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| Issue date:01/12/2008 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Dec 2008 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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Quality control in the textile and apparel industry is instrumental for suppliers to meet the requirements of clients and expectation of end consumers. This in turn helps Asian manufacturers build up a long-term relationship with clients
by Lu Zhihua and Staff Reporters
Among others, the evenness tester, yarn clearer, and fiber strength tester are important, and their performance has been further improved with the help of electronic and optical devices.
Penetrating into medium segment
Some major evenness tester manufacturers in the world are Uster from Switzerland, Premier of India and Japan-based Keisokki. Meanwhile, Shaanxi Changling, Suzhou Changfeng, Jiangsu Shineline, Shandong Laizhou and Beijing Huahao are some established machinery builders from China.
Uster is regarded as one of the global technical leaders in evenness tester technology.
In addition to the versatile Uster Tester 5, the company also provides a manually controlled version of Uster Tester 5 with capacitor, hairiness, photoelectric and foreign fiber modules. This manual model and the ME 100 system are two products designed for the medium segment of the Asian markets.
Nep measurement conducted by Premier aQura system (above) |
To accommodate the growing use of slub yarns, Uster has included a software module into the evenness testers for the testing and analysis of slub yarn samples.
Premier’s iQ QualiCenter for yarn, roving and silver, meanwhile, is an intelligent evenness tester equipped with a new parameter, hair severity.
Hairiness is a key parameter that affects the yarn and degrades the fabric appearance. By indicating a new yarn hairiness parameter, hair severity (HS), the severity of the long length hairs is represented, the company says. The company also offers a guidebook outlining the related applications, statistics and technical information.
Electronic yarn clearers offer more functions
Internationally advanced electronic yarn clearers are usually equipped with the function of clearing foreign fibers.
Uster provides Quantum 2 electronic yarn clearer, which is able to clear fibers of foreign color and quality, in addition to the clearance of white foreign fibers. Multiple functions are given, such as the testing of evenness/hairiness and the recognition of yarn defects. The device is compatible with a number of automatic winders used in the international and Asian markets.
Loepfe from Switzerland, on the other hand, brought the improved Zenit-FP electronic yarn clearer to the market. The Zenit FP comes with a P-sensor, which can detect the finest foreign fibers irrespective of the yarn color and the foreign matter, such as white and transparent polypropylene in raw-white yarn.
The potential segment of automatic winder has prompted machine builders to further develop the technology. For instance, Veejay Lakshmt from India and the Sino-Italian cooperation Marzoli (Dongtai) separately unveiled eight-spindle and six-spindle automatic winder prototypes and electronic yarn clearers in 2008.
It is noteworthy that more rotor spinning machines equipped with electronic yarn clearers have also been introduced to the market.
Uster launched an electronic yarn clearer based on the Quantum 2 technology for rotor spinning, which can work with Savio’s rotor spinning machines.
Economical cotton fiber testers for Asian users
The HVI 1000, HVI MF100, Afis Pro 2 and Neps 720 systems from Uster, in addition with Art and aQura systems from Premier, are regarded as some internationally advanced testers to classify and analyze cotton fibers.
The Uster HVI MF100 is an economical tester for cotton fibers and blends, targeting mainly Asian markets. It was designed to be affordable, while maintaining key benefits offered by the Uster HVI 1000.
Premier aQura raw material and process management system is an instrument for accurate measurement of neps and short fiber content in cotton samples, according to Premier from India. The system provides an estimate of the nep content by testing a sample of 5-10 grams within three minutes. Besides, the Premier ART (automatic rapid tester) is a fully automatic high volume fibre tester equipped with length, strength, mic, color and trash modules.
Additionally, minimal yarn fault is crucial in quality control. In China, for instance, there is a mandatory limit for the amount of harmful yarn fault per 100 kilometer allowed for quality textile products.
The CFT Trichord Flex system from Keisokki (Japan) can be adopted in most winders and automatic winders available in the market. With 55 classes to classify yarn faults for nep and slub, thick place, and thin place, the system helps users monitor and ensure yarn quality.
Foreign fiber clearers are also increasingly built into a cotton opening and clearing process system. Recent models can be found with such machinery builders as Jossi (Switzerland), Loptex (Italy), Vetal (India) and Chinese exhibitors like Luoyang Fangzhi and Shaanxi Changling.
