Customer magazine no.

76/2020

Optimization of Existing Systems

Thanks to Automation and Digitization
Optimally Equipped for the Future
The Efficient Rotor Direct Process
 CONTENTS

ROTOR SPINNING PROCESS

04 The Efficient Rotor Direct Process Cover:

Spin rotor yarn efficiently with the
Spin cost-effective raw material economically
automated rotor spinning machine R 70.

06 Short and Efficient Back page:

Get the most out of the raw material Follow us on our social media channels.

08 Choosing the Right Rotor Process Publisher:

Wanted: The ideal process with a high short-fiber content Rieter

Editor-in-chief:
AUTOMATION / DIGITIZATION
Anja Knick
11 Optimally Equipped for the Future Marketing
Spin more economically thanks to automation
Copyright:
© 2020 Rieter Machine Works Ltd.,
14 ROBOspin Makes Spinning More Attractive Klosterstrasse 20, 8406 Winterthur,
Automatic piecing on ring and compact-spinning machines Switzerland,
www.rieter.com, [email protected]
15 Complete an Order in Just a Few Clicks Reprints permitted, subject to prior
Efficient online ordering of spare parts with ESSENTIALorder approval; specimen copies requested.

AFTER SALES – OPTIMIZATIONS Design and production:

Marketing Rieter CZ s.r.o.
16 Modernization with Maximum Impact
COMPACTdrum boosts productivity by up to 20% Volume:
Year 32
17 Considerable Raw Material Savings
Address changes:
Investments in mill assessment quickly paid back
Please send to the following e-mail
TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS address:
[email protected]
18 50% Longer Service Life for Card Clothings
Consistent quality thanks to new Graf clothing sets and MULTISHARP alloy

PRECISION WINDING MACHINES

19 Precision Increases Production

Dye packages with optimal yarn density

The data and illustrations in this

brochure and on the corresponding
data carrier refer to the date of printing.
Rieter reserves the right to make any
necessary changes at any time and
without special notice. Rieter systems
and Rieter innovations are patent
protected.

2 link 76 / 2020
 EDITORIAL

Dear Customer,

The last edition of link was devoted to ITMA Barcelona 2019. But there will also come a time after COVID-19, in which in-
The feedback from visitors to the booth about the innova- vestments will be made in new systems. In this edition, you
tions that Rieter presented was very positive. And this posi- will find a comprehensive description of the Rieter rotor spin-
tive feedback has led to orders – the fourth quarter of 2019 ning system with important information about its cost-saving
and the first two months of 2020 were very successful for benefits and about the optimal system configuration.
Rieter. We are delighted that our product range clearly meets
your needs. The Rieter teams around the world will do their utmost to
support you during this difficult time. If you need us, please
The world changed in March 2020, and consequently your do not hesitate to contact us.
and our priorities changed too. What’s important is getting
the best out of existing systems. The articles from Buhler in I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your
the USA and Selected Textiles S.A. in Greece demonstrate trust and collaboration. I wish you, your families and your
what is possible with Rieter solutions. colleagues the very best of health and wellbeing.

The expanded product range from Graf, the retrofittable Truly yours,
backpressure system preciforce from SSM, the piecing robot
ROBOspin, spare parts procurement with ESSENTIALorder
and automation solutions from Rieter are all moving in the
same direction.
Dr. Norbert Klapper
CEO

link 76 / 2020 3
The Efficient Rotor
Spin cost-effective raw material economically

+5% -7% -2%

Productivity Energy Raw material costs

The Optimal Rieter Rotor Spinning System

VARIOline Card + RSB-Module 50 Rotor Spinning Machine R 70

 Direct Process

+ USD 330 000 per year

Cash flow

The strength of the Rieter rotor spinning system has always been its high
productivity and achievement of a consistent yarn quality, particularly in
applications with shorter fibers. The new rotor direct process further greatly
enhances system performance and yarn quality – even with cost-effective
raw materials.
 ROTOR SPINNING PROCESS

