Tough market conditions require a sure-fire strategy for business success. Uster recognizes that, and provides spinners the security and flexibility they need – with defect prevention assured by Quantum 4.0 on their winding machines.
Fast-moving market challenges mean spinners have to stay focused. There’s no need to waste time pondering technical options or wondering about capacitive or optical yarn-clearing technology. Uster has solved that problem with the Smart Duo system, offering the best of both worlds for intelligent yarn quality control and optimized profitability.
Smart Duo tackles the big clearing issues
Uster Quantum 4.0 features a capacitive and optical sensor working intelligently in tandem through an innovation known as Cross Clearing. This locates and eliminates hidden defects by means of a double check, in which the main sensor’s signal is supported by the assistance sensor. This deals with issues such as unnoticed fluff events, which might otherwise cause breaks downstream.
Today market shows strong demand for compact yarns. Here, spinners can trust Quantum 4.0 to tap this potential and deal with any quality issues. The density feature, for example, protects mills from substandard cops caused by ring spinning malfunctions such as blocked compacting zones, or twist problems. Smart Duo has the advantage of monitoring yarn density continuously and after every splice.
Spinners can access full security in quality control, ensuring the best clearing mode is applied. Quantum 4.0 enables this through a simple capacitive/optical switch. This allows greater flexibility in the types of yarn which can be produced, while also dealing with factors such as humidity variations.
Prevention pays
Quantum 4.0 gives spinners the ultimate confidence through intelligent interaction between capacitive and optical sensor technology. It achieves ‘one of a kind’ security levels in basic clearing, while also cutting only what’s necessary. But spinners need not be satisfied with simply the ‘best’ yarn clearing. Preventive yarn clearing is the ultimate goal – and continuously optimized production is the mission.
These targets can be achieved with the right data – and Quantum Expert is a valuable source. As well as identifying defects at winding, the clearer’s new Expert System can help to prevent defects at source. Thanks to many added intelligent analytical features, Quantum Expert enhances process control and prevention of defects, through Total Contamination Control, Ring Spinning Optimization and the RSO 3D Value Module.
Innovations in the new clearer protect spinners from claims and waste – but the real purpose of Quantum 4.0 is to enable business success. Latest clearing technologies work with Uster’s unique data analysis to enable flexible data-based decisions using application intelligence. Failure prevention is the key, and tackling issues at source is the way to do it. No matter how much data – in terms of quantity and different parameters – is collected for analysis, Uster Quantum Expert manages the complexity, while staying as intuitive as ever.
Stop defects at source
Uster Ring Spinning Optimization is the basis for quality and profitability
Yarn producers no longer need to rely on expensive clearer cuts at winding to protect their quality. Uster Quantum brings the ultimate in connected intelligence: prevention of yarn faults at source. Data from fiber cleaning and ring spinning is integrated with in-line monitoring of 100% of yarn, to unlock optimization potential for the entire mill.
Uster has devised three special value modules: Ring Spinning Optimization, Total Contamination Control and the Alarm Center. They enable preventive action to improve quality, reduce waste and maximize performance. The value modules apply comprehensive analysis of data from quality systems in the blowroom, on spinning machines and winders, to provide all-round protection, actually preventing bad quality before it is produced.
The productivity plus
Ring Spinning Optimization – RSO – stops poor quality, instead of cutting it. Prevention comes with the connected yarn clearer. It means disturbing defects cannot pass and issues in downstream processes are prevented. Upstream, connectivity to Uster’s quality management platform contributes to ‘preventive yarn clearing’.
RSO works at the most costly stage in yarn manufacturing, allowing mills to analyze combined quality data from spinning and winding in a single system. Information from Sentinel (monitoring the productivity of all spindles) and Quantum is intelligently translated by RSO into enhanced options for improvements, while Sentinel’s Roving Stop function stops defective yarn production. Spinners benefit from significant profitability increases and protection against claims.
A further advantage of Ring Spinning Optimization is its impact on cop build-up quality. Yarn clearer data from Quantum flows into the RSO Module of Quality Expert, and a comprehensive speed curve analysis is made. The results guide spinners to the best machine settings for higher production yields and the required quality. This reduces quality variations over the cop and boosts the overall performance of the ring spinning machine.
