TECHNOLOGY CORNER
ITEMA RAPIER R95002
The Itema rapier R95002 is born to be versatile. Ever since Itema designs and develops internally its rapiers, leveraging the exclusive heritage of the big names of the past, namely Somet, Sulzer and Vamatex. The Itema R95002 is known to be the most positive negative rapier machine in the market, due to the uniqueness of its weft transfer system which provides unparalleled versatility of yarns and patterns.
Dedicated devices have been developed to excel in the weaving of technical fabrics, adding to the already excellent R95002 base sturdiness and flexibility, through key reinforcements and core advancements. Depending on the application, the R95002 can be equipped with optimized devices to get superior sensibility to weave even the most delicate weft and warp monofilament yarns, maximum sturdiness to easily handle the heaviest fabrics and best-in-class performances in terms of fabric quality and machine efficiency.
The continuous roll-out of customized special versions tailored for technical applications, including OPW Airbag, Fiberglass, Bolting Cloth, among others, the wide weaving width up to 540 cm, as well as dedicated devices for each application make the R95002 by Itema the perfect machine for the manufacture of the full range of technical textiles, including ones with the finest monofilament yarn, multifilament yarn with high tenacity, and multiple pick insertion fabrics.
Thanks to extensive in-house trials, led by the most experienced and skilled Itema technicians in cooperation with European leading weavers of fiberglass, allowed the Company to develop an advanced, high-performance version of R95002 to weave this demanding fabric. Used in many electronic and industrial applications, fiberglass needs to be woven on a sensitive and, at the same time, sturdy weaving machine. The rapier R95002 designed to weave fiberglass features a Light Weight Back-Rest Roller ensuring high reactivity, able to compensate the lack of elasticity characteristic of this specific yarn. Furthermore, specific to weave fiberglass is the Rotary Fabric Bar, designed for open construction patterns to avoid weft distortion.
Flexibility and versatility are guaranteed by the rapier weft transfer system FPA – Free Positive Approach with no guiding elements in the shed, which merges reliability with the possibility to weave the most demanding and delicate yarns. Flexibility is further increased due to the Motorized Weft Cutter, which allows to adjust the cutting time weft by weft, thus leading also to a minimized weft waste. Moreover, the innovative ELD – Electronic Leno Device, unique in the industry, provides a complete leno binding at fabric sides.
The mentioned weaving features perfectly meet the requirements of other high performances fabrics: aramid and nomex, widely used in aerospace and military applications. Further optimized to weave aramid, the Itema R95002 can be also equipped with special surface weft feeders and electronic brake.
In the wide world of technical textiles, a special mention goes to automotive and mattress ticking fabrics, which demand for production is particularly growing. The Itema R95002, thanks to the FPA weft transfer coupled with the Motorized Weft Cutter, guarantees unparalleled machine performances and superior fabric quality.
01. Itema Rapier Weft Transfer System
- SK Weft Transfer with guided rapiers and hooks. Engineered for speed, provides high performances and superior fabric quality
- FPA—Free Positive Approach—Weft Transfer featuring a race board with no guiding elements in the shed, it combines the versatility of a positive rapier system with higher performances and efficiency, enabling to weave even the most delicate monofilament yarns
02. Multiple choice of Weft Cutter
- MOTORIZED WEFT CUTTER developed by Itema and introduced on the market in 2001, is driven by an independent motor allowing different cutting times for each weft/color eliminating the time-consuming and accurate operation to find the best possible compromise to set one single cutting time for different weft yarns, resulting in:
– much-improved efficiency
– no weft stops due to incorrect settings
– weft waste optimization
– perfect weft insertion - ROTOCUT featuring an high precision rotary blade which cuts all the weft yarns at the same moment is the preferable choice in case of simple fabric constructions
03. Double Press Roller
- Ideal for heavy fabrics to guarantee a constant fabric tension
04. Multiple options of Back-Rest Roller
- Light Weight Back-Rest Roller designed to compensate the lack of elasticity of specific yarns
- Double Back-Rest Roller with an increased cylinder diameter to optimally tolerate the warp yarns high tension
- Warp tensioner for an optimized warp tension
05. Full Width Temple
Substantial main benefits:
- Higher pick density possibility compared to standard temples
- Straight weft insertion over the whole reed width
- Uniform fabric structure over the entire reed width
- Possibility to easily switch from standard temples to full width temple
06. Rotary Deviating Bar
- Providing high-precision weft insertion by keeping the weft perfectly straight in the fabric
- Ideal solution for mesh fabrics
07. Thermal Cutters
Available with different cutter heads according to fabric thickness and composition, they provide top quality selvedge, ease of use and long-lasting wire even with the heaviest fabrics
08. Itema Electronic Weft Brake
Implemented between pre-feeders and weft insertion system, the Itema Electronic Weft Brake allows a more gentle weft treatment reducing the weft tension peak thanks to different braking force levels that can be set directly from the machine console