Streat Instruments, a leader in moisture measurement and control systems, will showcase its latest moisture control systems at ITMA textile machinery trade fair that takes place in Milan this month.

The company will present its new Drycom Connect, which combines Streat control technology with a dedicated smart-phone and tablet app, which allows operators to view moisture and associated production data from their production plants in real time, at any time, from anywhere.

“The Drycom Connect App is a valuable management tool, empowering users to monitor system data remotely,” explained Jim Herbison, Managing Director of Streat Instruments. “Having a mobile option provides an increased level of control as well as peace of mind.” The App can keep track of multiple systems within the plant and can be integrated with data from fibre weight control systems by Streat’s sister company Garnett Controls.

Moisture management

Manufacturers of both nonwovens and traditional textiles are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of moisture management during processing. It is well known that fibres perform differently during the carding, lapping, needing and spinning processes. Finding and maintaining the optimum moisture content provides clear benefits both in processing performance and product quality, the company reports.

“Over-dry material creates static problems,” commented Jim Herbison. “It can also reduce fibre strength, resulting in excess fibre breakage, increased drop out and reduced yields. On the other hand, a product that is too wet blocks fibre transport, causes roller laps and can lead to the build up of bacteria.”

Streat Instruments moisture systems are designed to assist users in optimising production conditions in order to maximise productivity, quality, operating efficiencies and profitability in the nonwovens and textiles industries.

Minimal energy consumption

Drying is one of the most energy intensive operations in textile mills. Streat Drycom aims to empower processors to reduce energy usage by optimising the drying process. The product is said to ensure consistent moisture by continuously measuring the moisture of the fibre, yarn, nonwoven web, or other product outputs at the exit of the dryer.

“Drycom automatically controls the energy and/or speed of the dryer to maintain the desired level of moisture,” said Herbison. “In addition to ensuring consistent moisture content, the productivity gains and energy savings provided by our systems are considerable.”

In processing areas such as opening and blending, carding, and web forming, plant humidity control is not enough to ensure optimum moisture conditions. Micro-climates within machinery often dry the fibre, making downstream processing difficult or impossible.  It’s not uncommon for plants to run at high humidity levels in order to drive fibre moisture content up to manageable processing levels. Drycom measures the fibre directly. Moisture can them be managed in a manner appropriate to the process, such as targeted moisture application by precision spraying devices.

www.streatsahead.com