3-7 June

Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Pudong, Shanghai, PR China

Booth 7B51

As one of the world’s leading textile manufacturers, Picanol has always had a close relationship with the Chinese textile industry. This was not a matter of chance or coincidental developments, but the result of long-term, strategic planning by the Picanol management. The Picanol management has been well aware that the Chinese textile industry is potentially the greatest on earth and will eventually assume worldwide significance.

In this firm belief, Picanol sent its first pioneers to explore this promising land of textiles, already in the early 1950s. Picanol took part in one of the first international exhibitions held in Beijing. These initiatives eventually produced a response with the first official visit by the Chinese textile industry ministry to the ITMA exhibition in Hanover 1979. This was the period when Picanol sales managers, still based in Ieper, criss-crossed China introducing the company’s airjet and weaving machines at exhibitions and technical seminars all over the country.

However, further success was dependent on the newly installed machines being supported by a local service infrastructure. Accordingly, the Picanol Service Centre was set up in Shanghai in 1987, with local technicians providing installation services for new machines, together with a supply of spare parts and a local repair service for electronics.

The Picanol management has always realised that the way to success in China can only be assured by building deep relationships on a long-term basis. In 1994 Picanol set up PST, Picanol Suzhou Textile Machinery Works, thus starting its career as a local Chinese textile machinery manufacturer. PST was Picanol’s first production line outside Belgium, and the technology and organisation were based entirely on the assembly concept employed at the company’s headquarters in Ieper. After an intensive period of training in various manufacturing and management skills, production of the GTM-A and GTM-AS rapier weaving machines was launched with only 50 mostly local Chinese workers and engineers.

Meanwhile, the third Picanol generation of rapier weaving machines has been introduced and will be presented on Shanghaitex: the GTXplus weaving machine. The Olympica is Picanol’s airjet weaving machine completely developed and produced in PST. Also the Olympica will be shown at Shanghaitex.

The biggest premiere however is the presentation of Picanol’s newest generation of airjet weaving machine: the OMNIplus 800. This machine was only recently introduced in Europe and will now be on display for the very first time in Asia, at Shanghaitex.  Also a GamMax rapier will be shown at Shanghaitex.

The following machines will be on display at Shanghaitex.

OMNIplus 800 4 P 190 airjet weaving machine

4 colours, cam motion, 190 cm reed width, weaving a shirting article

WEFT:            Yarn Count: Ne 50/1

                      Material: Cotton

                      Density: 26 picks/cm

WARP:           Yarn Count: Ne100/2

                      Material: Cotton

                      Density: 48 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH: 170 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        PSO: with the optional Prewinder Switch Off (PSO) system, the machine continues weaving if a filling break occurs on a package or a prewinder, as the system automatically switches to another prewinder running the same filling material.

·        Easing motion: tension differences caused through shed opening and closing in a weaving cycle are countered with the easing motion, which maintains consistent tension on the warp during the weaving cycle. As the shed opens, the easing motion moves the feeler roll towards the weaver's side of the machine. As the shed closes, the easing motion moves the feeler roll away from the weaver's side.

OMNIplus 800 2 P 340 airjet weaving machine

2 colours, cambox, 340 cm reed width, weaving a satin striped sheeting

WEFT:            Yarn count: Ne 80

                      Material: Cotton

                      Density: 4x70 picks/cm

WARP:            Yarn count: Ne 50

                       Material: Cotton

                       Density: 52 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH: 330 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        4-pick insertion

·        PSO: with the optional Prewinder Switch Off (PSO) system, the machine continues weaving even if a filling break occurs on a package or a prewinder. This option can only be used when the machine is running the same filling material in at least two prewinders.

·        Air Tucker for selvedges (ATI): To tuck a filling it is cut at a set distance and is turned over and inserted in a following shed. The ATI does not have moving parts but works completely pneumatically, with only the cutter having an electric motor.

·        interactive-display with touch screen:  On the interactive touchscreen, several article settings can be stored locally on the machine. A transponder card gives immediate access to the machine settings, which can be transferred from the microprocessor to a computer or vice versa using USB memory sticks. The Ethernet connection enables the machine to be integrated into the corporate network, opening the door to Internet applications.

GamMax 8 R 340 rapier weaving machine

8 colours, dobby, 340 cm reed width, weaving an upholstery article

WEFT:            Yarn Count: fancy yarns (from 78 dtex to Nm1)

                      Material: Polyester

                      Density: variable pick density

WARP:           Yarn count:  167 dtex

                      Material: Polyester

                      Density: 66 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH: 330 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        Free Flight rapier with raceboard: Free Flight means that the rapier tape is no longer guided by hooks, so the yarns cannot be damaged by hooks diving into the warp yarns. The machine has a covered raceboard for gentle treatment of the warp yarns during beat-up.

