Advanced Weaving Technologies

For Innovative Products

September 27, 2016

Stäubli offers cutting-edge machinery for the most sophisticated technical

textiles

Reference: https://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/nonwovens-
technical-textiles/2016/09/advanced-weaving-technologies-for-innovative-
products/

TW Special Report

T echnological development in the production of textile surfaces has enabled the

manufacture of a growing number of automobile components based on technical

textiles. These components include body parts as well as interior trim parts such as
floor mats, seat covers, ceiling panels and dashboards. In aircraft construction, it is
now standard practice that fuselages — or nearly entire aircraft bodies — are built
with the aid of industrial textiles. Highly versatile fabrics for such applications have
been created through the application of significant know-how by weavers and their
machinery suppliers — both of whom invest heavily in technical advancements.
Research and development continues to be intensified in the textile manufacturing
industry throughout the entire production chain and supported by manufacturers and
specific training programs offered by textile universities. Today, the list of potential
applications for textile products can be almost infinitely extended.
Regarding composite materials, a significant step toward serial production was shown
by multiple exhibitors at this year’s JEC trade shows in Europe and the United States.
But in terms of more complex composites such as 3-D multilayer weaves and spacer
fabrics, product engineers in all industries — including automotive, building
construction, leisure, nautical and aeronautic — are striving to identify precise areas
of application in order to merge the advanced weaving possibilities with their needs in
terms of technical requirements and woven components. Thus, product designers
must understand the possibilities and special advantages offered by latest weaving
machines, such as those in the product range of Switzerland-based Stäubli
International AG. These machines offer a wide range of capabilities, such as freedom
in design and format, fail-safe operation, drapability, precise definition of the elasticity
of the fabric, weaves with reinforcement in certain areas over the weaving width,
supporting the integration of the fabric in any component, and precise and gentle yarn
treatment — the basis for perfect quality in the final product. Furthermore, advanced
weaving technologies can shorten workflows, making for more economical production
of the fabric and the final product.
 Airbag
fabrics may be woven in one piece with a woven seam.

3-D Textiles In A Wide Range Of Formats

In recent years, a new type of technical multilayer fabric — so-called 3D textiles —

has appeared on the market. Finished products incorporating these textiles are used
in applications with increasingly stringent mechanical requirements. One specific
example is the aerospace industry, where traceability and reproducibility are central
aspects of product specifications. Critical in the production of such industrial textiles is
the ability to precisely control the arrangement of the warp threads within the shed of
the various layers. This precise control is perfectly supported by Stäubli’s UNIVAL 100
— a unique servo-driven single-end control jacquard machine. The warp-thread
control supported by servo-driven individual actuators, allows the production of a
great variety of technical textiles and 3-D multilayer fabrics. Depending on the
configuration desired, the unit can be fitted with anywhere from 512 to 15,360
actuators in various designs.

Stäubli’s LXL Jacquard machine is suitable for

weaving very high-load fabrics such as airbags.

Modern Airbag Manufacturing Methods

The latest jacquard weaving technology has made it possible to manufacture complex
airbag structures with woven seams. These one-piece woven (OPW) airbags give
designers great flexibility in creating patterns and designs. They also reduce the
number of production steps, thereby reducing production time. Side-curtain airbags,
activated by a lateral collision, are shaped according to the interior contour of the
particular car they are fitted in. Their shape and structure are created at the weaving
stage. As a result, no subsequent sewing operation is required. To effectively protect
passengers in a rollover, OPW side-curtain airbags must remain inflated for several
seconds. This is best accomplished by using a sealed cushion with woven seams. OPW
airbags are woven on modern high-speed jacquard weaving machines. The warp
material, the variety of fabric patterns, and the importance of precisely shaped
airbags require the use of a robust and reliable jacquard machine. For maximum
flexibility in the creation and design of airbags, weavers require a high number of
hooks, which makes control of each individual warp end possible. The extra-reinforced
drive elements and the rigid structure of Stäubli’s LXL jacquard machine — available
in formats from 6,144 hooks to 18,432 hooks — are ideal for weaving very high-load
fabrics such as airbags. The machine’s lifting mechanism ensures accurate shed
geometry and vibration-free operation even at high speeds.

At the heart of the LXL are MX modules, serving as the link between the lifting
mechanism and the harness. For each weft insertion, each hook of the modules can
be positioned either up or down, corresponding to the individual pattern required for
each type of airbag and adapting to the complexity of the design. Each hook is driven
independently, thanks to the operator-friendly JC7 controller in which all weaving data
are stored and then transmitted to the jacquard modules, pick by pick. All data can
easily be transferred to and from the jacquard controller via USB stick or network.

Delicate Automated Weaving Preparation

Filtration fabrics are among the technical textiles upon which users place the highest
demands. Filter fabrics are used in process filtration, silk screening, as filter
components, in medical applications and also in architecture. Ultrafine fabrics
increasingly are used in the high-tech field of smart textiles.

One thing is common to all these application areas: Precision fabrics are required —
and this calls for customer-specific solutions. Highly specialized weaving mills possess
the necessary know-how. These mills are not just weavers, but can respond to the
individual needs of the application technology and can ensure on-time delivery of a
specified end product made using the finest yarns.

But before the yarn can be woven, the warp must be drawn into the weaving harness.
Warps can measure up to 400 centimeters in width, comprising tens of thousands of
threads — sometimes in numbers approaching 100,000 threads.

To streamline the drawing-in process, Stäubli offers automatic drawing-in machines

that can handle up to 200 ends per minute. Here, the extreme yarn count of
sometimes less than 7 denier, or 32 microns, places extremely high demands on the
drop wires, heddle, reed, and every other element that comes into contact with the
threads.

State-of-the-art image processing makes it possible to flawlessly separate individual

threads from a dense sheet of warp threads featuring up to 200 threads per
centimeter. Programmable repeat control ensures correct reed dent and drawing in to
harness frames, thereby ensuring the specified fabric properties. Stäubli’s automatic
drawing-in machines not only handle the finest threads very carefully, but also can
handle different types of threads in the same warp layer. Even abrasive yarns such as
Kevlar® or fiberglass can be processed, thanks to specially coated thread-handling
elements. The SAFIR S80 can even work from two stacked warp beams — up to four
different thread layers and materials including S- and Z-twisted yarns.

As the technical and quality requirements for technical textiles and composites grow,
machinery manufacturers will continue to support the industry with ever-increasingly
sophisticated machinery and technologies.

September/October 2016