German steps in textile machinery towards Industry 4.0
According to VDMA Textile Machinery, in the fashion sector the collection cycles have shortened enormously. More than ten collections per year instead of two in the past are no longer unusual today. For the textile manufacturers this means to shorten the production intervals more and more. For the production of technical textiles, due to most versatile specifications, machinery and equipment have to be adjusted frequently. This means increased set-up times and as a consequence costs. At this point starts Industry 4.0 aiming to enable quicker changes and shorter set-up times.
The internet having already changed profoundly the private life, the internet of things and services in the meantime enters the production process. Some aspects, however, which are summarized under the term Industry 4.0 are not new for the textile industry and the textile machinery engineering. Remote services used for maintenance and process optimisation have been applied for many years. The interconnection of state-of-the-art information technology and manufacturing processes, however, is on track. The speed factory on schedule of the manufacturer of sports articles with the three stripes shows where the road leads: Production of sport shoes of batch size 1.
Even if batch size one is not in the focus, the textile machinery manufactures have in view Industry 4.0, the fusion of information technology and machine building, as prove two interviews, which Nicolai Strauch, Press Officer VDMA Textile Machinery had shortly before the leading textile fair ITMA:
Sedo Treepoint GmbH prepares the evolutionary path to Industry 4.0
RFID readers in the dye house read the contents of radio tags, robotic dispensing systems supply the precisely constituted dye mix. If sensors report excessive shrinkage of the textile goods, the smart machine controller corrects the process parameters. If delivery deadlines are not met, downstream production processes are adjusted immediately. For Andreas Hannes, Marketing Manager with Sedo Treepoint GmbH, the company has been on course for Industry 4.0 for a long time. Based in Mengerskirchen, Hesse, Sedo Treepoint GmbH specialises in digitising and automating the manufacturing processes for textile finishing.
Machine manufacturer Stoll develops tools for improved system networking
The phenomenon of digitalisation and networking of the entire value chain – Industry 4.0 – is also gaining importance in the textile industry. H. Stoll AG & Co. KG, a long-established manufacturer of flat knitting machines based in Reutlingen, Germany, will present an innovative software tool for networking of machine parks with up to a thousand machines at the ITMA textile machinery show in mid-November. CEO Andreas Schellhammer talks about digitalisation as a challenge and opportunity for the long-established float knitting machine manufacturer, whose machines are increasingly being used for the production of technical textiles.
German Technology in Milan – VDMA booth in Hall 8 Booth 132d
More than 230 German exhibitors will be present in Milan. They cover nearly all different machinery chapters with a focus on spinning, nonwoven, weaving, knitting, warp knitting and finishing. The VDMA booth (H8 B132d) is the first contact point for visitors interested in German Technology. They get a compact overview of German manufacturers and their products:
The useful pocket guide lists all exhibiting VDMA members by halls and shows their stand location in the hall plans. Other little helpers for the fair visit: Buyers guides textile machinery and nonwoven machinery. A new edition of a publication dedicated to the topic energy efficiency: VDMA energy efficiency guide textile machinery.