Add image Nep measurement conducted by Premier aQura system (above)
Chemical filament testing further develops
The evenness tester for chemical filament has been developed substantially. Western machinery builders, e.g. Textechno (Germany), Lawson-Hemphill (the US) and Lenzing (Austria), launched their products, including the thermal stress tester, friction coefficient tester, thermal contraction tester, oil content tester and entanglemeter.
Many of these machines feature a high level of automation, and are structured to integrate multiple functions into a single system. An example can be found in Textechno’s Dynafil ME automatic tester, which provides various chemical filament indicators in terms of evenness, friction coefficient, thermal stress, entanglement and count.
Lu Zhihua is a senior engineer at Shaanxi Changling Textile Mechanical & Electronic Technological Co Ltd
Technology highlights of some suppliers
Changling provides versatile China-made testers
Changling from China offers a wide range of testing instruments.
The CT200 evenness tester is a versatile and high-performance testing instrument for the textile laboratory, the company says. It can be used to test evenness and hairiness of yarns which are spun with cotton, wool, flax and short synthetic fiber.
Changling’s YG063 automatic tension tester |
The tester can examine various parameters, including CV%, U%, H value, SH value and twelve kinds of imperfects. It also tests such aspects as variance-length curve, unevenness curve, spectrogram and linear density–frequency distribution diagram of evenness and hairiness.
It is able to measure between 4tex and 80ktex in evenness, and 4tex and 160tex in hairiness. The evenness testing speed lies between 4 and 400m/min, while the testing speed for hairiness is between 200 m/min and 400m/min.
The YG063 automatic tension tester measures tensile strength and elongation of yarns and is suitable for testing single yarn of cotton, wool, synthetic yarns, and ply yarns. Additionally, the YG172A hairiness tester is a newly-developed electronic tester providing precise measurement of yarn hairiness.
Datacolor offers color management solutions
Datacolor provides color management solutions, e.g. Spectrum, for better efficiency through digital color communications, to help reduce the need for reprocessing while improving overall production, reducing costs, and minimizing waste, which is good for the bottom line and the environment, the company says.
The company also focuses on providing open-ended solutions that can be integrated to other products to best serve the market needs.
The following are some Spectrum-based products from the company:
Datacolor Envision provides calibrated, precise on-screen color samples, with detailed images and texture to produce product simulations as a substitute for physical samples.
Datacolor Spyder3 is a dynamic color calibration product used to calibrate a computer monitor display or laptop.
Datacolor Tools provides color quality control by creating color measurement files, generating customized reports and sharing data with other Spectrum products.
Datacolor ColorMatcher Light Booth helps evaluate and communicate color.
Datacolor 650 is a spectrophotometer with precise reflectance and transmittance measurements.
HunterLab unveils mini-scanner
HunterLab recently launched the MiniScan EZ. It is a portable color measurement instrument used on the plant floor, the production line, or outdoors to measure the reflected color of your product. Its ergonomic design features a rubberized handle that provides sure-handed carrying and reduces user fatigue when measuring a large number of samples. The measurements can be stored in memory for later printout or download to a personal computer.
Additionally, the company also provides a visible-range high-performance color measurement spectrophotometer, UltraScan VIS, to measure a wide range of human color perception.
HunterLab’s UltraScan VIS |
The UltraScan VIS can be used in production and in the laboratory for inspecting raw materials, evaluating finished product or developing methods for color analysis. It measures both reflected and transmitted color as well as transmission haze, and meets CIE, ASTM and USP guidelines for accurate color measurement. UltraScan VIS uses diffuse/8° geometry with automated, specular component inclusion/exclusion. For transmission measurement, the sphere geometry virtually eliminates errors introduced by sample turbidity and haze.
The optical system has an effective bandwidth of 10 nm and spectral data is reported every 10 nm. Tristimulus color calculations are performed from 360 nm to 780 nm as recommended by the CIE. UltraScan VIS includes EasyMatch QC software.
Innovative light fastness technology from James H. Heal
Launched in July 2008, the new Apollo2 system of James H. Heal is an air-cooled, xenon arc light and weather fastness tester, which simulates sunlight and replicates a wide range of temperatures and humidity levels. The instrument introduces new levels of ease of use and operation whilst performing consistent and repeatable light fastness testing, the company says.
