Saturday, December 26, 2009

Sonobond offers 10 ultrasonic bonders for textile applications



Sonobond Ultrasonics announced that it now has 10 machines,plus several modules for original equipment manufacturers(OEMs),that provide fast, reliable, and cost-effective ultrasonic bonding of woven and nonwoven textile products.

According to Sonobond’s Vice President, Melissa Alleman, “Manufacturers and assemblers can confidently use Sonobond units to bond textiles that are 100% synthetic, as well as blends that have up to 40% natural fibers. Felted filter media are among the nonwoven materials that our machines handle effectively.”

The following is an overview of the ultrasonic bonding equipment for oven textiles and nonwovens currently available from Sonobond Ultrasonics.

The SeamMaster - for General-Purpose Ultrasonic Bonding
The Sonobond SeamMaster seals, “sews,” and trims nonwoven and synthetic fabrics in one quick, reliable step. The unit is similar in appearance and operation to traditional sewing machines, but uses no thread, glue, or other consumables. The SeamMaster fuses and seals seams so effectively that it can be used in the assembly of medical disposables that must comply with OSHA regulations for barrier seams. This makes it ideal for use in the production of gowns, face masks, and mattress covers. The unit—which is up to four times faster than conventional sewing machines and up to 10 times faster than adhesive machines—is also frequently used in the assembly of filters and protective products.

The SeamMaster - High Profile Bonder
The SeamMaster High Profile Bonder has a larger pattern wheel and a higher clearance above the bench than the generalpurpose SeamMaster. This makes it the ideal choice for applications involving bulky materials, hand-guided operations with tight tolerances, and for working around curves. Like the generalpurpose SeamMaster, the High Profile Bonder has fast production speeds and virtually eliminates fraying or unraveling of bonded edges and seams. The SeamMaster High Profile Bonder is especially popular with body armor manufacturers. They use this unit to seal the outer nylon shell of ballistic vests with the ballistic-resistant materials inside. The reliability of the bond helps the body armor comply with the latest National Institute of Justice(NIJ) submersion test standards (NIJ 0101.06) that require protection from submersion for 30 minutes, rather than protection from a spray shower. The unit’s dependability and performance also make it ideal for manufacturers who must satisfy OSHA regulations for barrier seams in medical apparel. In addition, a special fixture is available for sewing pleated filters. It is also available as a modular unit for easy integration into the production process.


Friday, December 18, 2009

KARL MAYER’s HKS 4 F terry machine makes a comeback



The Germans are well-known for their cuckoo clocks, garden gnomes and their craftiness in getting the best places on the beach at holiday destinations all over the world.

At the crack of dawn, they sneak down to the beach to stake their claim on their little bit of sand – using that indispensable item of beach kit – a large beach towel. This soft, loop-pile fabric can do much more than simply act as a textile demarcation line. We use it to dry off and keep warm, it brightens up the bathroom and beach alike, and pampers our skin. Fleecy terry bathrobes and towels, which are soft and colour-coordinated, also make the spa experience even more enjoyable. And, of course, terry fabrics are indispensable for all those cleaning jobs.

These exquisite, high-end textiles can be produced efficiently on KARL MAYER’s HKS 4 F machine. This terry machine processes filaments to produce all the usual terry fabrics with loops on one side only or on both sides, and was refined and improved at the end of 2006, beginning of 2007. The technical improvements have boosted performance by up to 74% and reduced the cost by 25% compared to the previous model. This upgrade sold very well for a time, but was subsequently removed from the range through lack of demand.

Since the middle of this year, however, the wind of change has been blowing on the market for warp-knitted bath/beach textiles and there has been an obvious increase in demand – which was a good enough reason for KARL MAYER to incorporate this tried-and-tested, four-bar, high-speed tricot machine into its range again. The HKS 4 F will be available again as of May 2010. Its impressive technical features include: maximum machine speeds of up to 1,400 min-1, gauges of E 24 and E 28 as standard, and a working width of 136".

Basically, the terry machine is available in two different versions, the HKS 4 FB(Z) and HKS 4 F. The HKS 4 FB(Z) is particularly suitable for producing cotton goods, but can also produce fabrics from filament yarns without any problems. On the other hand, the HKS 4 F can only process filament yarns – but at a much higher speed than the HKS 4 FB(Z).


