Texprocess, leading international trade fair for processing textile and flexible material will provide a showcase of current sustainable processing technologies this time. Under the label Blue Competence of VDMA (Association of German Mechanical and Plant Engineering), some exhibitors will present special resource-saving product families.

According to a recent study of VDMA, machines produced by German manufacturers allow to save 28% of energy and 33% of water in a comparison between the years 2014 and 2004 within the spinning, knitting and finishing processes.

According to SESEC (Sustainable Energy Saving for the European Clothing Industry) unused potentials exist in the field of energy cost-saving. However, matters can be rectified by the information campaign Energy Made-to-Measure of the umbrella organization Euratex in Brussels. Up to 2016 about 300 clothing manufacturing companies, in particular small and medium sized ones shall profit from this campaign.

Fifteen years ago, the suppliers of sewing machines were surpassing each other regarding the maximum number of stitches per minute. The limits of human dexterity had long ago been exceeded and the costs of the necessary automation of the joining process increased tremendously up to an unrealistic level in view of the quick product changes and decreasing number of items.

Apart from that textiles are slack and flexible products and can hardly be processed by robots as can be done when processing metal sheets. The keyword flexible production was borne soon: short set-up time, reproducible process parameters and the introduction of intuitively operable design programmes were now in the focus of development and marketing. Since all these requirements have now been met, the view is focused on the use of resources.

Sewing is a central manufacturing step within the clothing manufacturing process. In the big production lines often hundreds of sewing machines are installed, which are driven by high-performance servomotors.

By using noble earths magnetic rotors and latest processor technology, the design engineering team of Efka Frankl & Kirchner, Schwetzingen (Germany) succeeded in achieving an energy saving totalling 60% by means of quick sewing machines.

According to Michael Faulhaber, Chief Technical and Marketing Officer of Frankl & Kirchner, additional benefits can be gained from complete packages allowing easy replacement of driving components of existing machinery and from the insensitiveness of the new CompactServo 600 driving units to current fluctuations, which is a frequent problem in many regions where clothing production companies exist.

For technical reasons fusing presses, ironing machines and appliances are provided with two steam circuits, a heating circuit and a steam spraying system. The experts of Veit (Germany) have investigated the so far open-loop heating circuit and came to the result that a remarkable energy-saving potential exists.

Apart from a better isolation of the heat conducting components, which leads to an improved working environment in the ironing section (3° C lower room temperature), up to 40% of heating steam can be saved. Veit has developed for its eMotion system a retrofit programme for existing machinery.

The conceptual partner of Texprocess is the VDMA Garment and Leather Technology association. It takes place parallel to Techtextil, International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens, in Frankfurt am Main.

Texprocess 2015, will be held in Frankfurt, Germany on 04-07 May 2015 in Exhibition Center Frankfurt (Oder).