#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

2023-01-18

Data-controlled production

Web gauging with Qualiscan QMS © 2023 Mahlo

Extreme rising in energy prices and a growing uncertainty in almost every industrial sector: many manufacturing textile companies face immense challenges these days. To compete in the market, they must increase the flexibility and efficiency of their production and minimize manufacturing costs by reducing the input of resources. Online quality control in textile production processes is suddenly more important than ever before. German machine builder Mahlo shows, how data-controlled production can solve today’s problems.

The answer to today’s challenges in textile coating and converting

“The key points are the correct collection, analysis, and treatment of the right data as well as the seamless transition of data flows between machines, company divisions and to other companies such as customers or suppliers”, says Matthias Wulbeck. He is the product manager for Quality Control Systems (QCS) at Mahlo. The expert also notes that leading industrial companies are thinking ahead as well, producing in a sustainable way before they are forced to, and introduce automated processes and high-tech networked devices to perform live data analysis.

Controlling parameters with broad sensor portfolio

I4.0-compliant Mahlo quality control systems installed throughout a modern textile coating line show the variety of options to control a production. “To adapt to the different needs, Mahlo has a broad portfolio of intelligent scanners and sensors in the Qualiscan QMS system. They record product and process parameters online, such as basis weight, add-on weight, thickness, moisture content, web temperature, residual moisture, exhaust air humidity, air permeability etc. at different stages of the production.”

The measured values are processed directly in real-time processors of the sensors. The finished measurement data is visualized internally in an intuitive control display or transmitted via interfaces (OPC-UA, Modbus etc.) to an external network. The implemented automatic control algorithms interact directly with the suitable actuators of the textile coating line and reduce deviation from the target and thus, results in a more uniform end-product. This allows optimised target value specifications and, in addition to better product quality, leads to significant savings in raw materials and energy costs. Furthermore, process reliability and production throughput increase. “And you can react fast and flexible on changing market demands”, Wulbeck adds.

Besides the online control of the above-mentioned parameters, an important function of any quality control system is to provide detailed historical data. By a simplified and direct data exchange, the end user can keep track at any time where and especially how its product is fabricated. With that, not only a trouble-free value chain is guaranteed, according to Wulbeck. The end user can also be sure that its fabric is always produced with the right parameters. “That security in these unsecure times is of high value.”

The measured values are visualized in real time © 2023 Mahlo

Smart Quality Control for Technical Textiles

In the end, what matters is the result: a filter that performs reliably, a membrane that remains stable in storm conditions, a composite material with precisely defined properties. But the path to achieving this is demanding. In the production of technical textiles, numerous parameters interact – and even the smallest deviations can have major consequences.

New Gravimax MMX-R X-ray sensor platform opens up new application fields

The demands placed on quality control in web-based production processes are increasing: materials are becoming more complex, basis weights are varying more widely, and at the same time, pressure is growing to make processes more efficient and transparent. Precise measurement data across the entire web width has therefore become a key factor in ensuring stable production processes. With its new Gravimax MMX-R sensor platform, Mahlo introduces a radiometric measurement solution designed to set new standards in determining basis weight and material composition. The platform combines advanced X-ray technology with newly developed signal processing, enabling measurement tasks that previously often required multiple sensor technologies.

Orthopac RVMC-20 plus: German Engineering for Smarter Weft Straightening

In times of rising cost pressure and growing quality demands, textile producers worldwide are searching for solutions that combine precision, efficiency, and sustainability. With its latest innovation, the Orthopac RVMC-20 plus, Mahlo once again demonstrates the strength of German engineering: improving proven technology to meet today’s challenges.

Stefan Moll becomes new CEO of the machinery manufacturer

Starting January 1, 2026, Stefan Moll will take over the management of Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG, the world’s leading provider of measurement and control technology for web-shaped materials. With this move, Mahlo is focusing on the long-term safeguarding of its market position and technological leadership. The current CEO, Rainer Mestermann, will leave the company after 14 years as part of a planned succession arrangement.

SETEX turns dyeing and finishing data into daily production control

At ITM 2026, SETEX will show how textile mills can use machine, recipe, quality and energy data for more reliable daily production decisions — not as another reporting layer, but as part of the running dyeing and finishing process. With OrgaTEX X3 MES, E390x/C390x controllers, CamCOUNT and FabricInspector Portable, SETEX connects planning, machine execution and fabric-related quality insight within existing mill structures.

Ibrahim Fibres and Trützschler: A strong partnership enters its next phase with the TC 30Si

For more than two decades, Ibrahim Fibres and Trützschler have grown side by side, driven by a shared ambition to continuously improve spinning performance, strengthen technology leadership and set new benchmarks in the textile industry. Today, Ibrahim Fibres is a leading yarn and polyester staple fiber manufacturer in Pakistan. The company operates the largest number of Trützschler cards in the country, with more than 200 machines running across its mills in Faisalabad, and plays an important role in one of Asia’s largest textile industries.

USColorworks expands digital platform with Kornit Atlas MATRIX and Atlas MAX PLUS solutions

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT), a global pioneer in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production, today announced that USColorworks, a North Carolina-based apparel decoration and fulfillment company specializing in custom and on-demand printing for retail and promotional markets, has expanded its Kornit digital production platform with the addition of Atlas MATRIX and Atlas MAX PLUS systems to deliver high-quality, on-demand apparel across cotton, blended fabrics and polyester.

CovationBio introduces two new bio-based innovations at Functional Fabric Fair New York

Covation Biomaterials LLC (“CovationBio®”) is showcasing its two new bio-based innovations, Xatryx® and Sorona® elasterell-p fiber, at this year’s Functional Fabric Fair in New York City, July 7–9, 2026. Attendees can visit CovationBio at Booth #404 to explore this next generation of bio-based performance materials.

Geotextiles made from recycled materials: GREEN leads the way into the industry

For the industry, recycled materials are creating new opportunities in geotextile production. In the GREEN project, the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE demonstrates that recycled polypro-pylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and high-density polyeth-ylene (HDPE) can be processed into nonwovens, fibers, and membranes that meet industrial requirements. This creates opportunities for use in existing production lines and new value chains in the geotextile market.