The Dynawash 825 is a garment and printed fabric durability tester designed to meet the requirements of leading retail stores standard garment and fabric durability test specifications, including M&S Methods P5, P6, P7 and C15 (print durability).
Additionally, the Gyrowash 815/20 is an officially approved AATCC testing instrument for evaluating the colour fastness, staining potential and durability of fabrics under accelerated wash conditions, according to AATCC Test Method 61. The tester also complies with ISO 105 and conforms to the requirements of such European retail store groups as Marks & Spencer and Next.
James H. Heal also provides its own range of Quality Assured Consumables for colour fastness and shrinkage testing for different tests, with expert applications support.
Automatic dispensing systems from Lawer
Lawer from Italy supplies various dispensing systems, such as the TD-LAB automatic laboratory dispensing system for dye solutions and liquid chemicals. It enables fully automated operations such as preparation, dosing and dispensing of the dyeing solutions and chemical products, for laboratory equipment and sample dyeing.
It works on the volumetric measuring of the liquids by means of a calibrated monopipette, mounted on a robotized arm.
Lawer’s TD-LAB automatic laboratory dispensing system |
The system offers a higher level of automation than any other laboratory system and is available in three different models of 102, 174 or 246 color/liquid auxiliary products.
The management software can also receive recipes from the colorimetric system.
The company also provides the TD-LAB/DS dispensing and distribution system for dye solutions and liquid chemicals to the sample dyeing machines, and the TD-Matic laboratory weighing, dissolving and distribution system of small quantities of powder dyestuff for sampling and industrial use.
Loepfe help minimize standstills with efficient yarn clearer
Prevention of standstills during sectional warping and beam warping as well as the following production steps reduces costs and increases efficiency, according to Werner Schläpfer, Marketing of Loepfe Brothers Ltd.
YarnMaster Zenit FP triboelectric yarn clearer of Loepfe Brothers |
However, machine standstills and the resulting quality defects in the finished product can never be 100% prevented whereas standstills caused by deficient yarn can be prevented. With the efficient triboelectric yarn clearer, YarnMaster Zenit FP, contaminations can be prevented and thus expensive faults in the finished product.
Cotton bales contaminated with synthetic foreign matter result mainly from contaminated cotton fields and packaging remnants. During processing in the spinning preparatory factory, they are reduced to small pieces and evenly distributed during folding. Foreign matter elimination when opening the bale reduces the cutting count in the winding process by just about 10%.
(From top) Fig 1 shows a polypropylene in carded cotton Ne 28, Fig 2 polypropylene in combed cotton Ne 155, and Fig. 3 costly polypropylene fault in the dyed end product |
Experience shows that every fifth machine stop during sectional warping and beam warping is caused by PP contamination (see Fig 1). Yarn strength is thus reduced (Fig 2) as there are fewer fibers in the cross-section, which causes yarn breaks in further processing. In addition, hooking can also cause machine standstills. The later the standstills occur in the process, the higher the costs are incurred. For example, raw-white PP becomes visible only after dyeing (Fig 3). As polypropylene (PP) and other synthetic foreign matter appear similar to cotton/wool can hardly be recognized with conventional, optical foreign fiber clearing. To solve this problem, Loepfe YarnMaster Zenit FP triboelectric sensor helps clearing this foreign matter effectively.
Materials testing with the efficient “YarnMaster Zenit FP” triboelectric yarn clearer can prevent contaminations and eliminate expensive faults in the finished product. This increases efficiency of downstream processes of the spinning mill, and undyed yarn particles can result in costly faults. The yarn clearer reduces complaints caused by foreign matter in the dyed end product.
Innovative performance fabric testers from SDL Atlas
SDL Atlas recently introduced new testing units that test and measure behavior and characteristics of performance fabrics reliably.
The new hydrostatic head tester meets EN 20811 and AATCC 127 testing requirements. It provides quick, reliable, and repeatable testing of the resistance of a fabric to the penetration of water under hydrostatic pressure, including fabrics treated with water-resistant and water-repellent finishes.
Additionally, the new air permeability tester measures air permeability of woven fabrics, nonwovens fabrics, air bag fabrics, blankets, knitted fabrics and other fabrics. It also measures airflow through slab, bonded, and molded flexible cellular products known as urethane foams, complying with such test standards as ASTM D 737 and D3574 and ISO 9237.
