It has been more than a year with the industry accepting the fact that productivity and efficiency improvement is the only feasible way to sustain operations and business in these times, but not many substantial steps have been taken in this direction. Rising to the occasion one of the oldest technology supplier to the Indian textile-apparel value chain, Rajasthan International, recently organized a seminar in New Delhi on ‘How to Increase the Productivity of Your Knitting Machine’ with the help of its key technology principles from Groz-Beckert, Klüber and Memminger-Iro.
Happy over the turnout at the event, Rajesh Bihani, MD, Rajasthan International added, “To run a machine efficiently one needs a good needle, feeders and proper lubrication, hence the combination specialist of speakers from Groz-Beckert, Memminger-Iro and Klüber are the most apt.” This was a first of a kind initiative from the company and would be willing to conduct such insightful sessions in the future also.
With a history that can be traced back to 150 years, German conglomerate Groz-Beckert known the world over for its specialized precision needles and equipment for knitting, nonwoven and stitching, and represented by Roland Simmendinger, Senior Area Manager Sales & Technical Application, Groz-Beckert said, “If you are not using a needle of good make, you will eventually end up running the machine slow as poor quality needles cannot sustain at high speeds, and hamper both the productivity and quality of the machine.” There is extreme high pressure and force on the needle butt from the cams, while the machine is in operation and can result in needle and cam breakages at high speeds, the contact area between needle butt and cam should be smooth and uniform throughout all the needles. This also helps in smooth yarn insertion in the needles, and usually people tackle these issues by reducing the speed of the machine, which should be highly discouraged. “By reducing the machines speed by 1 RPM you lose on 300 kg of fabric per day per machine,” explained Roland.
[bleft]To run a machine efficiently one needs a good needle, feeders and proper lubrication, hence the combination specialist of speakers from Groz-Beckert, Memminger-Iro and Klüber are the most apt.[/bleft]
Also introduced were the new Litespeed needle from Groz-Beckert which substantially reduce the friction between the needles and the trick walls and enables the machine to work at greater speed, also reducing the weight of the needle bed, making it approximately 14% energy-efficient and saving around Rs. 12,000 per machine per month (as per the current electricity rates). Groz-Beckert’s high speed solution which enables 20% to 40% reduction in the latch speed, less yarn breakages, minimal wear & tear, longer needle life, no need to reduce the machine speed, standardized loop formation, improved plating conditions and finally increased productivity and the new knitting cylinder bed ensuring faster gauge changeover, were also highlighted by Roland.
Providing a wide array of industries and application solutions for lubrication Kluber, since its inception in 1929, is present in more than 30 countries, employing more than 1,900 employees. Present in India since the year 1999, Kluber was represented by Kristian Forster, Market Manager Textile Industry, Kluber. “If you look at needle oils in general, you would not be able to differentiate and even judge their performance due to which the understanding of their manufacturing becomes of utmost importance,” he stated. Emphasis was laid on the requirement of lubricants for reducing the friction between the various components, increase the life of the needles, sinker and other important parts by more than 10%, reduce the temperature of the needle cylinder between 100C – 150C, and lastly to avoid corrosion when the machine is not functional for some time. Highlighting another aspect related to needle oils, Kristian added that needle oils should be compatible with elastomers and other such materials. “Most of the modern machines are now running such materials and that too in abundance. For example polyester yarns tend to contain chlorine, which can harm the needles, sinker and other metal parts, endorsing the damping action of the needle oils,” he continued.
Known for its yarns feeders, lubrication and control systems all around the world, Memminger-Iro have been a part of the global textile industry since 1957. Represented by Stefan Maier, Area Sales Manager, Memminger-Iro has some of the most sought-after product range aimed solely at productivity improvement. The first highlight of the presentation was the fabric scanner systems – combined with a knitting machine, the scanner can detect all sorts of fabric faults automatically that too when the machine is in operation and simultaneously stops the machine on detection of a defect. Moreover, combined with its monitoring abilities, one can look at the status of the machines from anywhere in the world. “You would always remain informed about the status of the machine and even know about the type of problem and its status,”explained Stefan. Moreover for security purposes, the apparatus can only start and stop via a single key, that means once running it cannot be fiddled with. An extension of the system is the Network Monitoring System from Memminger-Iro, which not only monitors the machines but also the entire facility or facilities and all the running orders. “The graphical representation helps you manage the machines order-wise and buyer-wise, making the manufacturing operations quite transparent, even to the extent of estimated order completion time, the information is available,” explains Stefan. Also highlighted was the automatic machine cleaning system, which continuously cleans the machine while in operation without any loss in production and man hours.