Thursday, December 17, 2009

KARL MAYER’s RSE 4-1 to set new speed standards



KARL MAYER’s RSE 4-1 is definitely the fastest four-bar raschel machine in the world, and will soon have even more accolades heaped upon it. It will be launched onto the market in April 2010 as the most reliable machine in its series. It will set new speed standards and operate with precision accuracy - completely independently of the climatic conditions.

The speed has been increased by integrating innovative CFRP components into the machine construction, which has been specially adapted to handle these components. This is a technological quantum leap forward, which has already enabled some of the other high-speed warp knitting machines produced by KARL MAYER to be operated extremely successfully by the company’s clients.

The RSE 4-1 is the first raschel machine to be equipped with the CFRP components. All the bars on this highly efficient machine for processing stretch fabrics have been manufactured from this lightweight, stable material. The entire machine, from the needles to the basic machine design, has been modified to cope with the resulting increase in speed.

The changes that have been made to the needles have focused on increasing the resistance to lateral distortion, whereas aspects of the basic machine design were optimised specifically in terms of the machine dynamics. The modifications that were made to improve the stability, both of the bars as well as the basic machine, were made by carrying out detailed and extensive calculations using tried-and-tested procedures, such as the finite element method and multi-body simulation systems. Nothing was left to chance and this can be seen quite clearly from the results of these technical improvements.

The weight of the CFRP bars has been decreased by as much as 25% compared with the conventional type, whilst the rigidity has been increased. This has opened up more scope for setting the maximum achievable speed. Above all, however, the use of CFRP materials results in an exceptional temperature stability during production. The temperature window for problem-free machine running has been extended from +/- 2ºC to +/- 7ºC.



Monday, December 14, 2009

Sawgrass offers Cap Cleaning Kit for Brother GT-541 DTG printer



Sawgrass Technologies Consumer Division, a world leader in consumer product printing solutions, announced the immediate availability of a Cap Cleaning Kit for the Brother GT-541 direct-to-garment printer. The kit is included with the back ink cartridge at no extra cost for NaturaLink B customers.

It is recommended by the manufacturer that the Wiper Cleaner be replaced with every black ink cartridge. The Cap Cleaning Kit is individually packaged and contains not only the Wiper Cleaner, but also cleaning solution, swabs and latex gloves to facilitate the replacement of the Wiper Cleaner.

NaturaLink B is color-matched with OEM Brother Inks, so a customer can change out one color at a time, or all colors at the same time. Sawgrass’ plug-and-print compatibility makes changeover a breeze.

“NaturaLink B offers better wash fastness and a 25% savings over OEM Brother ink. We are very pleased with the positive reports from Brother GT-541 owners who have switched to NaturaLink B,” said Mike McEvoy, Vice President of Marketing for Sawgrass Technologies. “It’s a win-win for customers looking for high performance and economy.” 







Thursday, December 10, 2009

2nd Knit+tex Bangladesh 2009 International Expo begins



“2nd Knit+tex Bangladesh 2009 International Expo” organized by CEMS in association with BKMEA has started at Bangabandhu International Conference Center, Dhaka.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Honb’l chief guest Mr.Mohammad Faruk Khan, Minister for Commerce, Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. BGMEA President Mr. Anisul Haque were present as special guest. BKMEA President Mr. Fazlul Hoque and President & Group Managing Director of CEMS Global Ms. Meherun N. Islam were also present there. After the successful holding of the 1st edition last year, BKMEA – Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association and CEMS - Conference & Exhibition Management Services Ltd., are again jointly organized the 3-day “2nd Knit+tex Bangladesh 2009 International Expo” – A Comprehensive International Exhibition on Knitting Technology and Machinery for the entire Knitwear sector of Bangladesh will continue up to December 12, 2009.

Bangladesh Knitwear is exported to over 100 countries of the world and has surpassed the US$ 5.2 billion in its exports in the first 10 months of the Fiscal Year 2008-09 which is 18.13% higher than the same period of last fiscal year. Now Bangladesh is the third largest supplier of Knitwear in the world after China and Turkey. The knitwear sector of Bangladesh is almost self sufficient and has acquired the confidence of the investors and is the most potential export earning sector of the country.

With the ever growing exports of Knitwear of Bangladesh reaching new heights, the "2nd KNIT+TEX Bangladesh 2009 International Expo” organized jointly by BKMEA & CEMS, is placed in a perfect timing where total investments in the sector crosses US$ 2 billion, hence this show will be a unique opportunity for exhibiting machinery manufacturers to interact with the Knitting sector to further promote their machinery / services in Bangladesh.

