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Fully-optimised installation for Weidmann

Long-standing Brückner customer is a specialist in the finishing of fabrics, primarily for the bedding industry.

23rd September 2021

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Süßen, Germany

Clothing/​Footwear

Weidmann GmbH has recently installed a new newly-developed Brückner stenter at its plant in Süßen, near Stuttgart in Germany.

The long-standing Brückner customer is a specialist in the finishing of fabrics, primarily for the bedding industry.

During the intensive project engineering phase for the latest stenter, it became clear which features were of special importance for Weidman in daily production requirements and the line was optimised accordingly.

It is equipped with two padders, a weft straightener and six drying compartments. The two padders, arranged one behind the other with automatic squeezing pressure adjustment and special roller covering, allow an absolutely uniform liquor application and produce a pleasantly soft fabric handle on the fabrics. A differential moisture measurement by microwave sensors continuously checks the fabric moisture and the pick-up during running production, so that the squeezing pressure can be  adjusted automatically if necessary.

The new line at Weidmann is equipped with two padders, a weft straightener and six drying compartments. © Brückner

A straightening unit in a special design in front of the stenter     entry ensures correct and straight fabric flow. Possible bow or skew distortions are reduced to a minimum by an intelligent drive system.

Lint collection

The stenter dryer is specially designed for textiles which produce a large amount of lint during the drying process. The lint is collected on horizontally arranged double lint screens, which can be easily cleaned during ongoing production. The interior of the dryer can also be cleaned very easily and quickly by means of a suction probe and it is easily accessible for cleaning and maintenance work on the nozzles, width adjustment and chain rails.

A straightening unit in a special design in front of the stenter     entry ensures correct and straight fabric flow. © Brückner

Energy-saving motors of the highest efficiency  have been used for the dryer. For maintenance work, the air circulation fans and motors can be easily removed from the  outside of the dryer as a single unit. The newly developed horizontal fabric transport chain is characterised by its high robustness and easy maintenance or lubrication with high temperature grease. Due to the large chain rolls, very long lubrication intervals are possible even at high pro-duction speeds.

Industry 4.0

The new line is also Industry 4.0 capable.

Via OPC-UA the stenter is directly connected to Weidmann’s ERP system. All production and quality data are recorded per batch, hour, day, week and year and electricity and gas consumption are accurately measured and logged. The current machine status can also be monitored from an external device, such as a smartphone or tablet and maintenance and servicing is supported by digital and interactive maintenance programmes.

The stenter dryer is specially designed for textiles which produce a large amount of lint during the drying process. © Brückner

To enhance the servicing of the machine Weidmann can use the newly-developed visual link between the machine and Brückner technicians as an addition to the standard teleservice function. This enables Brückner to provide support and to eliminate malfunctions remotely much faster and more directly targeted. On the basis of fabric type and process parameters, ExPertex simulation software also gives the line operator valuable hints as to which settings can make the current finishing process even more energy efficient and productive. The software maps the  technical processes on the line and helps the line operator to determine the optimum machine recipe and settings for the respective process.

Mrs Henrike Weidmann, together with her husband Michael Rapp, are the third generation to run the family business. They are positive about the future.

“The Brückner company, like us, has very high quality standards,” she says. “The direct communication with sales, service and design made it easy for us to implement our many requests for optimisation.”

www.brueckner-textile.com

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