uAFIS PRO 2 - Uster Technologies

Route to best practices in yarn manufacturingInformation is virtually useless if not exploited to maximum advantage.That is why the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 shows how to use its valuable data toimplement best practices in fiber process optimization. The followingexamples detail how current users of AFIS ® are controlling manufacturingcosts and maximizing profits.Best practices for process control:– Optimizing card maintenance cost by monitoring card sliver nep levelsto manage grinding and reclothing schedules better– Optimizing comber noil removal by monitoring short fiber, trash and nepremoval efficiencies– Optimizing cleaning efficiencies by monitoring trash removal efficiencyin the blowroom and carding machines– Optimizing machine settings by monitoring variability and reduction infiber quality properties throughout processing– Reducing yarn imperfections by monitoring short fiber, fiber fineness,and nep level variability throughout processing– Improving spinning efficiency by monitoring short fiber, trash, neps, seedcoat neps, fiber fineness level and variability throughout processing– Reducing fabric dyeing defects by monitoring fiber maturity level andvariability throughout processing to prevent fabric barré faults

Controlling costs through material monitoringTest modules and options for a real competitive edgeSome of the costliest mistakes in yarn manufacturingarise from poor control of the raw material – both beforeand during the spinning preparation stages. The financialimpact of excess waste, unnecessary cuts, reworking,and paying claims can drive the yarn - manufacturing costway beyond the original cost of the raw material.This is where the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 shines. Fiber qualityis the most critical factor in yarn manufacturing. Itdirectly impacts on whether a yarn meets the mill’s costrequirements and the quality/performance specificationsof the customer.With raw - material accounting for more than 50 % of thetotal yarn - making cost, the key is to preserve the quality ofthe purchased fiber throughout the manufacturing process.And the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 achieves this by testing thematerial at each stage of preparation, from blowroomto roving.Several different fiber quality characteristics affectquality and performance through the various prespinningoperations – opening, cleaning, carding, combing,roving – so testing needs to take account of the impact ofeach. The USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 handles this by measuring,in as little as 2.5 minutes, up to 11 different fibercharacteristics de scrib ing the length, fineness, maturity,neps, trash, and dust in a particular test specimen.Only by this intensive monitoring it is possible to detectfiber quality issues before they get into the yarn and leadto a quality claim from the customer. The result is betteroverall control of cost, by reducing waste raw material andoff - quality yarn. And to maximize laboratory efficiencystill further, the optional AUTOJET Module can be used toautomate the sample - testing operation of the instrument.Only USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 can deliver these advantages withthe industry - leading level of accuracy USTER customersexpect.USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 provides the essential data necessaryfor modern process optimization techniques in the spinningmill. The Neps Length and Maturity Module (NLM) is thebasic configuration which measures the amount of cottonfiber and seed coat neps as well as fiber length, short - fibercontent, plus cotton maturity and immature - fiber content.The optional Trash Module (T) measures the trash and dustcontent in cotton. Any material in the form of bale, matt,sliver or roving can be tested – repeatedly and reliably –on the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2. Even fiber blends can be tested,up to a ratio of 50 % cotton, 50 % synthetic.For improved laboratory testing efficiency, the optionalAUTOJET device is designed to run up to 30 samplesautomatically. After loading the AUTOJET cassette, theoperator can attend to other duties, making the best useof lab time and avoiding the need for extra staff.A special feature of the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 is the criticalnep size report. This allows a mill to assess the visualimpact of larger - size neps in the raw fiber, in finisher sliver(for rotor spinning) or in roving (for ring spinning). Nepsize is important, since larger neps are more likely to havea visual impact on yarn appearance – especially infiner - count yarns, where nep size is even more critical.And yarn appearance is, of course, a good indicator offabric appearance – which in turn is often a determiningfactor in winning or losing business.Only with USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 and its wide range of testoptions and application reports can this degree of processoptimization be realized as a genuine competitiveadvantage.With rising raw - material costs spinning mills with op ti mizedprocesses are often forced to buy or utilize cheaper rawmaterial because it is the only way to keep the profitmargin on the same level. This requires, however, that theyarn quality does not deteriorate. For such a difficultbalancing challenge between profit and quality themeasurement of the fiber characteristics from the blowroomto the roving frame is a must.LengthTrashNepsSeed coat nepsShort fiberBlowroom • • • • • •MaturityMonitor every process to getgood cost control– Poor control of fiber qualitybefore and during processingleads to the most costly qualityclaims– USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 measures allthe critical parameters neededto control all the spinningpreparation processes andthereby allowing for consistentcost control– Eleven characteristics aremeasured in as little as2.5 minutes– Testing efficiency in thelaboratory can be improvedwith the optional AUTOJETTesting the widest range ofparameters gives a competitiveedge– USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 providesthe essential data necessary formodern process optimizationtechniques in the spinning mill– The Neps Length and MaturityModule (NLM) is the basicconfiguration which measuresfiber and seed coat neps, all thelength components, and fibermaturity, the optional TrashModule (T) measures the trashand dust content in cotton– For improved laboratory testingefficiency, the optional AUTOJETdevice is designed to run up to30 samples automatically– Widest range of testing optionsand application reports to getthe most out of the test dataCarding • • • • • •Lap winding • • • •Combing • • • • • •Drawing • • • • • •Roving • • •Significance of fiber propertiesin yarn preparation processesAUTOJET device runs up to30 samples automatically

