Electronic Jacquards and purpose-built looms are converging into “systems”—because composites reward precision more than volume.
Composites manufacturing is increasingly constrained not by resin chemistry but by preform complexity. As aerospace, construction and industrial users push for lighter, stronger structures, weaving—the oldest of textile technologies—has become a bottleneck worth modernising.
At JEC World 2026 (March 10–12, Paris-Nord Villepinte), Stäubli will present weaving solutions aimed at technical textiles for composites, highlighting two product lines: the UNIVAL 100 electronic Jacquard and the TF series of weaving machines (TF20/TF30). The company positions these as integrated platforms for producing complex technical fabrics from glass, carbon and aramid fibres.
The UNIVAL 100’s selling point is control: individually actuated harness cords and high motion precision enable complex patterns and 3D weaving, while “gentle” yarn handling matters when fibres are expensive and damage-prone. In composites, defects and variability are not quality issues; they are structural risks. Precision therefore becomes a commercial advantage.
The TF looms extend the same logic to throughput and structure. The TF20 emphasises speed—plus options such as a double rapier to lift output—while the TF30 stresses careful handling and support for sophisticated multilayer architectures. These capabilities target reinforcement textiles where geometry, repeatability and low waste can outweigh pure labour cost.
For Stäubli, the strategic play is to sell reliability and application know-how—pre-installation support, commissioning and long-term service—rather than machines alone. For buyers, the question is whether such integrated weaving systems can shorten development cycles for next-generation preforms and make 3D textiles less bespoke—and therefore more financeable—at scale.
