Loepfe, a manufacturer of sensors and monitoring equipment for yarn spinning and fabric weaving processes, has developed a new optional feature in the yarn clearer YarnMaster Zenit+. According to the manufacturer, the OffColor detection is able to detect and eliminate very small colour and shade variations in the yarn during the winding process.

The new feature uses the F-Sensor, which is already integrated in the YarnMaster Zenit+. Therefore, spinning mills, which already use the yarn clearer for quality control during winding, can update their devices with this new functionality.

Shade variations

Mélange yarns and colour-effect yarns are a growing trend in the garment industry. In order to have an optimum mélange yarn, the fibres have to be mixed carefully in the right proportions at the beginning of the spinning process. Even small shade variations or colour deviations of the yarns may result in poor quality of the fabric after knitting or weaving.

Another common reason for poor quality can arise during the winding process, where bobbins with similar looking colour or shades are accidentally mixed up. Shade variations may be visible as disturbing stripes in the final product. Depending on the fabric and on the magnitude of the variation, the final quality might be so poor, that the fabric cannot be used at all. “Complaints about yarn quality can be expensive for the spinning mill,” the company says.

Testing and quality

The new OffColor detection has been extensively tested with a large number of bobbins with mélange yarn. The bobbins, which have been made available by a customer, had the same colour, but small shade variations as the black portion of the mélange yarn varied slightly from dark to light grey. During the test runs, which have been conducted at Loepfe´s headquarters in Wetzikon, Switzerland, the YarnMaster Zenit+ with the new optional OffColor feature was able to detect even the smallest shade variations very reliably, the company reports.

All other functions of the yarn clearer have been disabled during the tests. “This is the ultimate proof that the new functionality works properly,” said the manufacturer. The new feature does not depend on the colour of the yarn. In addition to the tests conducted at Loepfe´s headquarters, some clients have tested the new functionality during normal operation in the spinning mill, confirming the reliability of the new feature.

“The new YarnMaster Zenit+ with the OffColor feature is an absolute must for spinning mills, which are aiming for constantly high quality in the production of mélange yarns or coloured yarns,” said Gianni Heusser, Product Manager at Loepfe. The new feature makes the YarnMaster Zenit+ yarn clearer even more versatile. It is able to ensure high quality output at a spinning mill, by eliminating all yarn faults during the winding process.”

www.loepfe.com