Rieter Winding Suction Nozzle Upgrade: More Yarn, Less Energy Use

After upgrading the suction nozzles on their 32 winding machines, Sanyang Textile Co, China, saw an increase in yarn production of 3 per cent and a reduction of 13 per cent in energy use. The flow-optimised, aerodynamically designed suction nozzle enables efficient upper yarn search and pick-up from the package. This results in a 55 per cent reduction in red light percentage and a significant reduction in the operator’s workload.

Sanyang Textile is a leading supplier of fine yarns, with counts ranging from Ne 40 to Ne 120. In response to growing demand for knitting yarn, the company adapted its processes to meet evolving market requirements. However, due to intense competition, achieving high margins is challenging, pushing the company to reduce manufacturing costs. As a result, increasing productivity and lowering energy consumption became top priorities. The initial focus was placed on their 32 winding machines Autoconer 338, which have been in operation for more than 20 years. The customer was looking for suitable upgrade solutions to improve productivity and energy efficiency.

“We have seen a remarkable improvement in energy savings of 13 per cent with the suction nozzle upgrade. The enhanced upper yarn search increased machine efficiency by 3 per cent and reduced operator workload. This upgrade significantly strengthens our market position,” said Zhang Sheng, Chief engineer at Sanyang Textile Co (Figure 1).

Highly efficient suction nozzles

Figure 2: The flow-optimised, new suction nozzle installed on the Autoconer 338 reduces energy consumption.

Rieter After Sales recognised this opportunity and installed the suction nozzle upgrade on one machine as a pilot project. From the start, the new nozzle delivered impressive results, and Sanyang was highly satisfied with the performance. This led to a full-scale implementation of the upgrade across all 32 Autoconer 338, each equipped with 60 drums.

The old standard suction nozzles were replaced by new, flow-optimised and highly effective suction nozzles (Figure 2). Thanks to the aerodynamically optimised inner and outer shape, the new suction nozzle offers extremely efficient air guidance, resulting in reduced energy costs. It also enables effective upper yarn pickup even at reduced suction pressure, leading to lower energy consumption and improved operational efficiency.

Several quantifiable benefits

Figure 3: The new suction nozzle achieves energy savings of 13 per cent.

Figure 4: The new suction nozzle improves machine efficiency and productivity.

After the installation of the new suction nozzles, the performance of the Autoconer 338 improved significantly. The upgrade offers the following key benefits:

• 13 per cent energy savings due to reduced suction pressure and lightweight nozzle design (Figure 3),
• 3 per cent increase in machine efficiency, resulting in higher productivity (Figure 4),
• 55 per cent reduction in red light percentage owing to effective upper yarn pick-up and
• 50 per cent reduction in upper yarn search failure rate (SF).

With these improvements, the expected return on investment is under two years. Operator workload and maintenance costs have also been reduced, and the machine lifetime is extended.

About Rieter

Rieter is the world’s leading supplier of systems for manufacturing yarn from staple fibers in spinning mills. Based in Winterthur (Switzerland), the company develops and manufactures machinery, systems and components used to convert natural and man-made fibers and their blends into yarns in the most cost-efficient manner. Cutting-edge spinning technology from Rieter contributes to sustainability in the textile value chain by minimising the use of resources. Rieter has been in business for 230 years, has 18 production locations in ten countries and employs a global workforce of around 4 560, about 16 per cent of whom are based in Switzerland.