Short and Efficient

Get the most out of the raw material

The rotor direct process opens up interesting benefits for Raw material costs 2% Lower
spinning mills: processing of more cost-effective raw ma- The most important factor in the yarn conversion cost is the
terials with a higher short-fiber or trash content into yarns raw material. The quality of the raw material can only be re-
at a quality that is customary in the market. The customer duced to a level at which the quality of the yarn still meets
benefits from a high additional cash flow. the requirements of the customer or of the end product. This
makes the solution that enables a very good raw material uti-
Customers who want to spin cost-effective raw material with lization and gets the best out of the fiber blend particularly
a high trash content into rotor yarn with good yarn quality interesting.
rely on the rotor direct process. It is the shortest possible
spinning process for the production of a rotor yarn. It con- Additional cash flow of
sists of the blowroom line VARIOline, the high-performance
cards C 80, each directly connected to the autoleveled draw
USD 330 000 per year
frame modules RSB-Module 50, and the fully automatic ro-
tor spinning machines R 70 (Fig. 1). In a comparison of a With the rotor direct process and the rotor spinning machine
“mixed spinning mill” – equipped with machines from differ- R 70, in this comparison the customer can replace a bale of
ent manufacturers – with the Rieter rotor direct process, the virgin cotton with a bale of waste in the bale laydown and
customer generates a cash flow that is 330 000 USD higher still achieve a comparable yarn quality. This means the raw
per year. material costs are reduced by 2% with the Rieter system.

https://l.ead.me/bbYq6B

Fig. 1: The fully automatic rotor spinning machine R 70 gets the maximum out of the raw material. Get an impression – scan the QR code.

6 link 76 / 2020
 ROTOR SPINNING PROCESS

The comparison is based on a system with six rotor spinning

machines R 70, each with 700 spinning positions and a pro-
duction quantity of 848 kilograms per hour of weaving yarn
with a count of Ne 21. This excellent raw material utiliza-
tion is based on the blowroom line VARIOline with an optimal
combination of microtufts and progressive cleaning as well
as the card C 80 with its maximum technological cross sec-
tion and individually equipped pre- and post-carding zone.
The fully automatic rotor spinning machine R 70 completes
the system with its efficient trash extraction. Therefore the
proven function BYpass has been rearranged and optimized.
Trash and dust are extracted more effectively and the rotor
groove stays clean for much longer.

Productivity up to 7% higher
Right from the fiber preparation stage the card C 80 demon-
strates its efficiency: In comparison with the current bench-
mark, it produces 30% more card sliver. Crucial to the high
productivity of the rotor spinning machine R 70 is the opti- Fig. 2: The card C 80 with the autoleveled draw frame module RSB-Module 50 is
mized spinning box. It achieves a better spinning stability the optimal combination with a high short-fiber content.
and a higher yarn tenacity, which can be directly converted
into a 7% increase in productivity by reducing the yarn twist.
And this is achieved at a comparable yarn quality. In the spe- Optimal process sequence
cific example, the Rieter system in combination with the re- From a short-fiber content of over 50%, the rotor di-
duction in raw material costs offers 5% higher productivity. rect process with the autoleveled draw frame module
RSB-Module 50 is the best solution, because only here the
Substantial energy savings slivers with low sliver adhesion are processed accurately
Energy-efficient solutions and a high production capacity (Fig. 2). The article on page 8 in this edition of link and the
generate energy savings of 7% for the complete system. The technology publication mentioned in it provide detailed in-
blowroom line VARIOline with the optional ECOrized plays formation on all aspects of this spinning process, including a
a significant part in this. It reduces the energy consumption visual assessment of the knitted fabric.
of the pneumatic fiber transport throughout the blowroom
system by 30%. Energy-efficient drive concepts, innovative Significant demand
machine components, and the high production output of the The first new machines have already proven themselves in
C 80 with the RSB-Module 50 save significant amounts of en- the field. Customers are impressed with the high productivity
ergy. This is also true of the R  70 thanks to the optimized of the card C 80. The rotor spinning machines R 70 – which
individual drives, extremely efficient suction, energy-saving have been sold in South America, Asia and other regions – of-
automatic filter cleaning, and optimized air routing. fer energy savings of 20% compared to the previous mod-
el and have proven themselves in the field. A Chinese
Additional cash flow customer with a complete Rieter system, including cards
With the savings and adjustments shown, the customer ben- with RSB-Module 50 and rotor spinning machines, is already
efits from an additional cash flow of around 330 000 USD per benefiting from the rotor direct process with its blend of cot-
year in comparison to a “mixed system”. ton and waste.

link 76 / 2020 7

 ROTOR SPINNING PROCESS

Choosing the Right Rotor Process

Wanted: The ideal process with a high short-fiber content

The best way to process shorter fibers and waste is with

a Rieter rotor spinning machine. But which process offers
the ideal solution with a high short-fiber content? And
how many drafting zones should a draw frame module
have? A study has provided the answers.

