Saurer, a leading textile industry group, presents the advantages of the company’s E³ aggressive innovation philosophy for Schlafhorst's Autocoro 8 rotor spinning machine.

Unveiled for the first time at ITMA ASIA 2014, the concept that stands for Energy, Economy and Ergonomics is said to offer textile manufacturers triple added value, with an increase in production and profitability of textile companies.

According to the manufacturer, the revolutionary single-drive technology of the Autocoro 8 is an example of how innovative technologies are pivotal to E³. The Autocoro 8 opened up new horizons for the rotor spinning mill with this innovation, overcoming the barriers imposed by central belt drives and revolutionising rotor spinning, the company reports.

Energy advantage

The single drive is of supreme importance for energy efficiency. The rotor drive accounts for half of the energy consumed by conventional rotor spinning machines. As rotor speeds increase, energy consumption becomes excessive on belt-driven machines.

Mills that increase their productivity by increasing the speed on centrally driven rotor spinning machines are risking the economic efficiency of their production, according to the company.

The Autocoro 8 with its single-drive technology and new energy-optimised motors is said to use 20% less energy than the most energy-efficient conventional belt machine at the same rotor speed. This, the manufacturer believes, has made double-digit cost reductions possible. The specific energy requirement per kilogram of yarn, e.g. for a weaving yarn of a count of Ne 20 (Nm 34) spun at a rotor speed of 160,000 rpm, is less than 1 kWh on the Autocoro 8.

Economy advantage

The Autocoro 8 offers other economic benefits with innovative operating options, such as Seamless Lot Change and PilotSpin, designed to eliminate idle running when changing lots and winding sample packages.

Integrated piecing at the spinning position using SyncroPiecing is said to reduce waiting times and increase machine efficiency. Higher take-up speeds or spinning settings with more frequent piecing cycles thus become more economically viable.

DigiWinding packs at least 10% more yarn onto each package with the same package diameter, normally signifying better machine utilisation and also 10% less packaging, 10% lower shipping costs and 10% fewer logistical staff in the spinning mill, the company reports.

Ergonomic advantage

On an automatic rotor spinning machine, ergonomics means lean management and lean operations above all. The symbol display at each individual spinning position communicates directly with the operators and accurately signals where and how they must intervene if a malfunction occurs. This saves time and the need to walk down to the central operating unit at the machine head.

The Autocoro 8 also executes smooth lot changes automatically without any manual intervention, the company reports. When spinning several lots at once, the Autocoro 8 is also said to detect incorrectly inserted tubes autonomously, so that human operating errors can be detected and corrected promptly.

The single spinning unit technology also cuts the amount of cleaning and servicing required, as the spinning positions on the Autocoro 8 can be serviced individually section by section without having to shut down the entire machine. Instead of having to make entire cleaning brigades available on a one-off basis to clean and service a complete machine, spinning mills can adapt their processes to lean maintenance, which is said to save up to 60% of the servicing effort.

Customer support

 “E³ is a life cycle service. This is because our innovative technologies open up a steady stream of new opportunities for increasing output and economic efficiency during their life cycle,” explained Thomas Arter, Head of Customer Support.

“We are thus supporting our customers in using their Autocoro 8 in a more energy-efficient and productive manner and with the minimum of personnel in daily operation. We provide a wide range of services, extending from simple tips on maintenance via the provision of Modernisation Kits to targeted textile-technological consultancy services.”

www.saurer.com