Stäubli is a mechatronics solutions provider with three divisions: Textile Machinery, Connectors, and Robotics. With a workforce of over 3,000, the company generates an annual turnover exceeding 1 billion Swiss francs.
Founded in 1892, Stäubli, an international group based in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, is active on all major continents and oversees 14 industrial production sites. Including the companies Multi-Contact and Schönherr, the group is present in 25 countries through its sales and customer service subsidiaries, as well as agents in 50 countries.
Stäubli Textile has been developing and producing high-quality systems for the weaving industry for over a century. It has its strong market in textile machinery, thanks to its pursuit of absolute customer satisfaction.
The Stäubli booth at ITMA 2011 attracted many visitors, customers, professionals, academics, and students from all over the world who came to see the latest products from the group. Stäubli received larger visitor delegations from all the textile-producing countries in Europe, including Turkey, and from the Middle East, India, North and South America, and South-East Asia.
Visitors were particularly attracted by the new universal Jacquard machine type SX, which was launched on the market 12 months ago and is now also available in a version V for producing velvet. Another major attraction was the brand new dobby family S3000, featuring revolutionary design of the locking mechanism, which allows unparalleled performance values.
Various models of this new machine could be seen not only at the Stäubli booth but also mounted on weaving machines of Stäubli partners. The Weaving Preparation Systems Division highlighted its top-end drawing-in system SAFIR S80 and its warp tying machine MAGMA T12, which impressed visitors.
The Stäubli Group member Schönherr presented a significant innovation: the world’s first weaving machine for carpets and technical textiles with flexible rapier weft insertion and based on a modular concept that allows configurable weaving widths up to six metres. In the knitting area, at a separate booth, Stäubli Group member DEIMO presented its advanced technology for electronic controllers for knitting machinery, hosiery and weaving machines, servo motors, and drives.
During the eight-day event new contacts were made and many projects were discussed, started or reviewed. A number of orders were finalized during the show.
Stäubli has been following its company principle “Progress through tradition and innovation” for many years. During the past year, development of new products and technologies benefited the textile industry to a great extent.
The following are the new products presented at ITMA with their attractive features:
Jacquard Weaving – Type SX Jacquard machine
Introduced a year ago, the SX Jacquard machine has gained wide and enthusiastic approval by customers. This extremely versatile machine for broad use in modern Jacquard weaving mills meets the highest demands. Productivity of the SX surpasses that of other models, the machine is more compact, and it offers higher performance – meaning high loads and high speed. Its nearly vibration-free drive mechanism is extremely reliable.
The machine requires a minimum of maintenance. The SX is available in two sizes, with 1408 or 2688 hooks. It is adaptable to rapier, air jet, and projectile weft-insertion systems. Today over 100 SX machines are in daily use in weaving mills around the world, handling a variety of textile applications.
Stäubli also demonstrated at its booth the SX with 2688 hooks with a Stäubli harness on an air-jet weaving machine producing apparel fabric at very high speed.
New type SX V Jacquard machine for velvet
Stäubli unveiled the new type SX V Jacquard machine for production of velvet fabrics. It is equipped with 2688 hooks driven by the M6.2 three-position module. The SX V can be adapted to any type of new or existing velvet weaving machine.
The principle of running a Jacquard machine with no mechanical link to the weaving machine was introduced by Stäubli more than 10 years ago, with the UNIVAL 100. Since then, Stäubli is in a position to offer solutions for individual drive with no cardan shaft to the weaving machine for its complete range of Jacquard machines. A Stäubli Jacquard machine with independent drive on a rapier weaving machine was exhibited at the company booth.
UNIVAL 100
The well-known UNIVAL 100 Jacquard machine with single-end control is superbly suited to the production of technical fabrics. New, smaller configurations with fewer actuators have been developed particularly for this application. The two new models can be equipped with up to 512 or 1,024 actuators, complementing the previous range with configurations between 2,048 and 15,360 actuators. Of particular interest to technical weavers, the new configurations facilitate production of narrower fabrics, from simple fabrics to sophisticated textiles such as multi-layers.
All UNIVAL 100 models are easy to program using the JC6U colour touch-screen controller, allowing the setting of shed parameters such as shed angle adjustment, opening profile, and crossing phase difference.
A small version of the single-end-control UNIVAL 100 Jacquard machine with a demonstration harness of 384 ends was also on display.