When searching for the ideal way to process cotton with a

high short-fiber content, three different processes were ex-
amined: the classical rotor spinning process with two draw
frame passages, the shortened process with one autoleveled
draw frame and the direct process with an autoleveled draw
frame module on the card (Fig. 1). Therefore a West African
cotton blended with different quantities of short fibers (noil)
was used. Yarn counts Ne  12, Ne  20 and Ne  30 were pro-
duced. For the purposes of visual assessment, the yarn with a
count of Ne 30 was used to produce single jersey fabric on a
circular knitting machine. Fig. 2: A typical application for rotor yarns with a high short-fiber content

Economical direct process with optimal quality

The rotor direct process with autoleveled draw frame module content of 50% or above (Fig. 3). The use of the RSB drafting
is a very interesting solution not just for economic reasons system module directly after the card offers the security of a
but also for quality reasons (Fig. 2). In comparison to the pro- controlled draft in this case. There is also the added benefit
cess with one or two draw frame passages, it has a positive of a higher sliver breaking load, which ultimately results in a
effect on the yarn quality for raw materials with a short-fiber rotor yarn with improved evenness.

Three different rotor spinning processes

Classical process

VARIOline Card Draw frame Autoleveler draw Rotor spinning machine

frame

Shortened
process
VARIOline Card Autoleveler draw Rotor spinning machine
frame

Direct process

VARIOline Card with RSB module Rotor spinning machine

Fig. 1: Rotor yarns can be spun in different ways.

8 link 76 / 2020
 ROTOR SPINNING PROCESS

Yarn unevenness depending on rotor spinning process

100% cotton 1 7/32” with different noil contents

17.5
17.0
16.5
16.0
15.5

Draw frame cannot be used

15.0
14.5
CVm [%]

14.0
13.5
13.0
12.5
12.0
11.5
11.0
10.5
Shortened

Shortened

Shortened

Shortened

Shortened
Classical

Classical

Classical

Classical

Classical
Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct

Direct
100% CO virgin 70/30% CO/noil 50/50% CO/noil 30/70% CO/noil 100% noil
27% SFC [n] 43% SFC [n] 54% SFC [n] 65% SFC [n] 81% SFC [n]

Ne 12 Ne 20 Ne 30 SFC – short-fiber content

Fig. 3: The direct process with the RSB module has a positive effect on the quality of yarn with a high short-fiber content.

After the RSB draw frame module, the sliver has increased
adhesion compared to one draw frame passage. Therefore,
the sliver adhesion in the direct rotor spinning process does
not reduce too much despite the high short-fiber content,
which avoids long-wave fluctuations in the yarn evenness.
This means that when using cotton with a short-fiber content
of 50% or above, the rotor direct process has benefits over
the classical process or shortened process in terms of yarn
evenness and general yarn quality. This is true of all three
yarn counts analyzed in the study.

Two drafting zones are essential

The RSB draw frame module offers a crucial advantage when
processing cotton with a high short-fiber content: It works
with two drafting zones (Fig. 4). This is beneficial for achiev-
ing good yarn evenness, even from a short-fiber content of
27% or above with 100% virgin cotton. For other solutions
available on the market with only one drafting zone, the yarn
evenness is significantly worse, which is particularly clear for Fig. 4: From a short-fiber content of 27% and above when using virgin cotton, two
longer sliver lengths, such as for the three-meter mass varia- drafting zones are essential.

link 76 / 2020 9

 ROTOR SPINNING PROCESS

Yarn unevenness depending on drafting zones

100% cotton 1 7/32” with different noil contents

7.0

6.5

6.0

5.5
CVm% 3 m [%]

5.0

4.5

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0
RSB module Autoleveled draw RSB module Autoleveled draw RSB module Autoleveled draw
2 drafting zones frame module 2 drafting zones frame module 2 drafting zones frame module
1 drafting zone 1 drafting zone 1 drafting zone
100% CO virgin 50% CO/50% noil 100% noil
27% SFC [n] 54% SFC [n] 81% SFC [n]

Ne 12 Ne 20 Ne 30

Fig. 5: The evenness of the rotor yarn is significantly improved with two drafting zones.

tion (CVm% 3 m; Fig. 5). This results in undesirable “stripes” The right process depends on the raw material, application
in the final product. and level of flexibility. Rieter will be happy to provide advice,
including in relation to the conversion of existing systems.
Process sequence versus short-fiber content
For a short-fiber content of up to 30%, the classical process The complete study “The ideal rotor spinning process for
with two draw frame passages is the best solution, primarily a high short-fiber content” with further, detailed explana-
because of the yarn unevenness. tions is available to download from https://www.rieter.com/
services/expertise-new/textil-technology.
From a short-fiber content of over 50%, it is disadvantageous
to choose a longer process sequence. This reduces the sliv-
er adhesion and with it the yarn quality. For this reason, it
is advisable to use the direct process with an autoleveled
draw frame module downstream of the card for this applica-
tion, as this provides significantly improved yarn unevenness
and reduces imperfections. For the autoleveled draw frame
module, two drafting zones are required in every case. The
RSB-Module 50 is the ideal solution in this scenario. The ideal rotor spinning
process for a high short-fiber
The shortened process with autoleveled draw frame by no content
means achieved the optimal result in this study. It would rep-
https://l.ead.me/bbXL8Y
resent a compromise when the customer is unable to choose
the optimal process.

