Insan Sandang Indonesia becomes the First Company To Go For Sustainable Carbon Utilities for Twisting

Insan Sandang has chosen to use the Carbon Utilities for their Twisting Department in their new spinning project.

Mr Teddy, the Director, wants " Sustainability" as an integral part of his new venture and therefore chose the Carbon Tubes against Plastic Tubes for the Twisting Unit. Further, he awaits the standardization of the Ring Tubes in Carbon and would switch to these to make the complete plant free of Plastics.

Mr Mitra, the CEO of the company claimed that besides the " Sustainability" factor, the company will be to get 2.5 kgs knotless packages on TFO with the Carbon Tubes and this gets them 4% advantage over conventional utilities.

Insan Sandang becomes the first Textile company in the world to go the Carbon Utilities way . It will lead the Industry into a new era of Micro- structures for Materials in Motion with sustainable and cost efficient Advanced Materials.

I hope within the next 5 years, this becomes viral and a standard industry practice. The textile Industry will then enter the new era of Advanced Materials.

Twisting With Small Pots : Less Capital, Lower Operational Cost : Thx To My Patented Carbon Tubes

Never Twist with a pot dia of more then 120mm again. Kiss the bigger pots a good bye. And if you have larger pots on TFO, time to change the spindle to 120mm pots.

Till now, the 120 mm pot could hold only 850 gms of yarn and hence was non compliant with the market requirement of 1.89kgs cones with one knot.

Precision Assembly Winder with Mantex Carbon Tubes

  But this gets resolved with two solutions.

1. Using a Precision Winder to getting a better density of the yarn.
2. Using Carbon Tubes , which shaves off 5 mm thickness of the plastic tubes and give the extra room to give higher content.

Now you can get 1.1 kgs with 38 mm tubes on Precision Winder for 120mm pot diameter. Thereby giving 1.89Kgs++ packages with one knot, which are standard in the market. Though, if you are a little smart, you can get 1.2 kgs knot less on the 38mm tubes, but will need to manipulate the traverse to be around 160mm or a little more.

In fact, it given an opportunity for the machine maker to go down on the spindle size to be only 115mm, with a pot of 120 mm, which will give 950 gms as the pay load.

For Sewing Thread makers, this is a boon. They can take one to one 1200 gms knotless dyepackages directly on the TFO and no need to rewind on soft cone winders.

This practically means, the Investment in TFO project comes down by 25%.
Because, when you use a smaller pot of only 125mm ( VTS 10), the speeds go up by 25%. 

Say, if you want to put a plant of 40 TFOs, then one would actually get the same production as that of 150mm pot dia with only 30 TFOs of  125mm pot dia. And not only that, since, the pot is smaller, the operational cost comes down by 20 to 25% . Eg 40 TFOS of 160 mm pot dia will need USD250 per spl x 160 spls per machine x 40 machines = USD1.6 Million. And investments in drum assy winders : USD600 X 160 Spls x 4 machines ( Taking 1 spl of assy winder = 10 spls of Drum winder ) say USD400k. Total of TFO + Assy Winder = USD 2 million.
Now, take a 120 mm pot TFO, the nos of machines required only 30 for exactly the same production : 30 x USD 200 per spl x 160 spls = USD 960K, Plus Precision Assy winder : 4 machines x 100 spindles x USD1600 =  USD 640K. Total of USD 960K+ 640k = USD1.6 million Against USD2 million of large pot dia machines.  Which is 25% lower overall investement, besides the savings on the knotters, blowers, cables, space etc etc.

Now, if you have 40 TFOs , then all it takes is replacing the pot to 120 mm from , whatever pot size is there on the current TFO, And you sell off 10 machines and from the sales proceeds , fund the conversion of the other 30 machines to 120mm pot .

Power is a function of spindle size and the balloon in TFO. However, one has to find an optimum speeds for power savings as beyond a certain speed the power again goes up exponentially. Therefore, technically though 120 mm pots can go upto speeds of 14500 rpm. But the best speeds would be around 12,500 rpm. Which is still 25 to 30% against the big pots speeds of 9000 rpm.

