The Scottish tweed manufacturer Harris Tweed Hebrides refines 100% hand-woven woollen fabrics and is a world leader in British luxury fabrics with its extensive, high-quality product range.The company was looking for a new weft straightening system that, unlike the pin-wheel system previously used, would not damage the wool. The focus was on precise correction of the weft yarn without the use of pin wheels in order to produce high-quality fabrics without distortion and automatic adjustment to a wide range of fabrics and the variations that occur in hand-woven fabrics. The system also needed to be simple and intuitive to operate. Pleva, manufacturer of sensors, measuring and control technology, fulfils precisely these requirements with the “SL smart” weft straightener and the unique traversing camera technology.

Complete satisfaction

The user-friendly, self-explanatory interface shows all important information at a glance. This makes it possible to work with maximum efficiency and respond to the complex portfolio with the integrated recipe management for sophisticated levelling. The traversing camera enables many measuring points across the fabric width and thus ensures the most accurate levelling. This, in combination with the fast reaction time of the rollers, ensures the best levelling results. In addition, the machine concept is adapted to even the toughest working conditions and optimised for easy cleaning and low maintenance. David Stewart, Harris Tweed Hebrides Ltd, is very satisfied with the system and explains: “The SL Smart weft leveller works extremely well with our articles. The traversing camera is extremely accurate and automatically adjusts to different fabrics. The bow and diagonal straightening rollers correct the weft yarn exactly without damaging the fabric. It requires very little operator intervention and minimal maintenance, resulting in increased productive times. With the additional touch screen control panel, the operator can see the current weft position in real time and ensure that the fabric is within the accepted parameters. The support from the Pleva team is excellent.”

Saving resources and costs

In addition to these advantages, a positive ecological effect is also achieved: thanks to the first-time-right principle, only one pass through the production line with the fabric is required to directly achieve the desired result. This saves energy and valuable resources. In addition, the higher quality of the fabric eliminates the need for costly readjustments or waste, and complaints can be drastically reduced. This is not only good for textile finishing companies and customers, but also for the environment.