Objective
Sizing is the key process for good weaving, easy desizing and minimising the pollution from a textile finishing plant. It is generally known and accepted, that sizing has a very strong impact on the number of end breaks in weaving and hence on the quality of the fabric, the weaving efficiency and thus on the profitability of a weaving mill. At the same time sizing contributes much to the desizability of the fabric and thus on quality and costs of the finished fabric. Finally, sizing contributes to pollution, since the removed sizing agent counts for 40 % to 70 % of the COD in the effluent of a finishing plant. On the other hand, sizing is probably the most complex process in the whole textile industry. Very many variables of different nature effect the quality of sized yarns and hence their weavability. big number of variables and their interactions make sizing to a process, which is not really transparent for most operators. Thus sizing is often far off the economical and environmental optimal point. The European textile industry has heavily to compete with strong textile countries in Far-East, Middle Asia and South America, especially in the field of standard textiles. It can survive only, if it focuses on the production of fashion fabrics or niche products in smaller lots, which results in short runs and many changes. In order to produce these goods at a high quality level and at minimum cost, it is indispensable, to develop an Expert System in sizing, which has all the information about the complex sizing operation. The system will learn and enlarge its knowledge by algorithms on the base of software utilising fuzzy logic and neural networks and will include the relevant, existing knowledge, which is available in the consortium of four first class textile mills, a producer of textile machines and a textile research institute. The textile mills will have a great benefit from the project. They get - an Expert System, which is adapted to their specific needs, - a considerable increase in productivity and a cost reduction by improved production, - a quick proposal for innovations in fabric production by selecting the most suitable sizing agents, setting the required size add-on level and setting data of the sizing machine - a considerable weaving cost reduction because of optimised warps, - a reduction in pollution.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsproduction economicsproductivity
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligenceexpert systems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencecomputational intelligence
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CRS - Cooperative research contractsCoordinator
7122 LD AALTEN
Netherlands