Lower Capital For Same Production

As per above chart, the total investment comes down by 25%. Infact, the investment in TFO comes down to almost 66% of the original investment. However, one has to invest a little higher into Precision Assembly winders against Drum Winders. If you can get a good deal for the precision winders, then the investement becomes almost 40% lower then the large pot TFO with drum winders.

The savings are 

Power savings upto 25%.
Labor saving
Space Saving
Utility Saving
Trolleys, knotters, etc etc

Changing from large pot to 120 mm pot is very simple. Needs only spindle change. However, to get the real deliverable, one needs to have a precision winder or invest into a new precision winder.


This marks the end of Drum Assembly winders and opens the new chapter of small pots for Twisting. However, to get 1 kgs payload on the tube, only would be possible with my tubes. Thereby giving more then 1.89 kgs with one knot.

My 3rd Patent : Eco centres for Yarn Dyeing

Frome Cones To Eco Centres . From 19th Century to Digitial Age.

Plastic Out, 

Eco Centres

 15 to 25% Less Water Usage in Dyeing

Eco Centres For High Temperature Dyeing

Eco Centres In Action 

If you care for Enviroment, you will choose Eco Centres For Dyeing.

70,00 Kilo litres of Water Saved Per Year in 10 TPD yarn Dyeing Plant with Eco Centres

The mindless usage of water in the Yarn Dyeing Industry is more on account of incompetence in the Industry rather then the need of the Industry. Like I have written earlier in my blog on " Yarn Dyeing Machines : Fraud of the Century ". Where most dyers refused to use their knowledge of technology and simply follow the practices of 19th century.

Let us see, how a simple product, where in the potential energy changes to kinetic energy on compression brings about 15 to 25% reduction in water and hence all the related savings of power, chemicals, labor, space etc etc.

The compression of the Eco Centres provides room for additional loading of yarn onto the same spindle. Thereby using the same water, chemicals, energy, labor, you are now dyeing additional 25%. This translates to profit of USD1 Million per year for 10 TPD yarn dyeing plant.

The New Patented Eco centre licks away all the issues of the old metal dyesprings.

1. It provides covers to the ends, so no yarn slippage on the ends and hence no wastage.
2. It protects the ends of the dyesprings, so longer life of a dyespring.
3. It gives room for the dye centre on the winding machine so the drum and the dyecentre do not foul with one another.
4. It provides uniformity of compression.
5. The slip clips on the dye centre ensures that the initial winding of the yarn is perfect.
6. The Unwinding Caps ensure that the yarn unwinds till the last layer.
7. The Life of the eco centre is 5 years with the right kind of hydro.
8. The open space provides the free flow of liquor. So , no poor dyeing in the initial layers
9. The compression provides the uniformity of dyeing by equalization of density.
10. For coarser counts less then 20s, there is no other way, but to use mantex eco centres for dyeing. Even after precision winding.

My 2nd Patent: Physics of Yarn Dyeing/ Density Measurement And Sorting of Soft Packages.

Because Yarn Dyeing is a Physio-Chemical Process. The Physics of Dyeing is as important as Chemistry of Dyeing.

The Physics of Dyeing Comes by managing the Uniformity of Density achieved by:

1. Angle of Wind, which ensures the same number of layers from top to the bottom of the package.
2. The Shape of the package, which has to be cylindrical and compressible. Compression is the only phenomenon which ensures that the unevenness of the soft packages from precision winder is neutralized.

However, there is still no such practical system, which measures and sorts out the density range of the soft packages as required for good dyeing.

Herein my Solution

Co-ordinates For Volume

The imaging technology captures the volume if the soft package via a camera.

The Soft Package is placed in position and the machine started. The Pusher arm pushes it under the DMS, where the camera captures the volume and the weighing machine under, captures the weight.

The Density is then worked out by the computer and the sorting program pushes the soft packages into bins.

The Off Density packages , viz above are pushed into one bin, the below in another bin and those within the range come straight to the end bin.

This way the dyer can then dye, the above range soft packages together and the below in another lot, without the need of rewinding. Also, the RFT percentage improves on account of the correct physics of yarn dyeing.

DMS In Action At Sewing Thread Plant.

The production rate is around 6 nos per minute or say around 10 tons per day.

