on-time start of production and the delivery performance.
FastReactPlan will help Hi-Tech to ensure that all departments have shared priorities and clear visibility of key tasks that they need to complete to achieve an on-time start of production. Alerts highlighting late events will help them take proactive actions and reduce firefighting and ultimately achieve the date of delivery as committed to the customers.
Coloreel raises SEK 70 million to modernize and expand company
Coloreel, with its unique well-patented technology for digital dyeing of textile thread on-demand, has raised SEK 70 million in a private placement to existing and new shareholders. The funding will be used to support the company’s market expansion and growth and to initiate expansion into new application areas such as sewing.
“In this private placement, we bring in a number of exciting and strong investors alongside the existing major shareholders, Robur Ny Teknik, SEB Stiftelsen, Svea Ekonomi and Ilija Batljan, who also participated in this placement. In parallel to this, we now receive more and more new expressions of interest from additional investors which feels very exciting.”, said the company’s founder and owner Joakim Staberg.
“We are noticing a sharp increase in activity as more and more markets open up. Larger orders such as the one recently announced from Tryckhuset AB is great proof that we are on the right track in our ambition to modernize the use of embroidery in the textile industry.”, added Mattias Nordin, CEO of Coloreel
Product and customer benefits
Coloreel’s technology for digital dyeing of textile thread on-demand gives embroidery manufacturers and fashion designers a number of significant competitive advantages. The technology maximizes the users’ creative potential while minimizing the environmental impact. Higher embroidery quality, no thread waste, no wastewater, creative colour changes and above all a complete freedom in the use of colours.
Market and deliveries
The interest from the market is great, from the smallest to the very largest brands in everything from lifestyle and sports to exclusive fashion apparel. Coloreel has chosen to initially enter into close collaborations with some of the world’s most famous brands and leading embroidery manufacturers.
The embroidery market is large and includes about 8 million installed embroidery heads worldwide. Each of these embroidery heads can be equipped with Coloreel’s technology. Despite the ongoing pandemic, Coloreel, with the help of existing distributors, has delivered its ground-breaking technology to eleven countries in Europe, the United States and Asia, albeit in limited volumes. It has also started business with the world’s largest distributor of embroidery machines, US based Hirsch Solutions, which has already installed the technology with several reputable end-customers in the US.