UNIVALETTE
The introduction of the UNIVALETTE represents a significant step forward in name selvedge technology. This new electronic Jacquard machine is used for applying names and lettering to fabrics. As the name suggests, the UNIVALETTE adopts the technology of its big brother, the UNIVAL 100, for controlling the shed. The new machine is available in two configurations, with either 64 or 96 actuators for the movement of a corresponding number of warp threads. Using the JC6U control unit, shed parameters are freely programmable to achieve optimum performance and perfect synchronisation with the weaving machine. The positioning of the UNIVALETTE Jacquard head on the weaving machine can be easily adjusted to suit the desired shed geometry.
The UNIVALETTE can be used in combination with the positively controlled CS1 selvedge let-off motion device, available as an option. The CS1 precisely controls warp yarn tension in the selvedge area to achieve perfect fabric quality.
The LX32 electronic Jacquard head for narrow fabric weaving features up to 448 hooks driven by a precise mechanism. Electronic synchronization with the weaving machine is provided by the JC6N controller, which is also used to program the pattern or the letters respectively.
S3060/S3260 – new generation of dobbies
Stäubli proudly announced the newly developed rotary dobby family S3060/S3260, just in time for ITMA. Based on the success of the rotary dobby invented by Stäubli many decades ago, the new dobby comes with a new locking system – the heart of every dobby. The new evolutionary principle features enhanced security for the selection of the heald frames, allowing higher running speeds as well as superior reliability.
Thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, the new machine is even more compact and has less noise and vibration despite its higher speed. It also has a built-in cooling system connexion and requires less maintenance.
Stäubli has adapted its range of cam motions to meet the latest requirements. The streamlined series of products now includes the new types 1671/1681/1781. With a high-performance cam-and-lever assembly and a broad range of symmetrical and asymmetrical cams, these advanced machines offer increased flexibility and performance.
Weaving preparation systems
With the new generation of SAFIR, Stäubli offers automatic drawing-in machines that incorporate decades of experience and deliver users added value through state-of-the-art technologies. Since its launch, the top-end SAFIR S80 has proven its worth through simple operation, high universality, and technical properties that deliver faultless quality of drawn-in warps.
The SAFIR S80 can handle drawing in from 1 or 2 warp beams, each with up to potentially 8 thread layers when necessary. The warp sheets can be with or without a 1:1 lease, depending on the type of warp production. As far as harnesses are concerned, the SAFIR S80 can handle almost any type of healds, drop wires, and reeds, and the number of heald frames to be drawn in can total up to 28 units.
Thanks to its unique camera system, which is part of the completely new yarn separation module, even coloured threads can be recognized and will be monitored and compared to the given colour repeat pattern. Drawing-in ancolour repeat patterns can be programmed either on the built-in operator console or via download from a textile CAD system. This results in high throughput and production rates, and it eases the work of the operating personnel.
The SAFIR S80 was exhibited drawing in a fancy cotton warp from two warp sheets.
OPAL multilayer leasing machine
OPAL applies a 1:1 lease to a warp sheet to ensure perfect thread order in the warp. As the name multilayer leasing machine says, it can do this with one or several – up to 8 – warp sheets. The heart of the system is the thread separation unit, which is responsible for the faultless sequencing of the separated warp threads. The unit has been optimized to handle new yarn types, especially fine yarns down to 10 den, transparent yarns, and FDY (fully drawn yarns).
The range of usable warp widths has been expanded. Besides the previous standard versions of OPAL for warp widths of 230 cm and 280 cm, a new model with a working width of 360 cm is now available. Thanks to these recent developments, more and more mills can benefit from OPAL.
MAGMA T12 warp tying machine
MAGMA is ideal for tying technical fabrics, which are rapidly growing in importance. It ties monofilaments, coarse multifilaments, PP ribbons, bastfibres, coarse staple fibres, and many other fibre types. The machine is easy to operate and very reliable, thanks to its optical system for double-end detection and its patented thread separation system with no need of specific separation needles. The quality of the tied warp is excellent.
To make operation even more convenient and to provide more information about the progress of the tying process, the MAGMA T12 is equipped with a touch-screen panel. The panel is used to display information and enter parameters.
Two operational MAGMA T12 tying machines were on display at the Stäubli booth, the first tying PP ribbons of 5 mm width and the other tying very coarse cotton yarn.