Currently under Beta Testing and should be available to market in another 3 months time. Expression of Interest is welcome.

My 3 Patents This Year : Carbon Spinning Tubes; Spinning will never be the same Again.

This year, I took 3 patents, two in area of dyeing and one in spinning. Let me start first with the Mother of all the 3 patents viz : "Carbon Spinning Tubes "

What happened to Light Bulbs in the last decade will be the same model, which will take place for Ring Tubes with my invention. Ten years from now, there will be only my tubes for ring spinning and no other tubes. This will be my legacy, the world will remember for a very long time to come. InshaAllah!

For the last 3 years, I had been struggling to make carbon composite spinning tubes and then with the help of a Japanese company ( Which does not want to be identified at this stage ) the product was Prototyped.

Patented Carbon Composite Spinning Tubes

What is the difference between the Normal Ring Tube and Carbon Spinning Tubes

Carbon Ring Tubes in Action

There are 4 very Significant changes that take place in the spinning industry with my this patent.

1. The weight of the tube comes down from 42 gms to only 8 gms on a 7 inches tube giving major power saving upto 9%
2. The wall thickness of the tube is only 0.5mm against the wall thickness of 2.5 mm of current tubes. Which means, practically you take 40 to  55% higher content per tube and therefore higher efficiency on the Ring Frames and and higher efficiency on the Auto Coner.
3. The wall thickness allows a yarn spinning on 42mm ring dia to change to 38 mm ring dia and take 11.5% minimum higher productivity.
4. Which also means, that, if the machine is now with 38mm ring dia, the pitch of the spindles reduces and hence in the same space, one gets more number of spindles and hence higher productivity per ring frame and lower utility cost of suction and blower fans and humidity fans. A gain in 10% spindles per ring frame means for each 10 machines, one machine is already less .

The tubes are now under Beta Testing in 3 countries and the first results are  very encouraging. I got my patent in Feb 2014 and the PCT has been filed for the Global Patent.

This would mark the first ever carbon composite product to be brought into Textile Industry by someone. 

The next product being tested by me is the tube for TFO, wherein the 38 x43x 170mm Tube is being changed to only 37.5mm OD. Giving a room of 5 mm for the extra yarn. This will change the whole concept of TFO and the spindle size of 100 mm and 120 mm will become the universal pot size with contents as same , which now goes into 135 mm and 145 mm pot dia. Look for my next post on these trials.

Spinning and Twisting will never be the same. One small step for Atul, one big leap for Spinning.

Airplane Parachutes : Lesson from Malaysian MH 370

Someday, the black box will be recovered and they mystery of the flight landing in middle of nowhere resolved. Having taken more then a 1000 flights in my life, I have never felt very safe in a plane and always took the emergency seat or the seat next to the front door. There are many a flights, where I felt, I had to kiss good bye to everyone and luckily nothing happened. But in flying, as soon as the plane rocks, the first feeling is that of the last stage, as the chance of survival is minimal.

Here as a Textile Expert, I cannot stop myself designing a solution for falling planes.

All, it takes a a parachute of the size of Boeing/ Airbus or whichever plane, embedded on the top of the body of the plane, which can either be manually opened or programmed to automatically open against certain set of failures.

Which means, there will be two very large parachutes, one on the wings and another one on the top body running parallel to it and secured in place with hooks. The two parachutes , like a plus sign, will keep the plane in balance while floating down.

Though, planes are already designed to glide for around 30 to 40 mins, in case of an engine failure, yet the mechanism of its safe landing during accident is altogether missing. For air force jets, parachutes are fitted behind for fast braking, the same principles applies for slow landing of a failed plane in mid air.

The parachutes can be made out of simple carbon fabric to keep the weightlessness. Same for its ropes. The whole parachute will not be more then 50 kgs, but a very key part of safety in aviation. The cost of this will not be more then a few thousand dollars per plane.

The plane of course, if it lands on sea, should have the equipment to move as sea planes. And if it lands on ground, then to have cushion padding on the bottom part of the body. This can be a simple non woven material as that of polyurethane. Infact, the padding itself will allow the plane to float on sea, then to sink, so it acts as a double purpose.