State-of-the-art optimization
Additional potential for improvement comes with Uster RSO 3D, for extended Ring Spinning Optimization. This delivers quality data for each individual spindle position. The facility for quality mapping across the entire ring spinning machine helps to identify outlier sides, sections or spindles, as well as assisting maintenance decisions.
Quantum 3 and Quantum 4.0 also collaborate seamlessly with Muratec QPRO EX/FPRO EX, Spin Inspector and Sentinel. Outlier quality data from these connections activates Roving Stop at individual spindle positions where a quality problem is detected – underlining how production of poor quality yarn can be prevented.
Preventing claims
Going up another level from preventive yarn clearing is prevention of claims. It is becoming more important for spinners to understand the quality perspectives of their customers in weaving and knitting – so that issues such as claims can be prevented before the yarn is shipped. Combining Quantum with Tensojet (weavability measurement system) and Quality Expert helps provide the ‘customer viewpoint’, by giving an accurate prognosis of weaving performance, based on an easy-to-understand grading system. No fabric samples are needed, and testing costs are virtually zero. Feedback suggests that the prognosis information is an accurate reflection of real yarn behavior on both warping and weaving machines.
The game-changer
Uster Ring Spinning Optimization in practice at Ibrahim Fibres
This customer had ambitious goals for its entire mill operation, seeking benefits from ring spinning and winding processes. Detecting faults at source with Uster Sentinel, thanks to connectivity with Quantum and Uster Quality Expert, allowed Ibrahim Fibres to achieve the required quality and performance gains. This case study shows that benefits from Ring Spinning Optimization (RSO) go far beyond end-break reduction.
Ibrahim Fibres is a leading Pakistani Industrial Organization, incorporated in 1986. Its operations include polyester and textile spinning plants. The polyester plants produce a wide range of staple fiber. The textile spinning plants specialize in production of medium fine counts of blended as well as pure synthetic yarns.
Ibrahim Fibres was looking for optimization in spinning, and was convinced by the RSO approach that Uster Sentinel (monitoring the productivity of all spindles) brings. It was especially impressed with the additional advantages of further reducing yarn fault cuts and yarn alarms at the winding stage, with help of Uster Quantum clearers. The main focus wasn’t only to increase ring spinning performance but to extend it to the final yarn stage in the winding process.
The team also wins
RSO had a positive influence on production KPIs. End-break downtime in spinning reduced by 80%, while clearer cuts at winding are 19% less than previously. Overall winding efficiency is up by 1%. RSO had a further positive impact in the spinning department. The Uster Sentinel system guides operators logically to the next yarn break, so they no longer need to search and patrol laboriously for breaks. Thus, operator motivation in working practices has significantly increased, resulting in continuously better work management. Ibrahim Fibres has been able to increase the working area of machine operators by about 35% within a short period, and aims to double the areas in the near future.
“We observe that better operator work management also increases spinning process efficiency,” says Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, General Manager of Textile Plant 4 at Ibrahim Fibres. End-break downtime was reduced by about 80%, with rationalized path optimization for operators. This resulted in an overall pneumafil waste reduction by about 60%, i.e. less than 0.8%, which is a significant productivity gain.
The technical team members became real fans of Sentinel, as a handy tool to control production quality. Dedicated staff go through exception reports from the Uster Sentinel system on a continuous basis. All the information is available in one place, so it’s easy for the team to ensure daily fixing of repeated break positions (rogue) and slip spindles in real time. This contributes to increased production, not only at spinning, but also at the next stage of winding. “There is no doubt that the final yarn quality is better after outliers have been attended to promptly,” says Iqbal.
“Uster RSO is a real game-changer for consistent yarn quality. We are delighted – and so is the customer.”
Good for sustainability too
The benefit from RSO at winding was greater than expected. By attending to the source of faults at ring spinning, the mill was able to reduce yarn fault cuts – waste – at winding by about 19% and further yarn alarms reduced significantly. Ibrahim Fibres increased its winding efficiency by about 1%, as well as producing better quality with fewer alarms in the process.