10 link 76 / 2020
 AUTOMATION / DIGITIZATION

Optimally Equipped for the Future

Spin more economically thanks to automation

In many markets, spinning mills are being confronted with combed compact yarns. This spinning process is made up of
a growing labor shortage and a lack of industry-specific many process steps and, without automation, it requires a
expertise. Rieter understands these challenges that cus- large number of personnel.
tomers are facing and offers both automated machines
and tailor-made automation and digitization solutions, Efficiency in the combing section
which are also available as retrofit. The automated combing set with the systems SERVOlap
and ROBOlap offers personnel savings of up to 50% com-
Do you want to achieve high productivity and machine avail- pared to the manual solution. The proven lap transport sys-
ability around the clock without being dependent on per- tem SERVOlap transports the laps produced in the combing
sonnel? Do you want to produce yarn efficiently with fewer preparation stage to the combers automatically and with-
personnel or use your existing personnel for more important out contact (Fig.  1). This eliminates the laborious task of
tasks? The only way to do this is by automating processes moving trolleys and means that the combers are never at a
on and between the machines. With Rieter products and sys- standstill because of missing lap: Before the laps run emp-
tems and by collaborating with companies such as Electro- ty, the comber automatically requests new ones from the
Jet, Rieter offers automated, customer-specific solutions for SERVOlap. With ROBOlap, the automated lap change and batt
the entire spinning process from a single source. piecing system, the entire process is no longer dependent on
personnel. The laps are changed on the comber without de-
What possibilities does Rieter offer and how do customers lay and with consistent quality, and the new batt is pieced up
benefit from them? The Rieter automation concept can be automatically (Fig. 2). Over 3 500 combers are already using
demonstrated using the example of a system for spinning ROBOlap in production. The two automation systems have

https://l.ead.me/baqNSR

Fig. 1: SERVOlap reduces the number of operators and increases efficiency in the combing section. The animation shows how it works – scan the QR code.

link 76 / 2020 11

 AUTOMATION / DIGITIZATION

Fig. 2: With ROBOlap, Rieter is the only company to offer a proven automated Fig. 3: SERVOtrail automates roving bobbin transport and saves space.
batt piecing solution on the comber.

been on the market for 25 years and have been continuously ings of up to 30% can be made with SERVOtrail depending on
modernized and optimized. the level of automation.

Automation in bobbin transport Proven and innovative solutions for end spinning process
For ring and compact yarn producers, the roving bobbin With ring spinning and compact-spinning machines, the
transport system SERVOtrail from the roving frame to the proven individual spindle monitoring system (ISM) increases
spinning machine is an immense labor-saving solution. the efficiency of the operators and the machines. ISM uses
SERVOtrail significantly reduces the distances that employ- the three-stage display concept to guide the machine opera-
ees need to move. It also saves space, ensures free access tor to the spinning position with ends down via the shortest
to the spinning machines, and improves the ergonomic han- route. Unnecessary inspection rounds are no longer required.
dling of the bobbins (Fig. 3). The automatic transport system
ensures that the roving on the bobbins is not touched. This The system becomes even more efficient with ROBOspin,
guarantees consistent quality. the automated piecing robot for ring and compact-spinning
machines. ROBOspin works around the clock to repair ends
There are different technical variants and automation lev- down that occur while the machine is running or during doff-
els. The three most important systems are Circuit, Flexible ing (see also page 14). It automates an unpopular task in the
and Direct. For spinning mills whose product range rarely spinning mill, for which it is hard to find the personnel in
changes, SERVOtrail Circuit offers simple, fixed bobbin cir- many markets. To transport the cops from the spinning ma-
cuits between one roving frame and three to four ring spin- chine to the winding machine, Rieter has been offering the
ning machines. Spinning mills that process a wider product proven Link interface for many years. Almost 80% of ma-
range will benefit from SERVOtrail Flexible. With this solu- chines are now supplied with this automated solution.
tion, any roving frame can supply any ring spinning machine.
The automated variant for the most demanding customer re- Automatic palletizing and packing
quirements is SERVOtrail Direct. Roving bobbin trains are Downstream of the winding machine, palletizing systems and
automatically positioned in the ring spinning machine and packing machines can simplify or reduce the operators’ work.
thereby replace the bobbin creel. There is no need to manu- Single or central palletizing systems enable packages to be
ally replace the empty tubes with full bobbins. Personnel sav- placed efficiently on pallets (Fig. 4). This protects the mate-

