Dyed and wound

Physical well-being and safety aside, the desire to be trendy and fashionable is a fundamental motivation for today’s consumer. End products such as bed sheets, towels and clothing are made more attractive by adding colour through the process of indigo dyeing. Jupiter Comtex is a leader in the manufacture of indigo dyeing and sizing machines. Automation expertise from B&R has played a vital role in the company’s continued growth.

Jupiter Comtex manufactures world class preparatory textile machinery including warping, sizing and indigo dyeing machines. Warping machines are used to gauge yarn strength and perform length and count measurement. Sizing improves the strength and abrasion resistance of the yarn to reduce the chance of threads fraying and breaking during the weaving process. Dyeing is the process of adding colors to textile products, and the properties of the indigo dye account for variety of color designs that are available on fabrics.

Driven by a focus on innovative technology, excellent quality and customer orientation, Jupiter Comtex found a likeminded partner in B&R, whose high-performance hardware and software has helped win big-name clients such as Jindal, Siyarams, GHCL, Century Denim, Welspun, Arvind, Bharat Vijay Mills and many more.

Sophisticated winding control
The slasher dyeing machines offered by Jupiter Comtex require highly precise control technology.
Threads from multiple back beams are combined to form a warp sheet, which is then fed to the pre-wetting tank, where the grey yarn is cleaned and prepared to allow for better dye penetration. From here the warp continues to the dyeing tanks, which are interconnected and use circulation pumps to maintain a homogeneous dye solution.
One of the most critical requirements of the machine is to maintain constant warp tension throughout the process, as this is the only way to ensure the quality of the final product. High accuracy is achieved by equipping the rollers with load cells that feed weight measurements directly back to the drives to allow for compensation.
Another critical part of the machine with respect to winding control is that the diameter of the winder increases as thread is accumulated. As a result, the winding speed must be reduced proportionally to maintain constant thread tension.

Demands mastered with ease
Jupiter Comtex masters these demanding requirements using hardware and software from B&R. The powerful X20 controller serves as the heart of the control system. An operator panel from B&R’s Power Panel 500 series serves as the HMI. B&R also provides a specially-engineered software library to further enhance the machines and reduce the programming effort.

The B&R hardware helps Jupiter Comtex achieve its desired level of product quality and makes its machines more productive while also reducing stress on the yarn. “As a testament to B&R’s state-of-the-art, user-friendly hardware and software platform, even our end customers strongly recommend their products,” says Gitesh Mistry, owner of Jupiter Comtex.

Key to robustness
B&R’s Power Panel HMI series is advancing into domains previously only handled by industrial PCs. By combining control, motion and HMI in a single device, the Power Panel offers a complete, cost-effective solution. The series provides an optimal platform for open operating systems, giving users unlimited flexibility to create an optimal software architecture. Regardless of whether they are used to automate complete systems, as intelligent HMI terminals or together with open PC operating systems, the Power Panel series offers the right tool for any situation.

Unique and mature partnership
The partnership between Jupiter Comtex and B&R spans more than a decade. B&R components are used in every single machine the company manufactures. “Innovation is what drives the success of a business, and B&R understands that. We have been working with B&R since 2000, and I look forward to maintaining this relationship for many years to come. Jupiter Comtex is built on its vision, and B&R has helped us convert that vision into reality,” says Mistry.

Trust is the most important factor for a strong business relationship. Jupiter Comtex completely relies on B&R and its competitive products to provide its end customers with the most powerful and user-friendly machines possible. The innovative technology offered in Jupiter Comtex machines is the competitive advantage that sets them apart.

Innovative future lies ahead
Jupiter Comtex has a unique bond with B&R, who has displayed a complete understanding of the company’s needs and requirements. Jupiter Comtex looks forward to continued support, new technologies and innovative software.
One particular change is inevitable, as Jupiter Comtex understands that keeping pace with the industry requires very high speeds that can only be achieved with Ethernet technology. By implementing the real-time capabilities offered by Ethernet POWERLINK, Jupiter Comtex will surely gain a competitive edge over its competitors. All automation components provided by B&R are equipped with this fast, reliable and robust technology.

"The combination of innovative technology and after sales service encourage us to always opt for B&R components. As technical chairman of the company, I can say that B&R has always amazed us with its new products, and the partnership has played a major part in the growth of Jupiter Comtex.”