The Knitwear Industry of Bangladesh has the Key position in the export sector. Keeping in mind the potential of this sector and to further boost the exports, such an exhibition is essential which displays the latest technology that our Knitwear industry can obtain to update with the quality of the competitors in the world Market. With the ever increasing competition in the world market, the Knitwear Industry of Bangladesh can expand their share in the market abroad and at the same time could attract more foreign investment in our highly potential Industry, specially the Knitwear Industry.

Nearly 75 Exhibitors from over 15 countries are participating in `2nd Knit+tex Bangladesh 2009’. This exhibition, focused on the entire Knitting Industry will play an important role by assembling Worldwide Technology, Machinery and Material manufacturers at the doorsteps of the Knitwear Manufacturers of Bangladesh under one roof to apprise them of the latest developments and technology available for them.

Media partners are Channel-i, Daily Shamokal, New Age and Radio Amaar, Technology Partner is ACER.

The Exhibition will be open for Trade visitors only everyday from 10.30 am to 7.30 pm upon registration at the Expo venue.


Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Textiles Committee releases census of textile engineering secto


The Census of Textile Engineering Industry (TEI) Units has been initiated by Textiles Committee mainly to fill up the data gap required for policy decision pertaining to textile machinery industry in India.

The absence of data on the machinery sector is an impediment in policy decision-making and its growth plans. The TEI produces virtually the entire range of textile machinery for cotton, blended and manmade fibre textiles. The major share of global production of textile machinery is concentrated in the developed countries like Germany, Switzerland, Italy, USA, Japan and the UK. Competition from high tech machinery of European and South-East Asian countries is a real challenge to the very existence of this industry.

The TEI in India is fully capable of serving the domestic textile industry and well as exports. The entire range of equipments required for forming lint and manmade fibres upto finished fabrics are produced in India. Side by side, the ancillary and textile testing and monitoring equipment sectors too developed appreciably.

The main objective of the paper is to delineate the present status of the textile engineering industry in India and then to compare its position vis--vis the global exports of textile machinery. Two sections are exclusively devoted; the first on the textile engineering industry status and the second the position of the industry in global trade.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Unique tangalia weaving art receives GI ta



Recently, the Tangaliya Hastkala Association, located in Wadhwan, Gujarat has recieved the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) assisted the association in procuring the GI registration. The products for which the GI registrations were sought are Shawls, Sarees and handkerchiefs. 

Tangalia craft has a distinction of its own. It consists of knotting a contrast color thread, along the warp and pushing them together to create the effect of raised dots. This unique art is done using wool, cotton, silk, acrylic and viscose. The tangaliya products are made up of natural and synthetic material or a combination of both. 

Since ages, weavers have designed motifs inspired by nature and their surroundings. Tangaliya motifs have a very geometric and graphic feel. The emphasis is on basic shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles and circles. The placement of ach dana is done precisely by calculating the distance between the warp and the weft yarns. Lots of contrasting colors are used in dana work. Commonly used colors are Blue, Green, red, pink, black, grey, maroon, purple and orange. White is used most prominently along with other colors.

The most basic motif of Tangaliya is the Ladwa - it refers to a ladoo, an Indian sweet. The other predominant motifs are peacock, felt of peacock, Ambo tree (Mango tree), Khajuri (Date palm tree), peacock on bush, peacock with diamond shape motif and peacock sitting on bungalows and airplanes. Tangaliya is produced in Surendranagar district of Gujarat and is spread over around 26 villages, practiced by a particular community called "Dangasia" (earlier a part of the Shepherd community). 

Tangaliya Weavers Association established under the Societies Registration Act 1860 is responsible for the production and marketing of Tangaliya. Tangaliya (also spelled as Tangalia) is a very unique craft and has its origin and history in the roots of early settlement of life in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, unfortunately, this craft either remained unnoticed or beyond the reach of the craft historians. Moreover, the craft was basically produced for the use of the community, which also created self-sufficiency and sustainability in supporting the entire community with clothing.

Tangalia craft which is distinctive from others consists of knotting a contrast color thread, along the warp and pushing them together to create the effect of raised dots. The effect is created without the use of any mechanical device and is manufactured using pit loom, which is installed in their homes, as the craft is basically a household activity. The pit looms do not have a warp beam; instead, the yarn hank is knotted to a pole from which the yarns are connected through the heald shafts to the cloth roll at the weavers end.