Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FIBRESPIN (New Generation of High Speed FIBRE SPINning machines)
Période du rapport: 2018-09-01 au 2019-10-31
The aim of FIBRESPIN project is to increase the productivity of the spinning machines and improve the quality and control of production. In the traditional ring spinning machine the tensioning of the thread, deriving from the friction of the slider that crawls against the ring, is necessary to have the right twists and compact the spool. As the speed of rotation increases, the heat generated by this friction leads to overheating that damages the yarn, burns the slider and wears the ring. For this reason, the productivity of traditional spinning machines is limited to the rotation rules that can be supported by the cursor. The solution is to reduce this friction while maintaining control over the thread tension. The object of the study is a rotating group, dragged in rotation by the wire, which replaces the current one ring+ring and with these interchangeable can be applied on special quays with gauge starting from 77mm. The rotation speed will be regulated by an electromagnetic braking, managed by an electronic control, able to guarantee the correct twist and tension of the yarn. The objectives are to increase the rotation speed (i.e. productivity) and to eliminate the frequent ring changes both for wear and for production change. The textile machinery products and the machines that perform the main operations have been the object of in-depth cost analysis in the course of the years in order to obtain, on behalf of the manufacturers, benefits over the competitors. In particular, the spinning machines, require a high constructive and organizational commitment but have spread throughout the world in all countries and in an incredibly significant number their prices have been analyzed and compared by customers in a particularly detailed way. This led to an increase in the competition that, without prejudice to the quality levels, to have a competitive advantage, focused on reducing prices with the result that the margins for the manufacturer have been thinning. It is therefore essential for those who want to maintain adequate sales volumes with fair profit to be able to offer customers something significant that does not go to the expense of other historically sacrificed prices. For the spinning machine it appeared extremely important to propose an important increase in productivity. The latter, even considering the technical developments of the machine, is never significantly increased as it is constrained by the friction between the spinning ring and the slider. It was therefore necessary, in order to recover sales margins and volumes, to propose to customers a technical design development that involved a significant evolution with respect to the traditional ring/cursor concept with consequent increase in the speed of rotation and production of the wire.
The general objectives of the project are:
- Produce a spinning machine able to increase productivity up to 50% compared to traditional machines.
- Increase the automation level for the regulation of spinning parameters
- Making machines that, for the same product, involve extremely reduced spaces compared to classic installations, allowing to limit the surface of spinning plants, often a critical element of new systems which, moreover, must be heated and air-conditioned not only for the well-being of the personal, but also for the quality of the thread to be made. The containment of the occupied spaces also entails a proportional saving of energy consumption.
The achievement of these objectives would allow COGNETEX to significantly increase its market share on the sale of the new and occupy an important position also in the retrofitting of used machines with excellent economic finances.
The general objectives of the project are:
- Produce a spinning machine able to increase productivity up to 50% compared to traditional machines.
- Increase the automation level for the regulation of spinning parameters
- Making machines that, for the same product, involve extremely reduced spaces compared to classic installations, allowing to limit the surface of spinning plants, often a critical element of new systems which, moreover, must be heated and air-conditioned not only for the well-being of the personal, but also for the quality of the thread to be made. The containment of the occupied spaces also entails a proportional saving of energy consumption.
The achievement of these objectives would allow COGNETEX to significantly increase its market share on the sale of the new and occupy an important position also in the retrofitting of used machines with excellent economic finances.
The first period was dedicated to the industrialization of the individual components of FIBRESPIN. COGNETEX followed the suppliers of the bearing, the brake disc, the plastic parts and the entire layout of the spinning machine. Elettronica GF developed the electromagnet, the dedicated electronic boards with firmware relay and the software platform to interface the individual FIBRESPIN modules with the central PC of the spinning machine. Regarding the pre-industrial bearing used, tests were carried out on both commercial bearings and other types of bearings with higher precision, to measure their wear after operation and verify the resistant torque and measure the gauge with respect to the traditional standard loop - slider coupling.
An innovative electromagnet has been reached that maximizes magnetic performance with limited current consumption. The shape and material of the brake disc have also been defined. The other components of FIBRESPIN are not particularly critical and have been prototyped in pre-industrial mode.
The second period has been dedicated to the final set-up of production equipment. The design of the various components was aimed at reaching a great dimensional accuracy to center the spindle and to ensure the perfect positioning of the brake disk with respect to the electromagnet and to the miniaturized photocell that detects the speed of rotation. The bearing, the electromagnet and the 3 electronic boards of the GF (Master, Speed reader and LED) were first implemented in an industrial and definitive manner and were mounted inside plastic carters. This step allowed to identify some structural problems that led to deformations resulting from the tightening of the screws on the quay. As a result, changes were made to the design of the casings and the cover. Lastly, the definitive drawings of an aluminum brake disk and steel quay have been released. The result was very satisfying.
Subsequently, we carried out tests on the SPINTESTER and the 2 pilot spinning machines in the testing room. During the tests, it emerged the possibility of developing self-learning programs for which the central control system FIBRESPIN automatically performs a series of incremental step settings, carrying out continuous checks until the perfect setup of the machining is "automatically" set. The procedure described, considered innovative, was protected with the filing of a new patent.
Dissemination and communication of FIBRESPIN was also carried out mainly through participation in fairs, visits to customers and the organization of an Open House event in Cognetex with the presentation of the two spinning machines and the spintester.
An innovative electromagnet has been reached that maximizes magnetic performance with limited current consumption. The shape and material of the brake disc have also been defined. The other components of FIBRESPIN are not particularly critical and have been prototyped in pre-industrial mode.
The second period has been dedicated to the final set-up of production equipment. The design of the various components was aimed at reaching a great dimensional accuracy to center the spindle and to ensure the perfect positioning of the brake disk with respect to the electromagnet and to the miniaturized photocell that detects the speed of rotation. The bearing, the electromagnet and the 3 electronic boards of the GF (Master, Speed reader and LED) were first implemented in an industrial and definitive manner and were mounted inside plastic carters. This step allowed to identify some structural problems that led to deformations resulting from the tightening of the screws on the quay. As a result, changes were made to the design of the casings and the cover. Lastly, the definitive drawings of an aluminum brake disk and steel quay have been released. The result was very satisfying.
Subsequently, we carried out tests on the SPINTESTER and the 2 pilot spinning machines in the testing room. During the tests, it emerged the possibility of developing self-learning programs for which the central control system FIBRESPIN automatically performs a series of incremental step settings, carrying out continuous checks until the perfect setup of the machining is "automatically" set. The procedure described, considered innovative, was protected with the filing of a new patent.
Dissemination and communication of FIBRESPIN was also carried out mainly through participation in fairs, visits to customers and the organization of an Open House event in Cognetex with the presentation of the two spinning machines and the spintester.
The solution allows FIBRESPIN in economic way to have a strict and constant braking of the yarn and maintain the exact number of twists per unit length. The monitoring of each single wire allows to have precise indications on the rotation speed and therefore to signal in time not only the yarn breakages but also to signal small variations from the working speed which are a symptom of functional anomalies and therefore it is possible to plan preventive maintenance. Statistically elaborating the data obtained from every single FIBRESPIN group it is possible to obtain information to optimize the SETUP of the spinning machine by intervening on the adjustment parameters of both the spinning machine motors and the brakes of the FIBRESPIN groups. The FIBRESPIN solution, being also conceived as UPGRADE of existing spinning machines, will allow a technological increase in the spinning sector without requiring the replacement of the machine park.