Successful market introduction of the new Sultex A9500 Air Jet Weaving Machine

"The Sultex A9500 machines allow us a step forward in the woven quality considering an improved fabric appearance and reduced starting marks, what is particularly important on the high competitive European market", explains Mr Steidel, CEO of Lauffenmuehle GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. Lauffenmuehle purchased the Sultex A9500 in order to increase productivity by using the latest technology in high speed air jet machines.

Mr Steidel adds "ITEMA is a good and reliable partner. The excellent service and the technical support of ITEMA were other major advantages to decide for the Sultex A9500". Lauffenmuehle GmbH & Co. KG is a reputable German vertical integrated supplier of high quality fabrics for work and protective clothing running more than 100 ITEMA weaving machines.

Volker Steidel, CEO Lauffenmuehle (c) 2011 ITEMA

ITEMA has a long tradition in air jet weaving. The company was the first to launch an air jet weaving machine using relay nozzles some 30 years ago. Under the brand name Ruti and later Sultex, the air jet weaving machines became extremely popular with over 100.000 machines sold. 

This new Sultex A9500 air jet weaving machine combines the experience gathered in the past with the most revolutionary machine technology. 

The ITEMA Weaving R&D Team reduced the total parts of the machine by 30%, resulting in a simplified machine concept requiring less maintenance. The mechanical settings of the machine are minimized; pattern configurations & settings are electronically confirmed. 

Using the vast electronic expertise present at ITEMA, a new electronic platform was developed; not only for the A9500 but also for other new weaving machines to be introduced to the market in the near future. This new “common platform” uses a Windows CE driven, full color touch-screen as the user interface. The networking feature allows serial-VDI as well as Ethernet connectivity.

From a textile technology view point, the A9500 offers a unique shed geometry. The slay can be driven by conjugated cams or by a crank mechanism, depending on the requirements of the customer. The Sultex A9500 is the only weaving machine on the market that offers both options for the slay drive.

The A9500 is an extremely versatile machine and can be supplied with a broad range of key configurations to successfully produce the most demanding styles. The new lateral & central independent selvedge devices combined with new pneumatic tuckers for full width reed guarantee perfect quality double panel weaving. 

Thanks to the powerful electronic platform, new functionalities are now available for the best control of insertion parameters. It’s in the wider width weaving that the Air Management System, including the RTC and the fully digital Air Consumption Metering, ensures optimum air consumption yielding energy savings and full automation of the pneumatic settings.

Finally, the new A9500 provides remote, networking capabilities with connection to LoomBrowser. A new product at ITEMA, the LoomBrowser allows remote access to the machine PC to monitor performance and even make changes to machine settings.