Orthopac RVMC-15 weft straightener. © Mahlo

Mahlo, a market leader for straightening machines, has been a reliable partner to the industry on the world's largest market for textile machines for years. At the upcoming Shanghaitex, from 25-28 November, the German machine manufacturer will be presenting the latest developments in the field of straightening and controlling on running web, together with its long-standing sales partner Kuantex.

“We offer solutions for obtaining high-quality goods with a more efficient production,” said Clemens Kaplan, Area Sales Manager East Asia at Mahlo. “Visitors to the stand can expect an insight into the broad product portfolio of Mahlo systems. At one of the largest Asian trade fairs for textiles, the automatic straightening system can of course be seen.”

Latest generation

The Orthopac RVMC-15 weft straightener is the latest generation of a product that combines decades of experience with the latest technology. The opto-electronic scanning for distortion detection with oscillating lens and newly revised digital signal processor is “probably the most sensitive and versatile system on the market”, according to the manufacturer.

Arranged on a carrier bridge, several sensors, evenly distributed over the width, detect the position of the weft yarn simultaneously at different points. The scanning system recognises and analyses the angular position of weft threads, stitches or tufting rows. An intelligent control algorithm with self-optimisation function, together with the hydraulic or electric roller positioning adapted to it, ensures that all fabric distortions are reliably removed.

With its new generation of 15 machines, Mahlo says it is also responding to customer demands for increased connectivity of its machines. mSmart is the name of the company’s concept, which defines the digital environment. “Our systems generate data that the customer can immediately use to control goods on-line. In addition, these values are stored in our new data management system and can be retrieved at any time in order to optimise processes and minimise weak points in the process,” explained Mr Kaplan.

Regulated yarn density

Visitors to the Mahlo and Kuantex experts will also be able to learn about the latest process for online control of the number of weft threads/meshes rows, which also determines and balances the basis weight. The Famacont PMC-15 uses a sensor to measure the yarn or stitch density and compares it with the target value stored in the recipe data management system. The detected deviation of the yarn density from the nominal value is used to fully automatically regulate the advance during the pinning process on the stenter frame. The so-called feed-forward control ensures a constant yarn/loop row density and a uniform basis weight.

The special feature: the system can analyse both warp and weft yarns. Depending on the fabric speed and fabric type, the opto-electronic TK sensor can detect up to 220 threads/cm, the camera sensors CK and CK HF up to 270 threads/cm depending on the design. The Famacont PMC will be running live at Shanghaitex. That is: Prospective customers can let their goods samples examine directly from place.

Growing market for technical textiles

“In addition to classic woven fabrics, technical textiles are also becoming increasingly important on the Chinese market,” said Kaplan. Therefore, special systems for this sector will be presented. The Orthopac CRVMC-12 and the Orthopac GRVMC-15 are designed for particularly high mechanical loads. The Qualiscan QMS-12 quality measuring system for measuring basis weight, thickness or moisture also reinforces every textile production line. At Shanghaitex, Mahlo will present the Webpro XS-II, the most compact of its measuring frames.

www.mahlo.com