12 link 76 / 2020
 AUTOMATION / DIGITIZATION

rial while reducing costs and minimizing the risk of material Advantages of automation
mix-ups. The process can be completed with damping, weigh-
ing and packing systems. 60
-1.5 -4
50 -10.5
Automated spinning mill makes 44% personnel savings

Number of operators
In a comparison, a complete system with just under 53 000 40 -8
spindles for producing combed compact yarn was used and -24
30
the effect of the above-mentioned automation solutions was 54
evaluated. From the blowroom to the packed yarn pack- 20
age, with the automation solutions the number of person- 30
10
nel required falls by 44% from 54 to 30 operators per shift
(Fig. 5). 0
without 1 2 3 4 with
automation automation
(1–4)
1. Combing section: SERVOlap, ROBOlap
2. Roving bobbin transport system SERVOtrail Direct
3. Ring spinning machine: ISM, ROBOspin, Link Basis: Spinning mill for
combed compact yarn
4. Palletizer with 53 000 spindles

Fig. 5: With different automation solutions on and between the machines, the
number of operators can be reduced significantly.

larly relevant to machine maintenance and inefficiencies

in the process areas, such as in the storage of spare parts.
With ESSENTIAL, the Rieter Digital Spinning Suite, Rieter of-
fers a single system for overcoming these challenges. Four
different modules enable spinning mills to put together the
right package for them. The free module ESSENTIALbasic of-
fers many features, such as the ability to order spare parts
online. This saves time that can be used efficiently in oth-
Fig. 4: Palletizing systems simplify work for operators. er areas (see also page 15). The module ESSENTIALmonitor
displays actual production, energy consumption and qual-
ity data while helping to plan maintenance work. It allows
Further automation and retrofitting the efficiency of the system to be increased. The module
There is a new option for automating monotonous work for ESSENTIALmaintain offers an intelligent maintenance so-
the semi-automated rotor spinning machine R  37 too: The lution and optimizes maintenance planning. The fourth
robot ROBOdoff changes the full packages without interrupt- module, ESSENTIALpredict, detects machines that are not
ing the spinning process. In addition, there is the possibility achieving the expected performance and shows solutions
of automating all of the can transports needed in the spin- that will prevent a possible failure.
ning process. Rieter offers all of these solutions as retrofits
too, in which case the machine model or year of manufacture Investments in automation and digitization are investments
is crucial. in the future. They enable cost savings to be made while
guaranteeing the quality of the sliver and yarn, particularly
No automation without digitization in difficult times.
Digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in
spinning mills. They provide support when there are short-
ages of experts and operating personnel. This is particu-

link 76 / 2020 13

 AUTOMATION / DIGITIZATION

ROBOspin Makes Spinning More Attractive

Automatic piecing on ring and compact-spinning machines

The ring and the compact-spinning technology are still in turn reduces personnel costs. The quality of the yarn piec-
the dominant end-spinning processes. ROBOspin makes er is consistent, and contamination or damage of the cop is
both of these spinning machines even more attractive. a thing of the past.
The piecing robot automatically repairs ends down, reduc-
es personnel costs significantly and enables higher pro- Intelligent and efficient
ductivity. Regardless of the machine length, one robot is in operation
per machine side. It repairs ends down that occur during
spinning or after doffing. In this process,
ROBOspin uses a system that is now the
standard at Rieter – the integrated individ-
ual spindle monitoring ISM. It detects ends
down. The information is sent to ROBOspin
via the machine control system. The ro-
bot travels to the relevant spindle, where
it stops and repairs the ends down. The
complete process is automated: finding the
yarn, placing the yarn in the ring traveler,
balloon control ring and yarn guide ele-
ments, and piecing. The spindle is then re-
started.

Innovative solution for all

Rieter offers ROBOspin for new machines
and for the installed base. The ring spin-
ning machines G 38 and G 37 are available
from the factory with ROBOspin. Retrofits
are currently possible for the G 36. In the
near future, the piecing robot will also be
available for the G 35 and G 32 as well as
for the compact-spinning machines K 48,
K 47, K 46, K 45 and K 42.

