Effect of a New Attachment in Rapier Loom on Properties of Textiles

Abstract

Design and development of an innovative automated device focus on eliminating the auxiliary selvedge in shuttleless rapier looms. This auxiliary selvedge continuously contributes to increased material waste, additional labor and time for removal. So, the proposed device integrates cutting-edge automation technologies with existing loom mechanisms to address these challenges. The auxiliary selvedge is by grasping the protruding weft ends after each pick insertion in the weaving process, with consequent cutting and suctioning the projecting ends and so the device presents a sustainable solution for the textile industry by optimizing material utilization and by reducing the production costs. The scaling down in material remnants was quantified, and the quality of fabric is analyzed by testing the yarn density, areal density, tensile strength, tearing strength, bursting strength, air permeability, dimensional stability and crimp percentage for the fabric produced before and after installation of the attachment. A new attachment to the loom significantly reduces yarn wastage and cost, achieving a 62.5% reduction in both, without altering the loom's constructional parameters in the process of weaving and the produced fabric quality. The statistical significance of the fabric properties produced with and without the attachment was evaluated using a t-test. No significant differences were found in yarn density, areal density, tearing strength, and dimensional stability of the fabrics produced with and without the attachment. However, there were slight but statistically significant differences observed in crimp percentage, tensile strength, bursting strength, and air permeability of the fabrics produced with and without the attachment.