#Spinning

2020-06-25

New projects in China and Taiwan for Loepfe' s Weftmaster FALCON-I

Printed circuit boards, or PCBs, are used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. Used in quantities of millions, in 2018 the Global Single Sided Printed Circuit Board Market Analysis Report estimated that the PCB market would reach USD 79 billion by 2024.

Weftmaster Falcon-I

PCBs are generally made of various layers of materials, which are bonded together by heat, pressure and other methods. Its basis, the so-called substrate, is commonly made of glass epoxy, also known as fiber reinforced plastic. In order to ensure and achieve an efficient and smooth PCB manufacturing process, a top quality and flawlessly woven glass fabric is the key to minimized rejection costs and ultimate quality assurance.

A fully integrated PCB manufacturer can control the entire manufacturing process. One of the world’s largest manufacturer of such boards and other technical glass fabrics, operating several plants in China and Taiwan, occasionally experienced tiniest unevenness on the surface of its PCB boards. Particular defects originated from exactly that woven glass fabric, eventually caused by minute filamentation of the yarn and slightest fluff accumulation during the weaving process. By using FALCON-i optical sensors to monitor the weft insertion during the weaving process, such tiny yet costly defects could easily and reliably be eliminated.

In order to detect even the tiniest yarn irregularities FALCON-i offers extensive sensitivity levels, allowing customers to fine-tune the ratio of machine stoppages caused by necessary quality control stops. Any manufacturer of demanding technical fabrics and composite textiles used in applications such as PCB manufacturing, automotive, architecture, filtration, aeronautics, medical and carbon industry can highly benefit from this type of versatile quality monitoring sensor. The implementation of FALCON-i optical yarn defect sensors in the quality control of any running yarn throughout the manufacturing process of fabrics is simple and easy.

FALCON-i’s unique flexibility to select the level of quality control enables technical fabrics manufacturers to respond quickly and flexibly to market trends, demand and developments.

Loepfe is looking forward to manufacturers with similar problems contacting them. "Whatever your challenge, we’re waiting, ready to accept it!", a Loepfe speaker said.

A tradition of innovation celebrated at ITMA 2025 in Singapore

For 70 years, Loepfe has embodied precision, technological excellence, and uncompromising quality. Join us as we proudly celebrate seven decades of innovation at ITMA 2025 in Singapore. Founded in 1955 by two visionary brothers, Helmut and Erich Loepfe, the company has been a pioneer in yarn quality control – continuously pushing technological boundaries to meet and exceed industry expectations.

Leadership transition at Loepfe

Loepfe Brothers Ltd. has embarked on a new chapter with the appointment of Markus Kleindorp as the new CEO, ushering in a fresh era of leadership. Former CEO Ralph Mennicke's departure prompts restructuring, including the addition of Gregor Stalder as CFO. With this seasoned team, Loepfe aims to maintain its excellence in the textile industry.

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.

Object Carpet tests production of rPET BCF yarn on Neumag BCF line

In a joint project with Object Carpet GmbH, Denkendorf; the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA), Augsburg; and Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen GmbH (NGR), Feldkirchen, Austria, Barmag investigated the processing of recycled polyester for BCF yarn. The goal was to evaluate the fundamental suitability of 100% recycled carpet material for reuse in carpet yarn production to create a closed-loop system in carpet manufacturing. To date, commercial rPET BCF processes have been based solely on rPET from bottle pellets.

New spinning package with two-step filtration for recycled yarns and more

At the ITM in Istanbul, BB Engineering unveiled its new, patented ValuePack spinning package for the first time, which features a two-stage filtration system. This is particularly beneficial for re-cycling processes. Until now, spinning packs have used either metal powder (“sand”) or filter candles as filter media. Both options are suitable for differ-ent applications, and each has its own specific advantages and dis-advantages.

GenuTrace client advisory: Is your cotton supply chain UFLPA ready?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released updated operational guidance (CBP Publication No. 5560-0526) expanding its forced labor enforcement framework. The guidance supersedes the original 2022 UFLPA Operational Guidance and now covers all forced labor enforcement authorities — UFLPA, CAATSA, and WROs/Findings — in a single unified document. For cotton importers, the enforcement posture has not softened. It has become more structured, more documented, and more demanding. Learn more about UFLPA.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.

Commission clarifies rules on plastic bottles recycling

The European Commission today adopted new rules on recycling of single-use plastic beverage bottles made primarily of polyethylene terephthalate (PET bottles). These rules establish, for the first time, a methodology to calculate, verify and report chemically recycled content. This is part of the Commission’s December 2025 plastics package.