Fig. 1: The piecing robot ROBOspin increases productivity and also reduces personnel costs.

ROBOspin automatically repairs ends down and is used 24/7

without any loss of efficiency (Fig. 1). The piecing robot au- ROBOspin takes ring- and
tomates very unpopular work in the spinning mill, for which compact spinning to the
it is hard to find the personnel in many markets: piecing on next level – 24 hours a day.
the ring and compact-spinning machines. The spinning mills See for yourself.
benefit in three key aspects: increased machine availability, https://youtu.be/tZgNhfnb3gg
higher productivity and a relief on the personnel side, which

14 link 76 / 2020
 AUTOMATION / DIGITIZATION

Complete an Order in Just a Few Clicks

Efficient online ordering of spare parts with ESSENTIALorder

In the Rieter Digital Spinning Suite ESSENTIAL, all digi- An administrator can define various user profiles and autho-
tal applications that simplify management of the spinning rizations for spinning mill employees within the platform.
mill are integrated. ESSENTIAL can be individually config- The order history makes repeat orders easier. Direct price
ured and expanded. This allows users to choose exactly information helps the customer to make a quick decision.
the right modules to meet their needs. Spare parts are supplied particularly quickly for credit card
payments. Thanks to shipment tracking, the customer is al-
Every Rieter customer can have the module ESSENTIALbasic ways informed about the current delivery status.
enabled free of charge upon request. The platform enables
the use of important textile technology information, as well Different search options  –  material number, machine type,
as access to ESSENTIALconsult for customer-specific ma- catalog – make it easy for the user to find the required spare
chine documentation and recipe recommendations, plus parts. Thanks to the stored database, the technical compati-
ESSENTIALorder for spare parts orders via the webshop. The bility of the spare part is checked directly and confirmed with
platform is continuously being developed and expanded with a traffic light system.
new functionalities.

Submit orders 24/7

With ESSENTIALorder, users can manage their spare parts Do you want to experience
procurement process independently. This makes it easier the benefits of ESSENTIAL?
to process both express orders and standard orders. Stocks Access to the ESSENTIAL platform,
at the spinning mills can be optimally planned. The module including ESSENTIALorder and
contains an online spare parts catalog for the specific ma- ESSENTIALconsult, is free for Rieter
chine configuration. Availability, price and supplier can be https://l.ead.me/bbAD1M customers. Please contact your
checked with a click before ordering. The system is available Rieter sales representative to find
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Orders can be submitted from out how to access the Rieter Digital
Spinning Suite.
anywhere and at any time.

“ESSENTIALorder supports us in
our everyday work and simplifies
the handling of our orders. With the
help of direct price and quotation
inquiries, we save time that can be
used efficiently in other areas.”

Tomislav Poslek (left),

Head of Technical Department,
Klanjec spinning mill (Croatia)

link 76 / 2020 15

 AFTER SALES – OPTIMIZATIONS

Modernization with Maximum Impact

COMPACTdrum boosts productivity by up to 20%

Greece’s most prominent spinning mill was looking for an

innovative solution to increase the productivity of its ex-
isting ring spinning machines – and found a competent
partner in Rieter. The compacting device COMPACTdrum
meets the customer’s high requirements and even saves
energy.

Selected Textiles S.A., one of the largest spinning mills in Eu-

rope, is located in the heart of Greek cotton fields and has its
own cotton ginning facilities. The company produces its own
ginned cotton and exports cotton worldwide. The spinning
mill also processes high-quality cotton itself, turning it into
carded and combed cotton yarns and ply yarns. When look-
ing for a more economical and innovative solution for yarn
production, the company decided to collaborate with Rieter The compacting device COMPACTdrum also enables the economical spinning
of high-quality compact yarn on existing Rieter machines.
again.

