Rapier looms are a type of loom that weaves a variety of articles such as suiting, furnishing fabrics and industrial fabrics. It is able to produce a woven product in a shorter period of time, while having high efficiency and low energy consumption. The rapier loom is becoming the future of the loom industry.
A rapier loom has two hooks that carry weft picks across the warp sheet. One of the hooks is the taker hook that carries the weft to the other side of the weaving machine. In the reverse phase, the other hook is the giver hook. As the two hooks move in opposite directions, the weft is inserted into the shed of the rapier loom.
Rapier weaving machines have been designed with modern electronics and engineering walkthroughs. This ensures ease of operation and maximum reliability. The new generation of rapiers is compact, lightweight and processes a wide range of yarn types. Some of the newer features include a weft mix option, a zero twist feeder and a weft delivery option. These features have improved efficiency and reduced breakage.
New weft feeders for rapier looms provide more accurate movement than conventional rapiers. This means that the rapier insertion process is controlled at every single moment of the process. Compared to a shuttle loom that can fly through the shed, the rapier weft insertion process takes up more degrees. Besides, it is easier to change weft density than a traditional shuttle loom.
Weft feeds for rapier looms are equipped with a cannon-type stepless weft density changing device. When the weft is in the receiving position, the gripper deflects the weft thread downwards. After that, the weft is transferred to the opposite second gripper. This control allows the rapier loom to process different types of yarns without affecting the fabric quality.
Another feature of rapier looms is a quick style change system. This system makes it possible to change the harness, reed, warp beam and back rest of the rapier loom in a short period of time. Several rapier weaving machine manufacturers have developed this system. However, the system is not available on all models.
An oblique brush of a weft feeder can lead to the weft breaking. Therefore, it is recommended to use a brush that is pointing in the same direction as the weft feeder yarn twist. Loosening the top support screw of the rapier loom can also cause the cloth fell position to be unstable, resulting in a change in weft density.
Using the drop wire drawing-in technique will reduce breakage. Nevertheless, the speed of the rapier insertion process can increase the rate of weft breakage. Therefore, it is important to choose a rapier loom that has a long static time in the back center.
Some rapier looms have a weft density changing device that can be manipulated by hand. If the machine does not have a hand-operated mechanism, it should be set to a certain density to avoid color variation.
