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With the emergence of technology, many kinds of shuttleless looms have been introduced to weave fabrics without using a shuttle. Most of them are based on the insertion technique, which means they incorporate different components into the weft to support the process of inserting the yarn. Below are some common types of shuttleless weaving looms:
Shuttleless rapier loom:
The rapier loom consists of a starter claw, a carrier, and a rear claw. The starter claw picks the weft yarn from the yarn package and conveys it to the weaving area. Then, the carrier transports the yarn through the width of the warp threads, and the rear claw releases it to the fabric. Raper looms can weave various fabrics, including solid, striped, plaid, and checked ones, by changing the type and arrangement of warp and weft materials.
Shuttleless jet loom:
This loom uses air or water to push the weft yarn through the shed formed by the warp threads. Common types of jet looms are air-jet and water-jet looms. The insertion of the weft yarn is driven by a jet of fluid that is formed by the sprinkling of water or compressed air from a nozzle. Jet looms are efficient for weaving light to medium-weight fabrics such as twill, satin, denim, and drill. They can also be used to weave fabrics with special requirements, such as flame resistance, static electricity, or ultraviolet protection, for which specific functional yarns must be employed.
Shuttleless projectile loom:
The projectile loom employs a small, bullet-like, mechanical carrier called a projectile to insert the weft thread through the warp threads. After the projectile inserts the weft yarn, it returns to its original position by means of a retriever mechanism. This looms can achieve high-speed weaving and accommodate a wide range of yarn types and sizes by optimizing the projectile speed, acceleration, and deceleration in the weaving process. Moreover, the loom's tension, pick density, and let-off and take-up systems can be adjusted to suit different yarns and fabrics.
Shuttleless loom weaving machines have distinct specifications depending on the type.
Despite the initial cost, shuttleless loom maintenance is easier than shuttle looms. It needs periodic maintenance, basic maintenance practices, lubricating, inspecting, and cleansing, to begin with. First, ensure all components are present before diving into details. Refer to the instructional manual for component pictures, names, and further details.
Apart from the textile and garment industry, many other industries use shuttleless weaving machines for various purposes.
Furniture Industry:
The furniture industry uses shuttleless looms to weave diverse fabrics such as jacquard, chenille, and velvet. These materials cover items like sofas, chairs, and curtains. The precision and efficacy of shuttleless looms aid in producing durable, aesthetically appealing upholstery fabrics that enhance the quality and design of furniture goods.
Automotive Industry:
Automotive manufacturers employ shuttleless looms to produce car interior materials like seat fabrics, headliners, and carpets. Shuttleless looms can adapt to different fabric specifications and weaving patterns, enabling the production of sturdy and long-lasting automotive upholstery fabrics that satisfy the requirements for use in vehicles.
Aerospace Industry:
The aerospace sector frequently utilizes carbon fiber, aramid fiber, and glass fiber as primary materials for weaving high-performance composite fabrics with mocha shuttleless weaving machines. These aerospace-grade composite fabrics exhibit remarkable strength, lightweight properties, and resistance to extreme conditions, making them crucial components in manufacturing aircraft structures, cabin interiors, and other critical aerospace products that demand superior quality and reliability.
Construction Industry:
In the construction industry, shuttleless weaving machines are used to produce architecturally-oriented fabrics such as window blinds, geotextiles, and reinforcement meshes. These textiles serve diverse purposes in the construction sector, including providing privacy and light control through window blinds, geotextiles employed for soil stabilization, drainage, and separation in civil engineering projects, and reinforcement meshes utilized for structural reinforcement in concrete and other construction materials.
Medical Industry:
Shuttleless weaving machines find applications in the medical industry by enabling the production of medical textiles like sanitary products, bandages, and surgical drapes. These woven medical textiles play a vital role in healthcare settings, ensuring comfort, safety, and sterility in various medical procedures and treatments.
When it comes to purchasing a shuttleless weaving loom for sale, it's essential to consider the materials first. They'll help narrow down the machine options since some fabrics require specific technologies to achieve effective results.
For example, wool, cotton, and linen can be woven using a rapier weaving machine, as it can handle most regular and natural fibers. On the other hand, the air jet loom weaver works excellently with light to medium-weight yarns and fabrics. This compatibility issue can save buyers time and money in the long run.
It's also important to get familiar with the available loom options by either reading the descriptions or watching tutorials online. Aside from the shuttle mechanism, other key features of a loom weaving machine include the shed formation, beating mechanism, and warp and weft insertion method.
Next, buyers should consider the production speed of each loom type. Understanding the average production speed of different types of shuttleless looms will also help. The air jet loom has the highest speed among all loom types, with an average speed of 1200 to 2000 picks per minute. The rapier loom follows next, with an average speed of 600 to 1500 picks per minute. The beating speed of an unshuttleless jacquard loom is relatively low due to its complex weaving pattern, but it can reach up to 800 to 1000 paces per minute.
Although the speeds can be overwhelming, they will help make a more informed decision based on the demand of end users. If there is a high demand for quickly-produced plain woven fabrics, then it would make more sense to invest in an air jet weaving loom. If, on the contrary, one’s target market requires intricate designs, it would help to purchase an unshuttleless jacquard loom instead.
Consider the level of automation in each weaving loom. Fully automatic weaving looms have automatic shuttle change, warp yarn feeding, weft insertion, beat-up, and fabric take-up. This increases weaving efficiency and reduces labor requirements. However, they also come at a higher cost than semi-automatic and manual looms. A semi-automatic rapier weaving loom will still be costly, as it contains more features than a manual shuttle loom.
Q: Who invented shuttleless loom?
A: Shuttleless loom was invented by several key individuals over the years. One of the first shuttleless looms, which was called the “air-loom” was patented by William Lee in 1590. In the 20th century, several other major developments of shuttleless looms took place. These include the invention of the wide shuttleless loom by G. McK. C. Dyer in 1955, the jet loom by R. O. L. B. Pampel in 1964, and the rapier loom by J. D. C. M. M. Covens in 1977.
Q: What are the most popular shuttleless loom fabrics?
A: Numerous fabrics are made using shuttleless looms. Some of the most popular include satin, velvet, twill, jacquard, denim, cotton check, chiffon, yarn, leno, and organza fabrics.
Q: Why are shuttleless looms preferred over shuttle looms?
A: Shuttleless looms have several advantages over their shuttle counterparts. They are easier to use, able to weave wider fabrics, more efficient, and have higher production rates. The overall cost of using a shuttleless loom is also lower. Because they don’t use shuttles, weft threads are protected, which reduces the damage to looms.