Another issue is about the plane rocking in turbulence. Actually, if you see outside the window, there is no turbulence around. But the plane still rocks. The reason is the density of the air changes suddenly and the plane struggles to move in the changed density. Same as you were to drive a car on sandy road. However, if there were equipment's, which could monitor the density of air for the next 50 miles or whatever miles required for the plane to maneuver itself. The plane can accordingly steer itself above or below that air pocket. This simply need a electromagnetic wave to pass through air as in case of a radar and capture the distortion.

The big challenge is still to make it land at a slow speed. The current speeds of landing have been a cause of many an accidents ,as more accidents have been seen on ground then in air.
The landing speeds simply cannot be more then 50 to 60 miles per hour. While for a take off, it is understandable, that it needs high speeds to get the winds to follow Bernoulli`s equation. But for landing, the plane has to get into the gliding mode in its last phase of landing.

On the fire on the planes, it should be mandatory to have all the inner-walls and upholstery made out of Flame Retardant Fabrics. The fuel tank should be detachable. 

Rest, I hope, soon there will be a textile band, which will be fitted on the head of the pilot and will monitor his mind in real time, lest he takes it for a joy ride into middle of sea. Any deviation from the normal route should automatically alert the ATC .

At the end, what  is a plane, simple two engines on a wing. Rest is all like a bus. Canadian University has now designed a plane, which you can pedal and fly it up in air. No engines.

Hope, we see the changes coming soon.

Carbon Comes : Carbon Conquers.

Organic Chemistry has only three elements viz Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. How nature manipulates these three elements to offer mankind innumerable such products, which are coherently and incoherently embedded in everything around us. It is only in Textiles now for the first time that the importance of these three as individual elements is being exploited to render products, which will shape the world around us.

Whether individually or compounded with a resin, each of these will form the basis of High Technology in the coming years.

Du Pont was the only company, which kept investing into Life Sciences products and exploited symmetrically the carbon chains bonded with other elements to make unique products, whether it was polyesters or fluropolymers. 

When I first learnt about Carbon fibres at University, I could never relate anything around me which was made out of these fibres. It was therefore thought to be a impractical technology. But after 25 years, it has suddenly taken the world by a storm.

Look at aircraft engines, car bodies, wind mills, sports equipment's, helmets and wherever weight is an issue.

It is only another 5 years, when I see that almost all machines will be 50% composite by weight and most of it will be simply carbon fibre. And the biggest breakthrough will happen , when the transmission gears, cams and belting etc gets converted to a carbon composite.

Imagine your huge Ring Frame of 1080 spindles will not weigh more then 100 kgs, with carbon body, carbon spindles, carbon drafting systems and in place of aprons and cots, the carbon nano tubes. Further imagine the traveler will not slide on the ring, but will have magelev drive to have speeds beyond imagination. The Dyeing machine of 2  tons capacity will weigh less then 100 kgs with carbon laminate body. A complete sulzer weaving machine with carbon body, carbon healds, carbon take up beams will weigh less then 100 kgs and in all the above cases, the power consumption will be fraction of what is it now.

The simplest solutions will come in Civil Engineering, where a house can built with carbon laminates, windows, doors etc within few hours and the roofing will be from ETFE film. All you need is to take with you one roll of ETFE film to a disaster zone, put in some carbon rods and cover it up with ETFE film and your house is ready. Further, if the ETFE film is embedded with silicon solar cells, then use your lap top and if you know, how to manipulate frequencies, set up a free internet connection and stream with the world.

Invest into your carbon composites now or be left behind. It is time to seriously study carbon fibre and its downstream.

China: The Price Keeper of The World!

I started travelling in China in early 90s and since then I have seen China changing from dilipated factories and outdated machines to a modern developed nation. My early memories of the textile mill in Shanghai was so pathetic that I could have not believed that the mill was running with zero quality systems and if the yarn got wound on the cone, it was already an acceptable product. Extremely bad working conditions, broken walls, broken ceilings, stinking bathrooms and work was done very casually.

And same, I saw in Tianjin, Beijing, Ningbo, Dalian. However, as time passed and I kept visiting more mills, the change was seen year after year. The Shanghai mill disappeared and came a flourishing office complex. Same with most mills in Beijing.  Nicer and bigger textile complex came up in Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou. Investments came up with modern machines from Europe and work standards came to International standards.

