00:00:00 But how the fig leaf, the dress of our modern Eve, is symbolic of a progressive textile

00:00:11 industry, producing many kinds of fabric.

00:00:15 Fabric like the gos[amer] lacework of this evening gown.

00:00:18 Tough fabrics for the big industrial markets.

00:00:23 Fabrics for volume sales to the cutting markets.

00:00:28 And fabrics for the great retail markets, where they meet the critical eye of another

00:00:32 modern Eve, who picks and chooses to get the best quality at the lowest price.

00:00:38 To keep her buying is the problem of the millman.

00:00:42 His is a problem of high quality production at lowest possible cost.

00:00:46 Today, the textile industry is attacking this problem with scientific modernization of mill,

00:00:52 materials, and machinery.

00:00:57 This modernization begins with the production of raw fiber, and continues throughout all

00:01:02 textile production, in the transportation of materials, in the embossing of rayon, in

00:01:14 the dozens of production steps that lead to the finished product.

00:01:22 This is a report to you, the textile industry, on how textile mills are modernizing.

00:01:29 The report deals with the chief trends and processing techniques, illustrated by the

00:01:34 latest equipment in America's mills and laboratories.

00:01:38 Let's look into them, one at a time, to see what they have to offer each mill man in the

00:01:43 production of today's textiles.

00:01:46 First, the clearly marked trend to modern mill conditioning, putting the mill itself

00:01:54 into condition for maximum production at minimum unit cost.

00:02:00 Proper mill conditioning means, first, air conditioning, for the control of humidity

00:02:05 and temperature, and for purification of air in the mill.

00:02:11 In installations such as an opening room of a cotton mill, cleaning the air of lint,

00:02:16 fumes, and dust will mean improved working conditions.

00:02:22 With good air conditioning, combs turn out better tops, and cleaner yarn without streaks.

00:02:29 The drawing of fibers is smoother and more compact, and a cleaner sliver is delivered.

00:02:36 Air conditioning avoids daily spinning losses and reduces the number of ends down.

00:02:42 Yarn winding is smoother and there's less chafing.

00:02:46 Automatically controlled humidity means more pliable yarn, less static, and more pounds per day.

00:02:53 In the weave shed, cleaned air reduces downtime by removing much of the dirt that collects

00:02:59 in and around the loom, and off-quality dark shades and seconds can be eliminated in finished products.

00:03:06 But the biggest payoff of all comes because personnel feel better about their work.

00:03:11 There's no mill room fever here, and morale is high.

00:03:17 Modern mill conditioning also requires a new science, the science of industrial lighting.

00:03:23 Engineered light conditioning throughout the mill means bright, pleasant surroundings.

00:03:28 It provides an even distribution of light without sharp shadows or disturbing glare.

00:03:34 With correct illumination, there's less waste and working conditions are safer.

00:03:40 In certain types of very fine work, special illumination makes the spotting of defects quicker.

00:03:46 And again, because better seeing means better doing, good light conditioning has a lot to

00:03:51 do with employee welfare and contentment.

00:03:56 Modern mill conditioning eliminates a lot of the strong-arm technique of pushing and shuffling, too.

00:04:03 Modern materials handling in the mill means newer, mechanized methods.

00:04:08 Tiering with electric lift trucks puts to use the upper levels of storage space that

00:04:12 formerly were wasted, and it frees extra floor space for greater storage capacity.

00:04:20 Modern mill transportation smooths and speeds production flow.

00:04:24 The strong-arm method is replaced by electrical and mechanical muscle power.

00:04:31 Modern materials handling has increased production by speeding up handling of the lap in this mill.

00:04:37 An overhead conveyor system carries laps from the picker to the card room, keeping each

00:04:42 card supplied with a new lap as soon as the machine is empty.

00:04:48 In the dye room of another mill, an electrically controlled hoist speeds up the handling of

00:04:53 warp beams before dyeing.

00:04:57 After dyeing, the beam is raised by the hoist.

00:05:01 Then it's conveyed to the drying stand.

00:05:07 A new electrically controlled blending line feeder system is one of many up-to-date methods

00:05:12 of handling stock.

00:05:15 This overhead conveyor and storage system makes continuous processing possible by keeping

00:05:20 a number of machines automatically and constantly supplied with fiber stock.

00:05:25 An excellent example of mill conditioning through modernized materials handling.

00:05:32 And finally, mill conditioning means modern electric power distribution.

00:05:37 Highly dependable electric power is generated at the powerhouse and then carried over transmission

00:05:43 lines to the mill.

00:05:46 Alert mill men are turning to modern unit substations for reliable, low-cost distribution

00:05:51 of mill power.

00:05:54 The unit substation, shown here in scale model, is a new self-contained package for carrying

00:06:01 power to centralized industrial control units for your production equipment.

00:06:07 Modern indoor control centers save floor space, maintenance is less, and it's flexible for

00:06:14 easy expansion later on.

