#Spinning

2023-02-16

Uster Tester – The foundation of global textile quality

Assessing textile quality was once a matter of opinion. Today it’s a matter of fact – objective, repeatable and universally understood. Quality now has numerical values, as the basis for trading, pricing and ultimately consumer satisfaction. And this year marks the 75th anniversary of the pioneering innovation which fostered that change – and created the global quality environment of textile production in the 21st century.

Celebrating 75 years of the world’s most famous instrument

It all started in the early 1940s, with a request from a group of spinners in Switzerland. They wanted a reliable way of measuring textile slivers, rovings and yarns for ‘evenness’. This property was – and still is – seen as critical to the uniformity, consistency and processability of materials, and the ultimate determinant of value and quality. The first instrumental method for evenness testing was developed for these spinners by Zellweger Uster, at that time a company active in the emerging field of electronics.

That company is known today at Uster Technologies, and it’s fair to say that every textile producer in the world knows the name of its most famous product, the Uster Tester. In fact, the word ‘Uster’ alone is used by textile mills to signify both the process of evenness testing, and the instrument itself. In the past 75 years, the Uster Tester has been developed and extended apace with fast-moving technological innovations. Measurement capabilities have extended with specially-developed sensors, and ingenious software. Connectivity with other Uster systems at every stage of processing has created a unique Quality Management Platform for the entire mill.

Setting global standards

The original tester is displayed in a museum on the top floor of Uster headquarters. It is, or course, manually operated, and outputs test results as a line on graph paper. This first venture into testing was based on a capacitive sensor and simple electronics. It was the precursor for gradual development stages over the next two decades, leading to the emergence in the 1970s of the name ‘Uster Tester’ and its rapid popularity across the textile world.

A key aspect for those early Swiss spinners was to learn more about their yarn quality, to improve it for their customers but also to benchmark their own standards against other producers. Giving quality a numerical value was a massive breakthrough, reflected today in the ‘language of quality’ used for marketing, trading and competitive progress today.

The concept of global benchmarking took a giant leap forward in 1957 with a short article in the German textile magazine Melliand, giving basic data on yarn quality from a number of spinners. The data was, of course, based on the Uster Tester, and the idea of a comprehensive service of quality information grew into the now-legendary Uster Statistics publications.

This detailed collation of accurate data from all around the textile world has become essential to the entire industry. It is the framework for meaningful fiber purchasing, yarn development and trading, now of course, available as an app for mobile devices. In an environment where speed and user-friendliness are vital, the latest Uster Tester interacts with Uster Statistics to provide a one-click check of yarn quality and specifications.

Managing the whole mill

It’s clear that the evenness tester will also continue to be the must-have laboratory testing instrument in its own right, whatever the benefits of its connectivity. Test conditions in the lab are more consistent than in the production halls, so results can be compared over time to establish a basis for best settings and procedures in mill equipment.

So, the Uster Tester has its place in every serious textile laboratory. But its modern role is much wider, thanks to seamless connectivity with other Uster testing and measuring instruments. Critically, it unites lab testing with in-process monitoring, by intelligent cooperation with Uster yarn clearers in the winding department.

Through the Uster Quality Expert, and the unique ‘Assistant Q’ guidance facility, mills now have the benefit of ‘Total Testing’. This delivers effective and preventive process optimization, with smart alerts pointing instantly to potential trouble spots in the entire process. Integration between 100% in-process monitoring and precise lab measurement ensures quality is secured at the right level every time.

Spinners today have the power to analyze every element of their processes and select the best options for their own profitability and their customers’ complete satisfaction. In one system, fiber, yarn and fabric quality are optimized and secured. Thanks to the Uster Tester and Uster Quality Expert, mills can rely on a world-class Quality Management Platform that takes their business planning from imperfect approximation to guaranteed certainty…ready for the next 75 years.

