SERVOlap E 26 automatises combing installations

Thanks to the SERVOlap E 26, a reduction in labour costs of up to 30 per cent can be achieved. The flexible and efficient transportation of laps allow for carefree machine operation in combing installations; and smooth machine operation can be continued even through the night shift.

Rieter is offering a fully automated lap transport system for combing installations with the SERVOlap E 26. Automation offers numerous advantages.

Efficient deployment of personnel

A reduction in labor costs of up 30 per cent can be achieved by using a fully automated lap transport system. Here is an example: The operation of a combing set comprising 18 combers E 86 and three OMEGAlap E 36 machines requires five machine operators on average. The number of personnel required for machine operation is reduced by one due to automation via the SERVOlap E 26. These are the results based on practical experience.

A further advantage is the fact that the combing set continues with production even if temporarily no operator is available. This can be the case during a night shift, when machine operation typically requires fewer persons.

Consistency of quality assurance

Eight laps can be transported from the combing preparation machine to the comber on a non-contact basis. The quality of the laps produced by OMEGAlap remains assured. The laps are gripped at the inside of the tube, so that external influence, such as contact made by the operator, can be ruled out. The use of lasers for measuring the distance between the individual combers enables the precise positioning of laps on the comber. This ensures optimum lap batt preparation for the subsequent piecing operation.

Well thought-out concept

By combining SERVOlap with fully automated combers, the operation of the combing installation will be autonomous and occur within a closed material cycle. The full laps are transported by OMEGAlap to the comber. Empty tubes are then returned by the system and made available to the OMEGAlap E 36. This significantly improves the efficiency of the process of taking care of a combing installation.

The SERVOlap E 26 is a reliable system that features a long service life due to its durable components and straightforward design. The overhead construction is space efficient and enables flexible arrangement of combers. Whenever combined with the automated lap changing and piecing system ROBOlap, the E 26 is key to optimum exploitation of comber operation around the clock.

Rieter is the world’s leading supplier of systems for short-staple fiber spinning. Based in Winterthur (Switzerland), the company develops and manufactures machinery, systems and components used to convert natural and manmade fibers and their blends into yarns. Rieter is the only supplier worldwide to cover spinning preparation processes as well as all four end spinning technologies currently established on the market. With 18 manufacturing locations in 10 countries, the company employs a global workforce of some 5,230, about 20 per cent of whom are based in Switzerland.

A customer’s testimonial

“Without the SERVOlap E 26, we need two persons per shift for the operation of 10 combers. With the E 26, the operation of 11 combers requires only one operator per shift. So for a three-shift operation, labor costs equivalent to roughly 300 per cent by position can be saved. This corresponds to an annual wage bill of 100 000 RMB.”

– Esquel Changji, Wang Shangjun, Mill Manager (China)

The article is authored by Schwartz Yvan, Head – Product Management Combing, Rieter Business Group Machines & Systems. Can be contacted on: yvan.schwartz@rieter.com