SDL Atlas’ Moisture Management Tester (MMT), meanwhile, measures the moisture transport properties of knit and woven fabrics and provides three critical parameters, namely the moisture absorbing rate of a fabric’s inner and outer surfaces, one-way transportation capability from inner to outer surface, and the moisture spreading rate. The tester is recognized and used for both R&D and quality control by a growing number of sportswear and performance fabric manufacturers in the market segment, the company says.
Yarn quality watched intensively by Suessen’s system
The QuickSpin System of Suessen evaluates raw material quality and gives data regarding the fibre in the aspects of cleanability, opening behavior, fiber cohesion and stickiness. It also offers forecasts of yarn properties and their processability, and enables cost-effective compositions of various fibre materials.
QuickSpin System of Suessen |
Raw material represents one of the most significant factors in yarn production costs. The figure exceeds 50%in many cases, the company says. Moreover, the fibre material and fibre material composition are critical aspects regarding both yarn quality and profitability of the spinning mill.
The QuickSpin System (QSS) facilitates the accurate forecasting of yarn properties and their processability, even with very small fiber samples.
The QSS comprises two independent units:
Microdust-Trash Analyzer (MDTA 3)
QuickSpin Unit (QSU)
Fields of application offered by MDTA 3 and QSU in a QuickSpin System |
The MDTA 3 provides analysis and prediction of the content of dust, trash, fiber fragment; trash and dust categorization; stickiness, and cleaning behaviour. The QSU, on the other hand, measures yarn structure and appearance, yarn strength, yarn elongation, imperfection, and hairiness.
The cost-effective aspects of the QuickSpin System focus on selected raw material purchase, the economical composition of mixtures and blends and machine set-ups, the company says.
Uster provides solutions for all market requirements
Uster HVI 1000 M1000 system |
At the spinning mill, the first key task in the production process is to get the bale laydown right, Uster Technologies believes. This means ensuring a uniform fiber blend along the entire manufacturing sequence. The Uster HVI 1000 system provides such data as the micronaire value, fiber length, short fiber index, fiber strength, fiber elongation, color, maturity index, and trash level.
The Uster AFIS system can be used to check the treatment of fibers throughout the spinning process, while the Uster Tester 5 offers automated sample testing and advanced data analysis, providing important yarn parameters such as yarn evenness, imperfections, the hairiness, number of foreign fibers and the count.
The Uster Tensorapid, on the other hand, is a multi-purpose tester for various strength and elongation tests, for both yarns and fabrics. Its results can be matched against the globally-accepted benchmarks in the Uster Statistics. The instrument is designed for spun yarns as well as filament yarns and it is able to test up to 1,500 Newtons or 150 kilogram-force, allowing it for the use of measuring technical yarns, e.g. tire cords and aramids.
More products are on offer by Uster Technologies, including Uster Tensojet, on yarn performance in weaving and knitting; Uster Sliverguard, an online system for autolevelling slivers on drawframes; and Uster Quantum Expert, a data system monitoring the winding department from the office of the winding department manager or quality manager.
VeriVide offers colour and visual assessment solutions
With the introduction of the DigiEye system, VeriVide helps provide objective standardisation and conformity in colour and visual assessment, according to the company.
DigiEye is a non-contact, digital imaging system that captures and measures colour and appearance. It offers objective, digital measurements for not only colour, but also wider aspects of appearance. This includes textures created by structure as well as yarn or fibre colour, e.g. lace, buttons, marls and irregular samples. Hence, benefits are applicable to lingerie and footwear, and products with numerous components.
Manufacturers ad retailers can use DigiEye technology as a tool to improve accuracy and assured repeatability, as well as a way to enhance colour and quality management, VeriVide says.
Innovative digital measurement and software from X-rite
The Color i7 benchtop spectrophotometer of X-rite is a reference instrument for reliable digital workflow and measurement at various opacity levels on plastic, coated, and textile samples. An embedded NetProfiler system combines with self-diagnostic and auto-configure functions to ensure consistent, precise performance.
The product offers auto-configuration that simplifies setup and minimizes measurement errors, according to the company.
In addition, whether approving lab dips, production samples, or finished goods, Color iQC adapts to workflow to make color fast and easy, X-rite says.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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