Uster’s new Recycling Opening Index guides spinners to the perfect blend

Uster AFIS 6 now offers the key data for better decisions when blending recycled fibers. Process control is decisive in determining the quality and economic outcome. The new R Recycling Module of AFIS 6 introduces the Recycling Opening Index (ROI), so spinners can optimize their circularity credentials. It was officially launched at ITM 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Measure and control the fiber – optimize yarn quality

Producing consistent yarn quality is an everyday challenge – and a very difficult one. Detailed knowledge and understanding of the fiber raw material is absolutely critical to achieving the best possible quality in the yarn. To help spinners, Uster experts have put together guidelines for avoiding yarn irregularity claims, in a special edition of the Uster News Bulletin.

Uster presents novelties at ITMA Asia + CITME 2025

There’s news from Uster Technologies to be announced for the industry’s upcoming event in Singapore. The Uster 360Q universe is growing with new products, solutions and services. Innovation developments can also be recorded in the fields of man-made fiber testing and fabric inspection. Uster innovations address the industry’s trending topics as mill management and process control, optimization of delivered fabric quality and yield.

Barmag presents metering pump solutions at ASE China

From September 15 to 17, 2026, Barmag’s Pumps Division will present its solutions for the precise delivery and metering of adhesives, sealants, and other high-viscosity media at ASE China at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The focus of the exhibition will be on high-precision gear metering pumps that help plant managers sustainably optimize material usage, process stability, and product quality. (Booth E4235).

Trützschler’s latest spinning and card clothing innovations at CAITME 2026

From September 8 to 10, 2026, Trützschler will present its latest innovations in spinning and card clothing for state-of-the-art fiber processing at CAITME in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visitors are invited to meet the experts at Pavilion 2, Booth D50 and explore solutions designed to increase productivity, streamline processes, and ensure consistently high yarn quality. Key topics include the next-generation card TC 30i, the integrated draw frame IDF 3, the high-performance comber TCO 21XL as well as Trützschler Card Clothing’s new flat top series STEELTOP®.

BICO BCF yarn delivers impressive performance in field testing

In a joint development project with other partners, Barmag and Object Carpet have successfully tested BICO BCF yarn in the carpet manufacturing process. The results show that this innovative yarn technology offers significant performance advantages and opens up new possibilities for recycling-oriented carpet constructions.

Expansive innovations converge in Shanghai as Yarn Expo Autumn 2026 opens doors next week

With just days to go, industry enthusiasm is building for the opening of Yarn Expo Autumn, Asia’s premier yarn and fibre trade fair, running from 25 – 27 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Across 27,000 sqm in Hall 8.2, buyers will find nearly 600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, spread across seven specialised zones that range from cutting-edge man-made and regenerated fibres to time-honoured cashmere and silk. Beyond the extensive sourcing options, a fringe programme of trend showcases, presentations and product launches rounds out the three¬day event with design, innovation and market intelligence.

DOMOTEX Southeast Asia 2026 - Building the Gateway to ASEAN's fast-growing flooring market

From 11–13 November 2026, the inaugural DOMOTEX Southeast Asia will take place at BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre) in Bangkok, Thailand. Jointly organized by GLOBUS Events Limited and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd., with Worldex G.E.C. Co., Ltd. as the local partner, the exhibition marks the expansion of the internationally recognized DOMOTEX brand into Southeast Asia. As the newest addition to the global DOMOTEX portfolio, the exhibition has been developed specifically to serve the rapidly evolving ASEAN market, creating a dedicated business event for the flooring and interior finishing industry.

Execs help steer Cascale’s consumer goods agenda in Athens

The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting, taking place September 15–17 in Athens, Greece, will convene leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to tackle one of the industry’s defining questions: how to accelerate meaningful, system-wide transformation. Guiding those conversations as this year’s co-chairs are Sean Cady, vice president, global sustainability, responsibility, trade, and government affairs at VF Corporation, and Dr. Delman Lee, vice chair at TAL Apparel Limited.