·        Sumo main motor with Optispeed: Optispeed enables variable speed control of the Sumo drive. Speed variations in increments of 1 revolution/min. can be entered on the terminal. The setting can be carried out both during a machine stop and while the machine is running. On a running machine, the speed immediately changes when the new setting is entered. Optispeed also offers the possibility of having a speed pattern based on the type of weft yarn or the shedding pattern.

·        WPS programmable pick density and speed pattern: allows different pick densities and speeds to be programmed in a pattern. The ETU electronic take-up motor varies its speed according to the densities required.

Olympica 2 E 150 airjet weaving machine

2 colours, exenters, 150 cm reed width, weaving glass

WEFT:            Yarn count: 68 tex

                      Material: Glass

                      Density: 12,2 picks/cm

WARP:           Yarn count:  68 tex

                      Material: Glass

                      Density: 17 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH: 129,4 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        Optical sensor empty bobbin

·        Weft yarn detector between bobbin and prewinder

·        Picus Glass Prewinder – with ABS – with pneumatical threading-up

·        Rotary split with glass-yarn

·        Suction device for the waste

·        Chimney stretch nozzle: stretches out the tip of the pick at the end of insertion. This prevents the filling from forming loops due to excessive contraction. The chimney stretch nozzle is only used with reed at length.

·        Motorised waste-cutter of chopper type

·        Neuenhauser central winder

Olympica 2 P 190 airjet weaving machine

2 colours, cammotion, 190 cm reed width, weaving print cloth

WEFT:            Yarn count: Ne 40/2

                      Material: Polyester/Rayon (65/35)

                      Density: 21 picks/cm

WARP:           Yarn count: Ne 40/2

                      Material: Polyester/Rayon (65/35)

                      Density: 39 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH:            172 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        ETU electronic take-up: cloth take-up system with electronic control. It is fitted as standard on the machine. The pick density can be programmed on the microprocessor keyboard as desired, so that pick wheels are no longer necessary, affording great time saving.

·        ELO electronic let-off: the electronic link between let-off and take-up is an additional tool to avoid fabric marks.

·        Direct-drive main motor: drives the weaving machine directly, without belt transmission or clutch and brake. The machine speed is controlled electronically, which considerably reduces the setting time. The electronic settings make it easy to obtain the highest industrial speed in function of the quality of the yarn, the number of frames, and the fabric construction.

GTXplus 4 R 190 rapier weaving machine

4 colours, dobby, 190 cm reed width, weaving a shirting fabric

WEFT:            Yarn count: Ne 80/2

                      Material: Cotton

                      Density: 39 picks/cm

WARP:           Yarn count: Ne 80/2

                      Material: Cotton

                      Density: 46 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH: 184 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        ETU electronic take-up: cloth take-up system with electronic control, affording great time saving. It is fitted as standard on the machine. The pick density can be programmed on the microprocessor keyboard or the Jacquard control unit as desired, so that pick wheels are no longer necessary.

·        ELO electronic let-off: the electronic link between let-off and take-up is an additional tool to avoid fabric marks.Quickstep filling presenter: The Quick Step filling presenter operates with independent modules, each consisting of an electronically controlled stepper motor with a presenter needle. At the highest speed of the filling during insertion, the needle is presented in the most convenient position to reduce tension build-up.

·        Stäubli electronic dobby

OMNIplus 800 6 J 250 airjet weaving machine

6 colours, Jacquard, 250 cm reed width, weaving mattress ticking

on the Van de Wiele / Bonas booth

WEFT:            Yarn count: 300 den

                      Material: Polyprop

                      Density: 18 picks/cm

WARP:            Yarn count: 150 den

                       Material: Polyester

                       Density: 32 ends/cm

DRAWING-IN WIDTH: 223,6 cm

SPECIAL FEATURES:

·        Bonas Jacquard

·        Argus filling detector (patented):The unique design of the Argus filling stop motion ensures perfectly reliable detection of the yarn. This high reliability is achieved thanks to the detector having a full view of the entire cross-section of the insertion tunnel, so that detection is independent of the position of the yarn in the tunnel.

·        PRA Pick Repair Automation: uses an air blast to remove faulty picks on airjet machines, and restarts the machine automatically without any intervention by the weaver.