A wide range of technologies and services will be presented by members of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) at the forthcoming Techtextil 2024 exhibition which takes place in Frankfurt, Germany, from April 23-26.
Sophisticated systems for the testing of fibres and advanced materials will be showcased by James Heal (Hall 12, Stand A40 at Techtextil 2024) and Verivide (Hall 12, Stand A70), both of whom have established strong ties with major producers of technical textiles over many years.
AirPro and HydroView
With the introduction of its latest Performance Testing collection of instruments James Heal continues to expand its range with a focus on making testing simple, fast and intuitive.
The new AirPro air permeability tester, for example, is used to test the resistance of the flow of air through woven, knitted or nonwoven textiles. Its software offers flexibility with standards and comprehensive reporting options and different test head sizes are available, making it suitable for a range of applications and standards.
The HydroView hydrostatic head tester is meanwhile designed to measure the penetration of water in materials which have an end use that requires water resistance, such as those in the medical, geotextiles and nonwovens sectors. It is also proving essential in the testing of end-use applications for technical textiles ranging from protective gloves, diving suits and winter sports apparel to fishing waders, roofing, tenting, ground sheets and more.
Visual accuracy
Colour is the prime focus for VeriVide and its systems are widely employed by manufacturers of technical textiles for end-use applications including helmets and gloves, automotive, aerospace and other transport interior materials, seat belts, airbags and even medical implants and prosthetics.
For non-contact colour measurement and digital imaging, VeriVide’s established DigiEye system collects and processes data that can be communicated and shared instantly. Thus, enabling manufacturers, producers and processors to speed up quality control, sustain product integrity and reduce waste.
The company’s latest all-LED UltraView and VisionView light booth bring a range of sustainable new benefits.
New fibres
Fibre Extrusion Technologies (FET, Hall 12, Stand A84) works closely in collaboration with its customers on the development of specific multifilament, monofilament and nonwoven polymers for niche applications – over 70 to date – and designs the bespoke fibre extrusion and spunbond and meltblown nonwoven systems to successfully produce them.
Following the opening of its expanded Fibre Development Centre at the start of 2023, with considerably enhanced facilities more than doubling capacity and increasing efficiency, the company has significantly accelerated the number of technical trials it has conducted for clients.
“The sheer variety of customers we work with is considerable, ranging from massive multinationals to start-ups and spin-out companies,” says FET R&D manager Jonny Hunter. “We’ve developed new raw materials for novel food products, robotics, aerospace, sportswear, sports equipment, automotive, defence and medical products, to name but a few. It is particularly encouraging that an ever-increasing proportion of new polymer trials relate to sustainable fibres, with more than 25 polymers we’ve trialled being derived from sustainable sources.”
Cetaflam
Avocet (Hall 11, Stand B25) manufactures a range of high-performance flame retardant (FR) chemicals under the Cetaflam brand which can be applied to a wide range of textile fibres and their blends during the dyeing process by backcoating or padding.
While its FR treatments can be applied on conventional machinery, Avocet can adjust formulations to perform on specific machines and fabrics and develop bespoke versions enabling users to achieve cost reductions through the use of low temperature curing binders. Many of the non-halogen compounds enable the user to meet the most demanding levels of environmental sustainability and brand-imposed restricted substance lists.
Splicing
Resource efficiency in the processing of extremely expensive fibres for composites such as carbon and aramid is a key benefit of the latest splicing technologies of Airbond (Hall 12, Stand E31).
Pneumatic yarn splicing is a clever process established in the textile industry for joining yarns and works by intermingling individual filaments closely together, to make joint which are stronger and flatter than knots.
The patented splicers in Airbond’s latest range are 3D printed, making them both lighter and stronger, and now enable the splicing of yarns in sizes of up to 16,000 tex – compared to the 1,200 tex most splicing machines can handle.
“Understanding the physics behind splicing has enabled us us to change the characteristics of the air in the splicing of fragile or ultra-large yarns,” explains Airbond managing director Graham Waters. “We have increased the limits of normal splicers by a factor of ten, which will enable a huge reduction in expensive waste.”
Critical consideration
Ascotex (Hall 12, Stand B41) has decades of experience in the development and application of yarn guides working closely with leading OEMs and many of the world’s leading textile and wire producers.
On any kind of textile machine with a moving yarn or fibre, the yarn guide is the only point of contact between yarn and machine, making it a critical design consideration.
Complementing its yarn guides, Acotex also manufactures a range of textile accessories such as tensioning devices, break detectors, cutters and threaders.
Jacquards
As a manufacturer of high-speed electronic jacquards and the UK arm of Bonas Textile Machinery, Vandewiele UK (Hall 12, Stand D20) benefits from all of the synergies that come from being a member of the multi-faceted Vandewiele Group.
Its Si jacquard was developed to meet the demand for high-capacity production and can be equipped with up to 31,104 hooks controlled by a micro-selector, ensuring it is the fastest, lightest and most compact jacquard in its range. The Ji jacquard is based on the same successful micro-selector, supplemented by an advanced drive mechanism, developed for optimal rapier weaving shed formation. It offers the highest flexibility with up to 17,280 hooks.
Expanding markets
Jason Kent, BTMA CEO, says: “Techtextil is an essential show for many BTMA members and there are growing opportunities in a number of rapidly expanding markets with exponential growth. Our members are increasingly involved in projects aimed at the further development of composites, for example, and new sectors are arising such as the need for new energy storage and transportation, or the electrification of vehicles.
He continues: “In general, companies across the supply chain are a lot more open and transparent in their responses to the changing landscape these days than they have been in the past, and there’s a real appetite for collaboration. We are looking forward to some very fruitful meetings and discussions at Techtextil 2024, which is always an essential barometer for gauging where the technical textiles markets are headed next.
Founded in 1940, the British Textile Machinery Association actively promotes British textile machinery manufacturers and their products to the world. The non-profit organisation acts as a bridge between its members and the increasingly diverse industries within the textile manufacturing sector.
