They are a father-son duo, Italy-born, having a set-up in Germany. But the common bond is a passion for technology, seemingly small-sounding knowhows but making a big difference.
Umberto Micheletti, the senior, has over 50 years of experience. Linen, which is staging a comeback in the global textile scenario, is one of his focus areas. He goes straight to the core of the issue – drafting of linen while spinning linen yarn, a very sensitive process. ¨We concentrate on linen. Count is not a problem.We enhance quality & productivity of the existing spinning machines, and not necessarily speed. Our attachment can be fitted on all the machines. Old machines do not have control over the drafting. We can change that. Flexibility in linen is very critical. Ultimately, the system helps in spinning linen yarn whatever may be its quality. The draft you can have with this is 33, and the normal is 14, and hence this achieves more than double the draft – the biggest advantage¨, Umberto speaks out, loudly & coherently, while explaining the solutions in drafting of linen.
Stefano laid the foundation for Vantex Technologies GmbH in 2003 for innovative systems to upgrade existing spinning machines at affordable cost. ¨GoKo and RoveStop are Vantex proprietary and patented advanced, cost-effective solution for higher productivity, quality, reliability, cost reduction and raw material savings. ¨The systems are non-invasive installations and are virtually maintenance-free¨, says Stefano. But the best part is that they are environ-friendly, entailing no use of lubricants and nil wear & tear, he adds.
GoKo and RoveStop are two complimentary independent systems for rtrofitting onto existing ring mahcines as well as for building into new ones. ¨The secret to spinning best quality yarn is in achieving maximum control of fibres passing through the drafting zone. Existing systems use aprons & rollers, which are maintenance-intensive. But GoKo uses special rollers invented by me in 2007 and covered by 3 patents¨, says Umberto.
The GoKo system is ideal for spinning flax (linen yarn), which has the widest varitations in fibre length and diameter. The RoveStop does the effective control without much damage and can work with any rove & weight.
Umbertos brief, but exclusive interview with the Editor of The Indian Textile Journal, at the recently-concluded ITMA Asia? 2014 in Shanghai, was interspersed with nuggets of information: ¨Good flax fibre is not available in plenty, globally. Chinese have the most of it now. Linen is ideal for India because of many advanatges. Unlike cotton, linen does not retain the sweat, but eaporates it. The best combination will be silk in warp and linen in weft. Linen has a good drape also unlike cotton.¨
The father-son duo feels that their technology will be a big hit in China and India. Here is our entry point into China. The technology has already been well received and we hope to make it big in India soon,¨ they chime together.