That responsibility extends to production. The final product has to strictly meet these requirements. “We are talking about zero tolerance here. Grey areas cannot be accepted”, says Stephan Kehry, Area Sales Manager at Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG. The processes therefore have to be transparent, so that the user can recognize discrepancies at any time and can react to them.

Importance of process control with technical textile

“Risks for example are distorted web or variances in the coating application.” Too much or too little product results inevitably in post processing or reject in the worst case. That in turn causes dissatisfaction with the customers and additional costs. The producers counter that successfully by counting on process and quality control – and killing two birds with one stone. They not only get high-quality goods but also save energy and material cost with the ‘right first time’ principle.

“Prerequisite for a working product is – independent of further treatment – straight web”, Kehry explains. At Mahlo, the Orthopac RVMC-15 makes sure of that. The renowned automatic weft straightener detects and straightens 97% of all known web. For s-shaped distortions and non-detectable fabric, the machine builder counts of pin wheel straighteners. “They work only for non-elastic products, however.” This is different with the Orthomax RFMB-15, a fusion of pin wheel and roller straightener. Thanks to combining both technologies, the system minimizes distortions in web as well as elastic knitting. Many textiles made of elastic Raschel knitted fabrics already benefit from these advantages.

Quality control: quantity matters

With straight goods, the foundation for a high-performance product is built. “The next step is monitoring the further processing, for example the coating material for coated fabrics.” With the help of scanners and sensors, the Mahlo quality control system Qualiscan QMS-12 makes important parameters visible and therefore controllable. “The basis weight has much significance in knowing if the composition of the single layers is right”, so Kehry. By measuring before and after the coating, one can determine the weight of the single layers. The producer then knows if too much or too little material is used. If the amount is too low, the functionality is affected; is it too high, additional costs are caused. However, the correct application quantity is not only a cost factor, but can even be vital. If you only think of fireproof protective clothing for the fire brigade, you have to be able to rely on its function 100 percent.

There are several possibilities to detect the basis weight. With a transmission system using beta sensors, the intensity of beta rays is weakened according to the mass of the penetrated layer. This weakening allows determining the basis weight of nearly all materials. As an alternative to that, Mahlo uses sensors with y-ray. Here too, the intensity of X-rays is weakened according to the mass of the penetrated layer.