One more important benefit of the Uster Sentinel system is that it supports sustainability. It was possible to bring down energy costs significantly, due to reduced reprocessing of roving waste and hard waste at the winding stage. The mill has saved more energy in both power and air consumption, since less waste is being produced than earlier. These benefits are in line with the vision, mission and core values of Ibrahim Fibres.
“We are happy with our investment in the Uster Sentinel system and the improved performance-oriented results in spinning and winding. More importantly, it has helped us to bring smiles to all levels of the workforce,” says Iqbal. Ibrahim Fibres has a strong belief that a good work culture is the foundation for success. “We also believe our association with Uster could leverage even more benefits in future, through connectivity to Uster portfolio products such as Uster RSO 3D.”
Tight and agile management of spinning operations is critical
Survival strategies for the present crises
The Pakistani textile community faces challenging times. Sivakumar Narayanan, Executive Vice President of Uster Technologies, presents a detailed analysis of the current situation. In this interview, he recommends a focus on core business strategies, with the confidence that seasoned textile professionals have the expertise to handle the most difficult external circumstances.
TEXtalks: Like many other industries, the textile business is seemingly in tatters?
Sivakumar Narayanan: Unfortunately, we are not in a good place at the moment. The global macro-economic situation is tough, with many crises in parallel. The Ukraine war, the sharp slowdown in China, double-digit inflation and a tightening by central banks all lead to a deceleration in the major economies. Textile demand is largely related to economic cycles – and is therefore going through a severe downturn. Pakistan is a key player in the textile chain and is also unfortunately dealing with additional challenges of its own: the tragic floods, foreign exchange shortages and high cotton prices. However, the textile community has experienced many such cycles, most recently in 2020, and will survive and eventually thrive through this one.
TEXtalks: How can these challenges be managed?
Sivakumar Narayanan: I think seasoned textile professionals will all tell you the same thing… External circumstances are what they are, so let’s do the best we can to manage our operations tightly and with agility. Key issues are raw material management and product portfolio adaptation, while at the same time managing customer expectations, relationships and satisfaction.
TEXtalks: Is there a good example of this?
Sivakumar Narayanan: With the benefit of a global view, one can see some companies managing the situation better than others. With the rather better-managed mills, such as Ibrahim Fibres, key differentiators are the adoption curve of technology, data-driven decision making and automation. The HVI and AFIS systems for raw material management are super-relevant during this time. But a new tool with a similar impact is RSO 3D. It presents a great opportunity, because a lot can be managed with ring and winding process data, and RSO 3D brings these processes together. The yarn clearer is the last point of control to maintain consistent quality, and acts as a barometer of raw material and process management effectiveness. When combined with ring monitoring, this is a huge help to identify the ‘red zones’ quickly and take immediate action to control them.
TEXtalks: RSO and RSO 3D are Uster Value Modules. Please explain how these could help Pakistani spinners.
Sivakumar Narayanan: Mills which have tried Uster Ring Spinning Optimization (RSO) always mention multiple benefits. First of all, automation stops bad quality as early as possible. Remember that in the normal cycle of detecting a bad ring spinning position, it can continue producing poor quality – sometimes for months – resulting in cuts, alarms or quality complaints. The second benefit is the reduction in cuts, and therefore higher productivity – in some cases even up to 10%. But the third aspect that is highlighted, and possibly the most impactful one, is the continuous and systematic improvement in optimization of raw material, process and machine settings, to raise overall quality consistency and productivity levels.
TEXtalks: So, improving yarn production performance for competitiveness is a way to survive this crisis?
Sivakumar Narayanan: As I said before, experienced global operators, such as those in the Pakistani textile community, will see out this current tough cycle, and hopefully times will change next year. We managed the Covid crisis, the post-Covid boom, and the logistics nightmare, among other challenges in the space of two years. As we did then, we all now have to tighten our belts and do what is necessary with agility. Uster will be alongside our customers, trying to help during these hard times. At the same time, we will continue to invest in solutions that improve quality consistency with automation, while reducing operational costs.