Productivity increased by as much as 20% Low yarn conversion costs

Selected Textiles S.A. spins its cotton yarns on older Rieter The compacting device COMPACTdrum can easily be installed
ring spinning machines. The decisive criterion for the compa- on and removed from the Rieter ring spinning machine. There
ny is the quality of the cotton yarns produced from the Greek is no need for a separate suction duct to be installed. The
cotton. Since the new compacting device COMPACTdrum can compacting device is suitable for all raw materials and yarn
be installed on both new and existing ring spinning machines, counts. This enables spinning mills to respond flexibly to
the course of action was defined quickly. The quality data of market requirements, and to switch between ring yarn and
the manufactured compact yarns met the high requirements compact yarn quickly and easily.
of the company, even at higher spinning speeds. Depending
on the yarn count, the productivity of the ring spinning ma- The sieve drum that compresses (i.e., compacts) the fibers
chine was able to be increased from 10 to 20%. This was has been optimized, and as a result, the compacting zone re-
enough to convince Selected Textiles S.A. duced to the necessary minimum. The energy required for
compression is very low at around five to eight watts lower
per spindle than that of other compacting solutions. The de-
sign and sophisticated functionality ensure low maintenance
requirements and the longevity of the technology compo-
nents. This means that COMPACTdrum contributes not only
"We are very satisfied with to making the spinning mill more flexible, but also to reduc-
the new compacting device. ing the costs per kilogram of yarn.
This simple and easy-to-install
device gives a second chance
to older spinning mills in order
to compete in cost and quality
in the global market. Also, the
compacting device helps the COMPACTdrum enables a quick
spinning process to achieve the change between ring and com-
Evripidis Dontas
best results in terms of quality pact yarn. See for yourself.
and production." President and CEO
https://youtu.be/FcZmVL941Lw
Selected Textiles S.A.

16 link 76 / 2020
 AFTER SALES – OPTIMIZATIONS

Considerable Raw Material Savings

Investments in mill assessment quickly paid back

Buhler, the leading supplier of fine yarns, is headquar-

tered in Jefferson, Georgia, USA. Working together with
Rieter, Buhler has optimized its spinning mill. As a result,
the productivity and quality of the spinning mill has been
massively improved. Production costs have also been re-
duced and the production skills of employees have been
strengthened.

Through performance optimization services, Rieter is able to

boost the productivity of spinning mills. Every project con-
sists of three phases: the pre-assessment, the Mill Assess-
ment, and the implementation of recommended solutions.
During the first step, Buhler described the spinning mill situ-
ation and set its expectations. Based on these inputs, a Rieter
technologist and a senior service engineer performed a 5-day
Mill Assessment at the customer’s premises. “The Rieter specialists worked closely with our staff
to optimize our spinning mill from the blowroom right
Immediate payback through to end spinning. Thanks to performance op-
The Rieter specialists closely examined the entire spinning timization services, we could save 4% of the raw
mill  –  from the blowroom through ring spinning. This was material when processing cotton and 2% of the raw
worth the effort: The optimization of various machine set- material when processing specialty fibers overall in
tings lead to a significant increase in sliver and therefore yarn our spinning mill.”
quality (Fig. 1). By overhauling the grid bars of the pre-clean-
er  UNIclean  B  10 and adjusting the trash extraction level, Chris Daniels
1.2% of the raw material could be saved. This meant that the Operations Manager at Buhler Quality Yarns Corp.
investment made for the Mill Assessment was quickly repaid.

Equipping the combers with state-of-the-art nippers, circular

Machine Bale opener Comber
and top combs in combination with an on-site Rieter service
Target To reduce the number of To reduce the number of
neps in the card sliver neps in the combed sliver
engineer resulted in an improved raw material utilization of
2.8% for cotton with the corresponding effect on yarn con-
Action Adjustment of the take- Adjustment of top comb
off roller speed setting version cost. Modernizing the cards reduced raw material
Number of neps 147 89 waste and saved 2% of the specialty fibers. Other setting ad-
before justments on various machines across the entire spinning
Number of neps 110 31 mill and the replacement of worn-out parts lead to an im-
after provement of 30% in terms of yarn imperfections and, last
Reduction 25% 65% but not least, to a 6% production increase.
Fig. 1: The Mill Assessment resulted in better quality.
The reduced production costs mean that the investment in
Mill Assessment, technology components and modernization
Remarkable results of machinery will be paid back in less than 18 months and
In order to further optimize the spinning mill, the Rieter gives Buhler more financial scope for further investments.
specialists recommended a series of solutions, which in-
cluded replacing technology components and modernizing
machines.

link 76 / 2020 17

 TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS

50% Longer Service Life for Card Clothings

Consistent quality thanks to new Graf clothing sets and MULTISHARP alloy

To manufacture a reproducible, consistent yarn quality at Alloys on card clothings for different customer requirements
minimal costs: That is the goal of many spinning mills.
The Rieter subsidiary Graf offers unique ways to achieve
this goal with three new clothing sets for cards. In addi-
tion, the new alloy MULTISHARP ensures a 50% longer
lifetime.

