Trützschler/Valérius 360
(Source: Trützschler)
Valérius 360 produces yarn by recycling waste from its own spinning and knitting processes – which keeps more material in the economic cycle for longer, cutting down waste and making an important contribution to sustainability. Working together with Trützschler, a pioneering collaborative project has now achieved high-quality recycled yarn – providing potential to drive measurable progress toward a circular and sustainable textile industry.
Valérius 360, Barcelos/Portugal, recently launched a new project with the ambitious aim of increasing the quality of yarn made from recycled waste fiber. However, processing recycled fibers is tricky in many ways. Reopening textiles down to the fiber, for example, leads to a reduction in the fiber quality. The goal was to find ways of improving the processes for yarns made from 50% recycled and 50% virgin cotton. In particular, ways were sought to reduce thick and thin spots, which disturb the appearance of the textile surface.
At the Trützschler Technical Center of Trützschler Group SE, Mönchengladbach/Germany, special trials were conducted that showed that using a direct spinning process for this application delivers much better results than a process with a draw frame passage for rotor yarns.
In direct spinning, the sliver from the card is directly drawn in the draw frame which is integrated in the can stock. This involves one less process step than using an autoleveller draw frame, while also saving space and giving staff more time for other operations.
Together, the teams from Valérius 360 and Trützschler analyzed and significantly improved the process at the Valérius 360 production site. This helped to bring yarns made from recycled raw materials up to the required level of the 50% Uster statistics, the reference level for yarns made from virgin raw materials. Accordingly, 50% of all yarn producers with raw cotton for rotor yarns and comparable yarn counts produce a poorer quality.
The innovative systems including plant concepts for fiber preparation, such as T-Blend or the TC 19iR and concepts for spinning preparation like direct spinning with the unique IDF from Trützschler, help customers to maximize the full potential of the material they are processing.
Valérius 360, Barcelos/Portugal, recently launched a new project with the ambitious aim of increasing the quality of yarn made from recycled waste fiber. However, processing recycled fibers is tricky in many ways. Reopening textiles down to the fiber, for example, leads to a reduction in the fiber quality. The goal was to find ways of improving the processes for yarns made from 50% recycled and 50% virgin cotton. In particular, ways were sought to reduce thick and thin spots, which disturb the appearance of the textile surface.
At the Trützschler Technical Center of Trützschler Group SE, Mönchengladbach/Germany, special trials were conducted that showed that using a direct spinning process for this application delivers much better results than a process with a draw frame passage for rotor yarns.
In direct spinning, the sliver from the card is directly drawn in the draw frame which is integrated in the can stock. This involves one less process step than using an autoleveller draw frame, while also saving space and giving staff more time for other operations.
Process steps 1 Passage (Test 1) vs. Direct Spinning (Test 2)(Source: Trützschler)
Direct spinning showed a clear capacity to reduce the number of faults in the yarn. As a result, the yarn breaks were 30% lower and the Total IPI 38% lower. The direct spinning process also has a positive effect on energy consumption: Compared to the process with a draw frame passage, for a medium plant size, a savings potential of 5% is achieved with direct spinning. At an energy price of €0.2/kW, the savings amount to over €5,000 per year.
Yarn breaks and IPI, Direct Spinning vs. 1 Passage (Source: Trützschler)
Together, the teams from Valérius 360 and Trützschler analyzed and significantly improved the process at the Valérius 360 production site. This helped to bring yarns made from recycled raw materials up to the required level of the 50% Uster statistics, the reference level for yarns made from virgin raw materials. Accordingly, 50% of all yarn producers with raw cotton for rotor yarns and comparable yarn counts produce a poorer quality.
The innovative systems including plant concepts for fiber preparation, such as T-Blend or the TC 19iR and concepts for spinning preparation like direct spinning with the unique IDF from Trützschler, help customers to maximize the full potential of the material they are processing.
