CHAPTER THREE

RAPIER LOOMS

It inserts weft yarn positively in to the shed by driven

rapier heads attached to rapiers
 Rapier ..

• A rapier loom uses a rapier to pull the weft yarn across the
loom.
• It can be a single rapier or double rapier.
• For a single rapier, a long rapier device is required to extend
across the full width of warp.
• For a double rapier loom, two rapiers enter the shed from
opposite sides of the loom and transfer the weft from one
rapier head to the other near the centre of the loom
• The advantage of two rapier system is only 50% of the rapier
movement is utilized in the weft insertion of single rapier
loom
 Salient features of rapier looms
1. Weft carrier : Rapier (Single, Double, Flexible or Rigid)
2. Manufacturers : Somet, Vamatex, Sulzer Ruti, Nuovo Pignone
Dornier etc.
3. Available widths : 165-420cm (Somet)
160-380cm (Vamatex)
120-280cm (Sulzer Ruti)
220-420cm (Nuovo Pignone)
150-400cm (Dornier)
4. Speeds : 325 – 550 rpm maximum
5. Weft insertion rates : 1000-1300 mpm
6. Types of weft transfer in double rapier
i. Loop transfer – Gabler System
ii. Tip transfer – Dewas System
 Conti…
7. Weft selection : Upto 8 colours
8. Shedding : Matched cam or positive dobby shedding
9. Beat-up : Link beat up mechanism is usually employed.
10. Warp stop : Positive Electrical
12. Weft stop : Electronic sensors
13. Weft package : Cone / cheese kept on one side in
creels. Picking is from the package side of the machine.
14. Rapier guides are used to guide the rapier across the
loom.
 Additional advantages
(1)The production is 40% higher than the conventional automatic
bobbin-changing loom.
(2)It results in economies in labour and cost, by eliminating pirn
winding and battery filling.
(3)It increases weaver's productivity by 40% and the work load of
the supervisory staff is reduced to half.
(4)It has reduced maintenance cost by 70%
(5)The use of large weaver's beams and cloth rolls reduces
handling of material and also reduces production of waste.
(6)The power consumption is low and the loom operates with a
reduction in noise level.
(7)It can weave light and medium weight cotton fabrics at 226
picks per minute
 Classification of rapier machine

Therapier machine can be classified based on

Number of rapier
i.Single sided rapier
ii.Double sided rapier
Methods of weft insertion
i.Gabler system(loop transfer)
ii.Dewas syatem(tip transfer)
Types of rapier used
i.Flexible rapier
ii.Rigid rapier
iii.Telescopic
 Flexible Rapier System
• Rapier heads are propelled by
flexible rapier tapes of coated
with steel or plastics reinforced
with carbon fiber.

It can be classified as free travel and constrained in rapier guide.

Long flexible blades or tape tends to buckle when violently
accelerated from rare, so that lateral guides or restraints are needed
to prevent the problem.
•If the distance between the guides is higher, the rapier will buckle
•If the distance between the guides is too small, the warp will be
affected
Using double rapier system rather than one reduces the
acceleration needed which in turn reduces the buckling at a given
loom speed
Conti..
 Flexible rapiers…
• Advantages:
• Less floor space requirement, spatial productivity is higher.
• Flexible rapier band are wound on wheels or placed in n semi-
circular channels when they are withdrawn outside the shed,
and the result is wide working widths up to 5 m.
• Disadvantages:
• The warp threads should not be damaged by the ribbed
guides.
• Guiding system may lead to the end breakages due to knot
failure.
• Using fancy yarns in warp direction is almost impossible.
 Rigid Rapier System

•The rapiers are made of rigid tubes of steel

alloys or plastics reinforced with carbon fibers
eliminates entirely the need to assist the rapier
head through the warp sheet
•It requires larger floor space i.e. the space
required by the loom must be at least double
that of the reed space to allow the rapier to be
withdrawn from the shed
Rigid Rapier
 Telescopic rapiers
 The disadvantage of the large floor space requirements of rigid
rapiers is removed on weaving machines equipped with telescopic
rapiers.
 Space can be saved on this type of rapier drive if a compound rapier
operating on the principle of telescopic expansion is used.
 This system is used on the Vamatex Versamat loom.
 The main outer body of the rapier is driven by the eccentric, but the
inner body is fastened to a tape at its outer end. The tape is attached
to a fixed point on the loom, and it passes round four pulleys.
 When the rapier is out of the shed, the inner rapier is withdrawn
inside the outer rapier but, as the outer rapier is driven towards the
center of the loom, the tape slides round the rollers so that the inner
rapier moves in the same direction at an even faster rate
 Telescopic rapier

Consists of inner and outer components telescoped together.