Unique technology for accurate test resultsThe USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 sets the standard for processoptimization in spinning mills. Class - leading, patentedtechnology and over 60 years of fiber testing and textileprocessing know - how are the foundations for its success.Spinners know that decisions they make in the mill concerningproduction rates, machine settings, and maintenancecycles have a significant impact on profit margins andquality. These critical decisions need to be based on thebest - available fiber quality data – as provided byUSTER ® AFIS PRO 2, the most accurate instrument for fiber -processing optimization.Vital technology which makes the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2unique includes the patented fiber individualizer anddedicated sensors for measuring Neps, Length, Maturity(NLM) and Trash (T), as well as the AUTOJET (A) Module.The individualizer separates fibers, neps, and trash intoan airstream so that each ‘event’ is presented to the sensorsindividually – this ensures every fiber, nep, and trashparticle ‘event’ is counted and the length or size determined.Knowing the number and length/size of each ‘event’ iscritical in determining if fiber quality is being preservedduring each processing stage. Any damage to the fiber willmean more waste, lower efficiency and inferior quality –amounting to a negative impact on overall manufacturingcosts for the spinning mill. Accurate results deliveredthrough our unique technology– What makes USTER ® AFIS PRO 2unique is the patented fiberindividualizer and dedicatedsensors for measuring Neps,Length, Maturity (NLM)and Trash (T), as well as theAUTOJET (A) Module– This technology allows for themeasurement of individual eventsin each quality parameter leadingto unrivaled data accuracy– The decisions made concerningproduction rates, machinesettings, and maintenance cyclesneed to be based on the best -available fiber quality data – asprovided by USTER ® AFIS PRO 2

Practical examples of the benefitsToday, there are more than 900 USTER ® AFIS instrumentsinstalled in more than 60 countries worldwide. They aremeasuring quality throughout the spinning preparationprocesses – providing industry - standard results with practicalcommercial benefits. AFIS ® figures are widely used as astatistical basis for product specifications, or resolutionof quality claims, as well as an essential aid to meetingoperational efficiency and cost goals for spinners.Throughout the textile industry, leading mills depend onAFIS ® for optimizing product quality, mill efficiency, andproduction cost – while the world’s top research institutionsrely on AFIS ® for their researches into improving fiberquality and production processes.Their confidence comes from the unmatched accuracy andreproducibility of test results with USTER ® AFIS PRO 2. Timeafter time, USTER ® AFIS PRO 2 comes out on top for test resultaccuracy and machine - to - machine test reproducibility, asmeasured by independent worldwide comparison trials.It is an assurance of performance which can deliverpositive results to the bottom line of any spinning mill –as exemplified by the following practical examples.Since the introduction of USTER ® AFIS PRO 2, a majorTurkish spinning mill, producing more than 10 tons ofcombed and carded 100 % cotton yarn per day, reportssome impressive gains. The plant now enjoys about5 % less blowroom and card waste. Additionally, combernoil has been reduced by 2– 3 %, and a sizableimprovement has been made in yarn quality levels asrelated to USTER ® STATISTICS.Even more importantly, monitoring short - fiber contentand critical nep size has allowed the mill to determine thefinest yarn count it can produce from each batch of cotton.As a result, the mill has been able to spin finer countsfrom the same cotton supply, saving on raw - material cost,thanks to the accurate fiber quality data obtained fromUSTER ® AFIS PRO 2.At the same time, a Chinese spinning mill operating300 000 spindles and supplying yarn to major globalclothing and furniture brands has reached new qualityand cost levels using USTER ® AFIS PRO 2. After optimizingthe mill’s processes, waste has been reduced, leadingto a 5 % reduction in raw - material needs and a yieldimprovement of almost 4 %.Real - world examples of successusing USTER ® AFIS PRO 2– Leading mills depend on AFIS ®for optimizing product quality,mill efficiency, and productioncost– A Turkish spinning mill nowenjoys about 5 % less blowroomand card waste, and combernoil has been reduced by 2 – 3 %– A Chinese spinning milloperating 300 000 spindlesrealized a 5 % reduction in raw -material needs and a yieldimproved by almost 4 %– These improvements lead toquick paybacks in investment

Product configurationThe future has a pastAFIS PRO 2Modules and their functionalitiesAUTOJET ModuleOptional module for increasing testingefficiency in the laboratory1992 1996 1998BasicOptionsA modular system allows to tailorthe product configuration to one’sneed. Starting from the basicmodule further modules can beadded.T ModuleOptional module for testing the trashand dust contentNLM ModuleFor testing the nep, length and maturitycharacteristicsUSTER ® AFISFirst development ofsingle - fiber - testingsystem for cotton2007USTER ® AFISSecond productdevelopment ofUSTER ® AFISUSTER ® AFIS PROThe fiber processcontrol systemLengthTrashNepsSeed coat nepsShort fiberFinenessMaturityYarn and fabric fineness • •Yarn and fabric strength • • • •Nep formation during processing • • • •Yarn evenness • • • •Yarn imperfection • • • •Processing waste • • • • • • •End breaks in spinning • • • • • • •Textile - machinery contamination /component wearCotton dust levels ••Weaving efficiency • •Fabric neppiness • • • •Fabric appearance and barré • • • • •Fiber properties (right)and processing characteristicsaffected (left)USTER ® AFIS PRO 2The standard fiber - testingsystem for process controlUSTER started with field trials and sales of the first single -fiber - measuring systems in 1990. For the first time, aninstrument was capable of automatically determining thenumber and size of neps. AFIS ® stands for advanced fiberinspection system.USTER ® AFIS - N was the first generation, introduced in1992, followed by the second development step. As furtherresearch was conducted to develop the instrument, theadditional parameters of fiber length, short - fiber content,diameter, maturity, dust and trash were added. This evolutionresulted in the development of the USTER ® AFIS PRO.The current version is the USTER ® AFIS PRO 2. This instrumenthas an improved data output and reporting packagebased on the field experience of the previous generationsof the instrument.