Now, ofcourse, China has become a leader in Textiles and not just textiles, almost everything under the sun comes out of China. However, the best part is not just about the production capacities, but also the quality has systematically improved.  Given that it has advantage of Economies of Sale, the prices are always attractive. The results is that today China has set the standards of Prices for all the products in the world.

If today, I offer a yarn or machine or fabric or clothing, the first thing people check is , how the price compares against Prices from China.

China has a magnet of Price and without marketing efforts, customers search for their supply chains within China and usually find a suitable supplier. No other country in the world has been so much successful in creating such a huge market for its products and services in such a short time of 20 years.

Despite the language barrier, China is a nice place to do biz. People are generally very nice and very hospitable and they try their best to offer a product or service, which would meet your acceptance.

For me, I am quite happy that for almost everything under the sun, not just textiles, the prices are kept in control by the Chinese, otherwise, these multinationals would take away all my little earnings with their fancy prices. Now to be competitive, everyone has to keep his prices very close to the Chinese prices.

Chinese companies are taking over giant companies in US, UK, Europe and at this rate, they will easily take over from Japan as the second largest economy in the world.

Good job China!

Mathematics of Hydroextraction

Basket Type Hydro

 Water removal from Textile Packages has always been a challanging task. In the 70s, it was only the basket type hydroextactor, where textile packages where horizontally kept and basket rotated on its axis to centrifuge the water. The improvement over the years was to have a spindle on which the yarn packages were loaded and then the basket spins.

Water removal from textile packages is again dependent upon the moistre regain and the abosorption properties of the yarn. In case of polyester, it can be 90% moistre removal and in case of cotton, it can be only 50% and viscose only 30%.

The interesting part of this technology was the mathematics, which shows the moistre removal rate and percentage of residual moistre.

Centrifugal Acceleration Governs The Rate Of Water Removal From Porous Package,

 This Also Defines When The Equilibrium Stage

Is Reached Between Surface Tension And Centrifugal Forces

The Governing Equation

C= 4o(2)f (2) r

Where f is the frequency of rotation of centrifuge

Within Bracket shows, to the power of the preceeding symbol

Variation of Centrifugal Acceleration is Cause For Terminal Retention of Water in a Package

Retention is Time Dependent : Water before escaping from Package should Move Through It To Outside Surface

Rate of Movement Depends Upon 

Balance Between Viscous Flow Forces

And

Accelerating Centrifugal Force And Restraining Capillary Forces

Large Capillaries Empty First and Small Capillaries Empty With Difficulty

The Mass of Retention In Capillary is Given By the Equation

Ahs = ltCosq / C

Where A  is the Area of capillary, l the peripheral length of capillary, h the height to which the capillary is filled with water, s is viscosity of the liquid, t , the surface tension and q the contact angle, C , the centrifuge acceleration.

Hence Mass Retention is Inversely Proportional To Centrifuge Acceleration

As C is increased, more capillaries opened and a stage is reached, when capillary retention is proportional to 1/ C

At any point in the Package, the rate of Movement of Moisture (u) in a centrifugal gravitation force (C) 

Is Given By    u = CK

Where K is the Permeability of the package

This is the maximum amount of water, that can be removed by Centrifugal Field Against Capillary Forces

In case of Cotton, it is 45%

Polyester Textured , it is 90 to 94%

 Acrylic : 90%

Nylon : 90%

Viscose : 30%

Polyester Sewing Thread : 90%

Based on the Above Numbers, it is now possible to Calculate the Spinning Time To Achieve the Equilibrium Stage For Hydro with speed variable.

Conclusion For Basket Hydroextractors

During Hydroextraction, water migrates from the Porous Package In Direction of Centrifugal Field. Rate of movement depending mainly on the Porous Structure of the Package, the water retention and the field strength.

As larger pores empty, retention reduces and rate of flow declines until balance is reached when capillary forces retain moisture within the material against the influence of the centrifugal forces.

As per Theory, the Porosity of Package and Pore Size Distribution is an important element of Hydro-extractors. Current Hydro-extraction system does not provide the element of squeezing the water initially out of the package and creating enough porosity within the package for easy removal of water.

