At the IOT Solutions World Congress, the Eurecat technology centre is showcasing an innovation developed in partnership with Canmartex harnessing photonics, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence algorithms for large-diameter circular knitting machines which makes it possible to predict and prevent potential manufacturing defects before they occur.
An estimated 92 million tons of waste is generated annually by the textile industry, 25 percent of which is produced during fabric manufacture. Here the technological solution allows real-time analysis of the degradation of the most critical components in the manufacturing process, identifying them and suggesting corrective actions to ensure they do not adversely impact the product’s quality.
The system, which has led to the establishment of the spin-off Aracne Textile Solutions, “predicts whether the fabrics the circular knitting machines is to produce will be satisfactory or faulty” which “makes it possible to cut production defects by more than 50 percent, thus fostering the circular economy,” says Xavier Plantà, director of Eurecat’s Industrial Area and CTO at the spin-off.
It also monitors the drop of fabric when it is being manufactured to spot defects emerging at that time due to other reasons such as yarn or mechanical problems or holes in the fabric.
These systems “can be fitted in both new and existing machines, unlocking end-to-end digitalisation of the process and ushering the textile industry into Industry 4.0.”
“The ability to predict defects makes it possible to warn the production manager who can then assess them and decide what to do,” points out Enric Marti, CEO at Aracne Textile Solutions. This means “we can anticipate faults before they happen and most importantly take action and remedy the causes which lead to them digitally, thus delivering product and process traceability.”