Shuttle less Looms | Weaving Machine operates without shuttle

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Shuttle-less Looms 

Advantages of Shuttle less Weaving Machines: When patterned fabrics are woven on shuttle-less weaving machines, colors can be changed more easily. Unlike shuttle looms in which a different shuttle must be provided for each different color, the shuttle-less machines can be provided with a variety of colors directly from yarn packages. Other advantages include lower power requirements, lower sound levels, smaller space requirements, and higher speeds of fabric production. On the other hand, the higher production rates of shuttle- less machines requite that yarn quality be high to ensure trouble-free operation. 

Trends in loom purchases within the textile industry in the United States show clearly that shuttle-less weaving machines are replacing traditional shuttle looms. In 1985 there were 160,000 shuttle looms in place in the United States, and by 1997 that number had dropped to less than 70,000 (Isaacs 1998). 

Currently the most widely used machines worldwide are rapier and projectile types. Air-jet looms ate becoming more popular in North America. To overcome disadvantages of the shuttle loom, several different kinds of shuttle less looms have been developed. Each type uses a different method of picking, which provides specific characteristics and applications. 

Missile or Projectile Looms- 

These looms were developed in the 1950s in Switzerland and represent the first proven shuttle-less loom. The picking action of the missile or projectile loom is accomplished by a series of small bullet-like projectiles which grip the filling yarn and carry it through the shed and then return empty. All the filling yarn is inserted from the same side of the loom and a special tucking device is used to hold the ends of the filling in place at the edge of the cloth to form the selvage, or selvedge The missile loom has good versatility and is used for a wide variety of basic fabrics ranging from cotton-type goods such as percale and print cloth to worsted-type material. It does require a smooth, uniform yarn that is properly sized to reduce friction. The missile loom has speed of up to 300 ppm and yet is less noisy than the shuttle loom. 

Rapier Looms

Rapier loom is a competitor to the missile loom. There are several kinds, which may be subdivided into types. One early model uses one long rapier device that reaches across the width of the loom to carry the filling yarn from one side of the loom to the other. Another type utilizes a double rapier, that is, one on each side of the loom. The rapier may be any one of several constructions: rigid, flexible, or telescoping. In every case, one rapier feeds the filling yarn halfway through the shed of warp yarns to the arm on the other side, which reaches in and takes it across the rest of the way. These rapier looms are efficient. They operate at speed ranging from about 200 to 260 ppm at about the noise level of missile looms. They can produce a wide variety of fabrics ranging from muslin to drapery and upholstery materials. 

Water Jet Looms 

The water jet loom was first developed in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s and subsequently refined by the Japanese in the 1960s. Water jet looms were designed to weave faster and to relieve the tension on the filling yarn as it is carried through the shed. A pre-measured length of filling yarn is carried across the loom by a jet of water. 

These water jet looms can operate at relatively high speeds of up to about 600 ppm and at noise levels lower than the shuttle, missile, and rapier looms. Since the pick is tensionless, high quality, almost perfect warp yarns are required for efficient operation. A broken warp could deflect the floating pick out of the shed. Another disadvantage is that the water-jet looms are restricted to production of fabrics made of yarns that are not readily absorbent––such as filament yarns of acetate, nylon, polyester, and glass. Even then, the cloth must be dried before further processing. However, the water-jet looms can produce superior high quality fabrics that have good appearance and feel (hand). 

Air Jet Looms 

The air jet loom, invented in Czechoslovakia and later refined by the Swiss, Dutch, and Japanese were designed to retain the tensionless aspect of the picking action of the water jet while eliminating the problems caused by the use of water. These looms use a jet of air to propel the filling yarn through the shed at rates of up to 600 ppm. Air-jet looms require uniform filling yarns. They are more suitable for use with heavier than lighter yarns because the lighter weight yarns are more difficult to control through the shed. Yet, if the yarn is too heavy, the air jet may not be able to carry the filling across the loom. Within these restraints, the air-jet loom is effective and can produce a wide variety of textile fabrics. Also, the air-jet loom operates at a lower noise level than the shuttle, missile, or rapier looms. 

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