Axis Type Hydroextractor

Unlike Basket Hydro , where at the Radial End of Basket, the Packages move with Basket.

The Axis Spinning spins the Packages on its own Axis.

In Basket Hydro, the Effect of variation of Centrifugal Field was insignificant for Moisture Retention.

In Axial Spinning, the centrifugal acceleration depends upon the spinning speed and also depends upon the size of the package.

Larger the Package, Greater The Acceleration

Maximum Acceleration At Outside 

Cmax = 4p(2)f(2)R0

Where f is freq. of rev, R0 is OD of Package

Within Bracket shows to the Power of Pie or f 

Where as the Average Acceleration within the package is given by

 Cav = Cmax 2/3 ( R1/R0  + R0/ R1+R0)

Where R1 is the ID of package

As OD of Package Increases, Avg and Max acceleration Increase for a Given Speed 

Acceleration Increases as Rate of Rotation Increases

But interestingly from the equation, as OD increases, the Cav reduces and hence the Water Retention in Packages Become Higher

Technically, one would expect that Retention Of Moisture In Axis spinning packages should be lower then Basket Hydro

But In Real Life Experiments it was seen that the Small Packages Dried 

More Then Large Packages exactly following the equation

This is explained as below

Moisture Is Distributed Evenly Through The Package

High Retention Zone Occurs At Outside Surface, 

Most Remote From Centrifugal Axis

Spot The Large Molecules At The End Of Package after Hydroextaction

Caused By Migrating Molecules To End Of Package Under Centrifugal Field

But Unable To Escape On Account of Surface Tension Forces

Result is Crooked Packages

For Same Value Of Cmax , effect of each zone retention on overall retention of moisture  will be Proportional to

Package Circumference / Cross Sectional Area

That is

R0/ C ( R0 (2) - R1(2))

Retained Water can be Divided Into Two Parts

That Dispersed Throughout the Porus Material

That Held At Or Near The Outside Surface

Rate Of Equilibrium In This Case Depends Upon

Porous Structure

Field Strength Within Package

Conclusion

Axis Type Hydroextractor Has A Major Shortcoming In Fluid Separation From Textile Material

Correction To System

It was First Done By Dr Frauchiger in Switzerland

Who Designed Package Holding And Pressing To Break The Boundary Layer And Break the Surface Tension to allow the large molecules removal.

Hydro with Fingers

Optimal Hydro,Compliant with Technology.

 In short, the Axis type Hydro has a major shortcoming and gives oval shaped packages. Yet is the most popular hydro sold in the world , because of its productivity.
The Dr Frauchiger hydro also has a high productivity, but extremely expensive machine, but worth the investment.

Markets are, where People Are!

China and India both have huge population.  Both these countries also have a huge area and both are one of the most ancient civilizations on planet earth.

The combined population of these two countries would be say 2.7 billion. The global population of 7 billion has around 40% people from India and China.  And to this number, if I was to add further the Chinese from Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia etc, it would easily come to 50% of the global population to be Chinese or Indians. Which means 1 out of every 2 persons in the world is now either an Indian or a Chinese.

Interestingly, both these communities have seen new found wealth and both have almost the same middle class attitude towards spending wealth to get a taste of better life.  The ever increasing middle class is creating markets for goods and services for almost anything and everything.  Never before has the economy seen such an expansion like in the last decade.

But it is not the spending habits of the people, which is changing the economy of these countries, but the magnitude of the number of people. Spending in Europe or US or North America could be many times higher then Asia, but the total number of people are too small to be be aggregated to show an improvement of GDP more then 1%.

The American and European brands regularly see more growth in China and India, then the rest of the world. The markets for almost each and every product has zoomed in these Asian markets. Imagine, if only 1% of the total population in China or India was a multimillionaire then it already had more millionaires then the total population of the full country like Belgium, Switzerland, Holland etc.

For whatever it is worth the largest markets for almost everything will now remain as India and China for the next many decades. Both these countries also have typical behavioral pattern in purchasing. Either they buy the most expensive or they buy the least expensive.  Markets are generally driven by perceptions and less by evaluation or value offerings.

Markets are, where People Are!