00:06:17 Where low voltage power is supplied, up-to-date switchgear with draw-out circuit breakers

00:06:22 and adequate interrupting capacity protects both equipment and personnel, lessens stops

00:06:28 in production due to blowups.

00:06:32 Capacitors too will help you to increase the capacity of the lines in your mill.

00:06:38 The expert advice of your power supplier may mean real savings through the use of modern

00:06:43 power distribution equipment.

00:06:46 Thus, mill conditioning includes air conditioning, modern lighting, up-to-date materials handling,

00:06:58 and better electric power distribution.

00:07:02 Four basic steps in conditioning your entire mill for lower unit cost production.

00:07:09 Power at the point of use is the second big trend in mill modernization.

00:07:16 On cards, for example, this means that you can apply electric motors where they will

00:07:20 do the most good, right at the machine itself.

00:07:24 Compared with the old line shaft drive, individual motor drive is cleaner and more flexible.

00:07:31 There is no jungle of belts to maintain.

00:07:35 Starting is easier.

00:07:37 Speed is more uniform, and of course working conditions are safe.

00:07:43 With individual drive, machines such as these knitters can be arranged to save floor area,

00:07:49 and the machines turn out a product that's a lot cleaner.

00:07:53 Power at the point of use is also illustrated by this winder.

00:07:57 By replacing a single motor with two motors, yarn tension became more uniform and winder

00:08:03 speed was increased.

00:08:06 Result?

00:08:07 Output went up more than a third.

00:08:10 Here's a rayon spinning frame powered by individual motors.

00:08:14 Each bucket spinner has its own motor.

00:08:17 The rotor shaft of the motor is the spindle.

00:08:22 Another motor operates the godets and the pumps.

00:08:25 Still another operates the traverse motion.

00:08:30 The result is efficient machine operation and high production of uniform yarn, even

00:08:35 when there's some unbalance in the cake.

00:08:40 One promising example of the trend to power at point of use is the two-for-one twister

00:08:46 shown here in the laboratory of the manufacturer.

00:08:49 This twister will apply two turns of twist for ever, and at the same time will increase

00:08:54 spindle speed about 20%.

00:08:57 An increase in yarn output of 140% is possible.

00:09:02 An individual motor will be used on each spindle.

00:09:05 By slowing down the usual 14,000 RPM speed of the motor, we can see the double twist

00:09:12 to each single revolution of the motor and the spindle shaft.

00:09:17 The speed of all spindles will be electrically synchronized.

00:09:21 This tensometer shows how closely tension and twist are automatically controlled within

00:09:26 the machine.

00:09:28 So the two-for-one twister is a modern example of new mechanical design coordinated with

00:09:34 the electric motors right where they're needed, power at the point of use.

00:09:41 Higher control speeds is another production and processing trend that affects almost all

00:09:46 phases of the industry.

00:09:50 In spinning, higher control speeds are being achieved by a pilot installation of an adjustable

00:09:56 speed drive for spinning frames.

00:09:59 Although final details of this drive are still in the developmental stage, there is encouraging

00:10:04 evidence that spinning frames will be able to turn out more yarn than ever before.

00:10:10 With a constant speed motor, yarn tension varies, of course, limiting the speed of spinning.

00:10:17 But with the new adjustable speed control, note how tension is constantly kept at its

00:10:22 ideal maximum, and the machine always runs at the maximum safe speed for each phase of

00:10:28 the spinning operation.

00:10:32 With this device, spinning frames already in service can deliver more yarn per day at

00:10:37 less cost.

00:10:41 Here's a full-fashioned hosiery knitter that illustrates the trend to higher control speeds.

00:10:47 An electronic brain automatically regulates more than a hundred successive speed changes

00:10:53 during the 45-minute knitting cycle, and it controls these speed changes so closely that

00:10:58 there's no hunting or overshooting, and no bothersome gallop.

00:11:04 At every stage, the fastest safe speed is provided, and the finished product is very,

00:11:10 very well made.

00:11:11 The product, that is.

00:11:15 Another kind of knitting machine, a circular knitter, also is controlled electronically.

00:11:21 A push of a button at the start of the shift, and the nylon stocking knitter automatically

00:11:26 makes the welt with reinforcing yarns, knits the sheer leg, reinforces the heel with extra

00:11:36 yarns, then the foot, and the toe.

00:11:44 A complete seam-free stocking in 17 minutes.

00:11:49 And this goes on all day long, automatically.

00:11:53 The operator simply comes around to collect the stockings and replace the yarn packages.

00:11:59 A new warper drive is another example of the trend to higher control speeds.

00:12:05 This drive will handle yarns of any fiber or filament, no matter how delicate they are,

00:12:10 because speed is controlled electronically.

00:12:13 Yarn tension is uniform, for yarn speed is kept constant within one-half of one percent

00:12:19 throughout the doff, as the beam diameter increases.