During rapier insertion, the outer component moves towards the shed and simultaneously
the inner component are also fully extended or else the components are retracted
together.
•High space requirement of rigid rapier is almost eliminated
Limitations
Increased wear and tear of telecopic components due their extension and retraction
 Types of weft transfer in a double rapier :

i. Loop transfer(Gabler system)

 This type of system involves the transfer of weft in a double rapier system in the
form of a loop.
 Two rapier enters the shed from opposite ends and the weft is transferred from one
to the other when they meet. In the loop transfer, the weft is inserted in the form of
a loop up to the time straightened out during rapier withdrawal from the shed as
shown in the schematic diagram.
ii. Tip transfer(Dewas sytem)
This is another type of weft transfer which is carried out in double rapier systems.
Here, the tip of the weft is directly transferred from one rapier to the other, when
they meet in the center of the shed.
With this system yarn clamps are required in the heads of both the rapiers.
In another system, the yarn clamp itself is transferred from one rapier head to the
other.
 But this system is not popular because of the demerits involved which required the
clamp to be returned back to picking position
Dewas system of weft transfer:
Gabler system(positive )
 The rapiers

1. Right hand gripper head

2. Left hand gripper head
3. Yarn clip
4. Tongue
5. Rapier tape

The left-hand and right-hand rapiers are all-purpose rapiers.

 Gripper head 1,2 is bolted on to rapier tape 5, made of carbon fiber reinforced
plastic.
In the initial position, yarn clamp 3 of the left-hand rapier is opened and cleaned
by the suction device.
Tongue 4 in the right-hand rapier remains open before and after reed beat-up .
Rapier drive

1. Drive gear
2. Stroke crank arm
3. Crosshead with transmission lever
4. Transmission toothed segment
5. Driving gear wheel
6. Intermediate gearwheel
7. Tape wheel shaft
8. Guide strap
9. Tape wheel
10. Rapier tape
 Conti..

 Drive gear 1 rotates at the speed of the weaving machine.

Adjustable stroke crank arm 2 is flanged on to it.
 The stroke is increased by moving the crank arm out of centre.
 The circular motion of this stroke crank arm is transmitted to
transmission lever 3 and the crosshead.
 An oscillating motion results on toothed segment 4, and is
transmitted to tape wheel shaft 7 by driving gear wheel 5 and
intermediate gearwheel 6.
 The crank arm must be adjusted according to the weaving
width.
 Guide strap 8 presses rapier tape 10 on to tape wheel 9, thus
ensuring smooth rapier action.
  Single Rapier
Rigid
a great deal of wasted movement
slow operation
no need to transfer the weft yarn at the center of the loom
  Double Rapiers
 They may be rigid or flexible.
 Two rapiers enter the shed from the opposite sides and meet at the
center.
 The double rapier weaving machines are subdivided into:
 One-sided weft insertion. Giver and taker
 Double-sided weft insertion. Each rapier acts alternately as the giver and
the taker.
Take up

1. Spreading roller
2. Take-up roller
3. Press rollers
4. Roller for crease free
wind up
5. Cloth take-up motor
 Conti..

 The cloth is led over spreading roller 1 to take-up roller 2. Press

roller 3 prevents the cloth from slipping. Spreading roller 4, which is
located immediately before the cloth wind-up, prevents creasing.
 The cloth transport operates on the principle of the number of
picks per cm or inch.
 Take-up is positive and continuous, by a specific amount per pick.
 The required weft density is entered at the terminal, and cloth take-
up motor 5 selects its infinitely variable speed on the basis of this
input.
 A cloth fell correction programmed at the terminal is also
performed by the cloth take-up motor.
Let-off:

1. Warp beam
2. Clamping bar
3. Warp let-off gear
 Conti..
• The power warp let-off covers a pick count range from 6 to 200
picks/cm.
• It can be programmed for two different weft densities.
• The warp tension is kept constant to a given set point.
• The configuration of warp let-off gear 3 depends on the
required number of picks per cm, the warp beam flange
diameter and weaving machine speed.
• The link with the warp let-off gear is disconnected by releasing
clamping bar 2 on the warp beam adapter, whereupon warp
beam 1 can be turned manually.
• For borders with higher weft density the warp
let-off slows down in synchronism with the cloth take-up. A
different warp tension in the border is also possible
Color control

1. Weft finger
2. Magnet
3. Tongue
4. Carriage
 Conti..
 The pick sequence is determined by the fabric style, and is
controlled electronically.
 The required pick sequence is stored in the terminal. During
pick finding the colour control is synchronized electronically, so
that the weave and the weft colour always correspond.
 Magnet 2 of the required weft yarn is activated, thus drawing
tongue 3 to the magnet in the read-in position of carriage 4.
 The carriage pushes the tongue forward and weft finger 1 lowers
the weft thread into the zone of the left-hand gripper.
 If the same weft yarn is inserted several times in succession, the
weft finger remains in the insertion position .