Terry Fabrics with Exclusive Patterns

3769

RUDOLF VOGEL SULZER RUTI

Articles made of terry fabric are used daily in many areas. They have loops at least on one side, and usually on both sides. The production of terry fabric is a complex process and is only possible on specially equipped weaving machines. Now, with an ingenious new technology, terry fabrics with exclusive patterns can be produced on high-speed weaving machines.
Do you know how many times a day you use terry fabrics? Every morning in the bathroom, almost every time you wash your hands, in leisure activities and sports, and even for relaxation. Some 2.5 billion square metres of terry are produced in the world every year not much less than the surface area of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. We distinguish two qualities of terry, according to the loop structure: Classic terry, with upright loops (made of twisted yarn). These terries are usually patterned with dyed yarns.

Fashion terry, also known as milled or fulled goods, with spiral loops (of single yarns). These are mainly piece-dyed or printed fabrics. A blend of single and twisted yarns produces additional pattern effects.

LOOP FORMATION TECHNOLOGY

In the production of terry fabrics two warps are processed simultaneously: the ground warp, with tautly tensioned ends, and the pile warp, with lightly tensioned ends. A special weaving method enables

loops to be formed with the lightly tensioned warp ends on the fabric surface. With the basic method, known as three-pick terry (Fig. 1I), three picks form a pick group. By means of a special device on the weaving machine, two picks are inserted at a variable distance the loose pick distance from the cloth fell. The loose pick distance is varied according to the desired

1I Structure and origin of a 3-pick terry fabric.

1

Reed

Loose pick distance

1st loose pick 2nd loose pick Beat-up pick

1 1 Pile warp yarns 2 Ground warp yarns Fabric 3-pick group

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 2/98

2I The terry sley gear with highly dynamic drive offers new scope for pattern design.

loop height. When the third pick is beaten up, the reed pushes the pick group on the tautly tensioned ground warps towards the fell, and the loose pile warp ends woven into the pick group are uprighted and form loops. Depending on the weave, loops are thus created on one or both sides of the fabric.

processor controls and highly dynamic stepping motors in combination with modern mechanisms, has enabled fabric designers to produce completely new patterns. One such mechanism is the special terry sley gear with dynamic pile control, as used by Sulzer Ruti in

the terry version of the G6200 rapier weaving machine (Fig. 2I). Via a servo motor, the beat-up position for each pick and thus the type of terry and the pile height can be freely programmed from one pick group to another. In this way, 200 different loose pick distances and hence the same number of pile heights can be programmed in any order desired. For example, 3- and 4-pick terry, and even fancy types of terry can be combined in the same length of fabric. This gives the fabric designer a broad range of patterning options, and the

PATTERNS TO CHOICE
For complex patterns, the weaving machine has to be equipped with a jacquard machine. For less demanding patterns, a dobby is sufficient, and very simple, nonpatterned fabrics can be woven with a tappet motion. Terry fabrics are often very complex, with different-coloured warp ends in combination with loop patterns.

NEW DIMENSIONS IN PATTERNS

Terry fabrics are subject to changing fashions: the market is constantly demanding new qualities and designs. The rapid development of electronics, with micro1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

3I Diagram of a 7-weft terry machine with 2 pick groups and full beat-up.

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 2/98

4I Terry fabrics with two pile heights in warp and weft direction on the weaving machine. The two loose pick groups can be seen in front of the fell.

1st pick group

2nd pick group

Low pile height

High pile height

weaving engineer a technology for improving the fabric structure, because the transition from one pattern element to the next can be woven with greater precision. With these elements, Sulzer Ruti specialists have now developed a new patterning method referred to as sculptured terry. At each full beat-up, two pile loops of different heights are formed in weft direction. The secret of this method of

pattern formation lies in the fact that two loose pick groups formed at distances corresponding to the pile heights are beaten up to the cloth fell together. For two short loops, the pile threads are woven into both loose pick groups and for one large loop into the second loose pick group only. The greatest difficulty was to develop a basic weave which results in neat loops without exces-

sive friction between warp and weft at full beat-up. The solution was found in a special 7-pick weave combined with full beat-up at the 6th and 7th pick (Fig. 3I). In this way, a second pile height is also formed in weft direction, making sculptured patterning possible by the difference in pile height in warp and weft direction (Fig. 4I).

THE G6200 RAPIER WEAVING MACHINE

A precondition for this kind of pattern formation is freely programmable sley travel, as on the Sulzer Ruti G6200 rapier weaving machine. Microprocessor control allows the loose pick distance to be programmed easily and individually for each pick. Adaptations can be carried out at any time, for instance when a pattern is woven for the first time. The terry version of the G6200 rapier weaving machine (Fig. 5I) can be equipped with a control system for a maximum of eight different weft colours or yarns, and a jacquard machine, thus giving fabric designers practically unlimited scope for the design of terry fabrics.

5I The G6200 rapier weaving machine, equipped with a jacquard machine and a control system for eight weft colours, combines exclusive pattern technology with high performance and excellent fabric quality.

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 2/98

WEAVING BASICS
Fabrics are produced by crossing threads at rightangles to one another. By using different-coloured threads and by the method used to cross them, patterns are produced. The way the threads are crossed is referred to as a weave. In the case of the simplest fabrics, the threads are crossed one-to-one. The result is a plain weave (picture left). The longitudinal threads are the warp; those running in transverse direction are the weft. By separating the warp threads a shed is formed. The weft is inserted into this shed and beaten up to the fell the edge of the fabric by the reed. Each warp thread is inserted into the thread eyelet of a heald; the healds are arranged on the heald shafts. The shed is created by raising some of the shafts and lowering the rest (picture right). When weaving simple fabrics, the shafts are moved by lifting mechanisms (cams). For sophisticated fabrics programmable tappet motions are needed. Jacquard machines offer almost unlimited scope, enabling up to 12,000 weft threads to be controlled individually. Even pictures can be woven. Modern tappet motions and jacquard machines are electronically controlled. Originally, the weft was inserted by transporting (throwing) a small bobbin of yarn back and forth through the shed in a shuttle. In modern high-speed weaving machines, which have no shuttle, the weft is inserted into the shed from fixed bobbins by projectiles, compressed air or rapiers. The total number of weaving machines producing fabrics worldwide is about 5 million. Shuttleless weaving machines account for between 25% and 30% of this total.

3 4 2 5 6 7

1 2

1 1 Warp beam 2 Warp threads

A plain-weave fabric structure.

1 Longitudinal section 2 Cross-section

Weaving process (schematic).

3 Shaft 4 Healds 5 Reed 6 Weft threads 7 Fabric 8 Cloth beam

FOR MORE DETAILS

Sulzer Ruti Ltd. Ren Knig, 9018 CH-9630 Ruti Switzerland Telephone +41 (0)55-250 24 65 Fax +41 (0)55-250 21 71 E-mail rene.koenig@sulzer.ch

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 2/98