Throughput [kg/h]
+ 20 — 25% +> 50%
The cotton production and spinning industries are continuing
along the path of efficiency and cost optimization that they
have been following for many years. This has consequenc-
es: Cotton with a higher trash content is increasingly being
used in order to lower raw material costs. This raw material
is not just a challenge when it comes to producing a consis- Operating hours
tent yarn quality – it also places significant demands on the
wear characteristics of the machinery and components used. MULTISHARP alloy
CUTTYSHARP alloy
The innovations from Graf enable both a consistent quality HT alloy
and resistance to wear to be achieved at higher trash con-
tents in the raw material. Fig. 1: The MULTISHARP alloy increases service life and lowers maintenance
costs significantly.

50% longer lifetime thanks to MULTISHARP alloy

Since the product was introduced at ITMA 2019, spinning
mills have been able to benefit from the unique, wear-re- Card clothing sets for cotton and cotton blends
sistant alloy MULTISHARP for all card clothings. It guaran-
tees consistent carding results, ensuring a reproducible yarn
High trash
quality over the entire service life. This extends the service content
NEW NEW
intervals and reduces the service interactions, which lowers >8%
maintenance costs. Spinning mills can therefore choose from
three alloys with different requirements in terms of service
P-1940 & P-1940 &
RSTO C-55 RSTO C-60
life and throughput (Fig. 1).
Fiber quality

Clothing sets for every application

Many spinning mills appreciate the benefits of the clothings
NEW
set consisting of the cylinder wire P-2040 and the flexible
top resist-O-top C-55 (RSTO  C-55). Even with variable raw
material qualities, its universal application has guaranteed P-2040 & P-2040 &
consistent carding results and reliable production conditions RSTO C-55 RSTO C-60
for many years. With the new clothings P-1940 and resist-
Low trash
O-top C-60 (RSTO  C-60) that are also available, Graf gives content
spinning mills the opportunity to meet the yarn quality re- <3%
quirements even when the trash content of the raw material
Good Excellent
increases (Fig. 2). Yarn quality

Fig. 2: Application areas for the card clothing sets

18 link 76 / 2020
 TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS

Consistent yarn quality ensured yarn quality. This is based on an increase of the points per
The adapted tooth geometry of the cylinder wire P-1940 en- square inch by 10% to 600. For applications in a higher out-
ables better cleaning out of trash content, seed coat neps and put range or when using cotton with a trash content of more
fiber neps with unlimited carding accuracy. Fiber alignment than 8%, a thicker wire can optionally be used.
and homogenization are not affected. With its extraordinari-
ly robust design, the P-1940 achieves the conventional ser- Differentiation through comprehensive solution
vice life. If necessary, this can be extended by using the new packages
MULTISHARP alloy. Spinning mills that rely on a partnership with Graf benefit
from a comprehensive package. This consists of technology
Flexible flat for better yarn quality components related to carding, technology consultancy and a
Spinning mills that specialize in fine yarns gain a crucial ad- global service network. Customized solutions for specific ap-
vantage with the flat RSTO  C-60: an improved opening of plications guarantee the best value for money for every cus-
the fiber tufts into individual fibers, and ultimately a better tomer.

PRECISION WINDING MACHINES

Precision Increases Production

Dye packages with optimal yarn density

How densely and accurately a yarn is wound up when man-

ufacturing dye packages is crucial to the color quality and
the productivity of the dyeing process. SSM is setting new
benchmarks in this area with the high-precision backpres-
sure system preciforce. Dye packages with all kinds of yarns
thus show a significantly better dyeing behavior. As such, in
the production of cotton dye packages the effective package
density can be increased and processed with a very low den-
sity tolerance of up to +/-1 g/l. The package build-up is ex-
tremely uniform, which gives the customer two advantages:
more yarn per package and therefore increased production
per dyeing process, as well as a consistent color quality. The
crucial factor – the yarn density – is now an independent val-
ue that can be entered and regulated on the operating unit
of the precision winding machine. The backpressure system With preciforce dye packages with a consisten color quality and with high
productivity can be produced.
preciforce is offered as an option on new winding machines
XENO-YW, YD, PB, TU and AC and can easily be retrofitted on
older models of the specified machine types.

link 76 / 2020 19

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Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Rieter India Private Ltd. Rieter (China) Textile
Klosterstrasse 20 Gat No. 768/2, Village Wing Instruments Co., Ltd.
CH-8406 Winterthur Shindewadi-Bhor Road 390 West Hehai Road
T +41 52 208 7171 Taluka Khandala, District Satara Changzhou 213022, Jiangsu
F +41 52 208 8320 IN-Maharashtra 412 801 P.R. China
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