00:12:25 Yarn breaks are headaches in any man's mill.

00:12:28 Constant tension reduces them, so there aren't so many stoppages.

00:12:34 Slasher drive can now be accurately controlled through the use of amplidyne generators and

00:12:41 a slasher control panel.

00:12:44 The day of depending on the old feel and guesswork is long gone.

00:12:51 Automatic control of both tension and moisture means that the slasher can supply the weave

00:12:55 shed with beams of even density, wound with more uniform, stronger warps, warps with exactly

00:13:02 the right moisture content.

00:13:06 Here's another example of higher control speeds.

00:13:10 This fully automatic machine winds the standard six-inch traverse on cones and tubes at a

00:13:15 rate of 900 to 1,000 bobbins an hour, and the machine needs only one operator.

00:13:23 The portable warp-tying machine does its job in a third of the time required by hand twisting

00:13:28 in and an eighth of the time required by hand drawing in.

00:13:33 It will tie warps for similar patterns but different colors just as easily as it will

00:13:38 tie identical patterns.

00:13:41 The machine works directly behind the loom, so there's no need for removing, transporting,

00:13:46 and resetting your weaving element, and loom downtime is cut.

00:13:51 In a few minutes, you're ready for the next loom.

00:13:55 In rug weaving, electronic drive on an Axminster loom permits properly controlled speeds.

00:14:01 The wides can operate at its highest control speed when in production.

00:14:07 Electronic drive means controlled acceleration and deceleration.

00:14:11 The result, better rugs and more of them.

00:14:14 The need for higher control speeds brought about the development of this cotton loom

00:14:19 that runs 24% faster than the older one it replaced, but turns out 40% more cloth.

00:14:27 This jump in production isn't due entirely to the jump in speed.

00:14:31 The loom has larger diameter beam heads, it uses a bigger filling package, and you can

00:14:37 count on it for long, steady service.

00:14:41 This loom is equipped with an individual drive motor.

00:14:44 Few completely enclosed loom drive motors are smaller, but they deliver the same amount

00:14:49 of power.

00:14:51 Motors of this type include this one with a built-in flywheel, shown here with the cover

00:14:58 removed.

00:14:59 These motors may be equipped with a synthetically insulated cable that prevents shorts, fire,

00:15:05 and production delay.

00:15:08 A significant development of the trend to higher production speeds is this new weaving

00:15:14 It uses individual picks in the filling instead of the usual continuous filling.

00:15:19 No bobbin winding here, very little wear on the warp, and you get uniform filling tension.

00:15:26 A modern example of higher controlled speeds.

00:15:32 Finer quality control is another important trend in today's textile making methods.

00:15:38 For better quality sliver, less fly, and an improved product, there's the vacuum card

00:15:44 stripper.

00:15:46 In this device, there's no brush to touch the clothing.

00:15:49 The vacuum stripper has cut direct stripping costs and at the same time boosted output.

00:15:56 The modern pin drafter includes even the very shortest fibers.

00:16:00 As it levels out and reduces the fibers, it will hold the uniformity of this thirties

00:16:05 yarn closely to half a count.

00:16:08 This finer control of quality can result in a saving of as much as thirty-five percent

00:16:13 in the final cost of the product.

00:16:16 The machine is used here for worsted yarns, but it will also handle synthetics or blends.

00:16:23 In knitting, finer quality control requires correct tension as the yarn is fed from the

00:16:28 beam.

00:16:29 A new electronic beam let off control for Trico knitters has been developed to regulate

00:16:35 warp tension.

00:16:37 This control permits tension in both hand operation and running operation.

00:16:42 In this application, electricity does its work by feeling, while in the weft straightener,

00:16:48 it does its work by seeing.

00:16:51 The photoelectric eye just takes a steady look at the cloth going through the tenter.

00:16:56 When it sees skew, it sets it true, and it will do this even when the tenter is operating

00:17:01 at top speed.

00:17:03 By eliminating skew, it cuts down inspection time later on, and it makes possible more

00:17:09 accurate cutting and making up.

00:17:12 It takes over for the operator's eyes and nerves.

00:17:15 And best of all, automatic electric weft straightening adds value to the product.

00:17:22 Finer quality control in inspection is also possible by using stroboscopic lights.

00:17:28 There's a lot of wear and tear on eyes when trying to inspect speeding cloth.

00:17:33 With stroboscopic lights, the weave appears to stand still, and inspection is easy and

00:17:38 accurate.

00:17:40 This equipment, used here on a tenter, can be used for finer quality control of printed

00:17:45 pattern material and in several other ways.

00:17:50 A modern batcher drive, all electrically controlled, keeps tension uniform during beam winding

00:17:57 operations.

00:17:58 By keeping correct cloth tension, this drive prevents crushing of the inner layers of cloth

00:18:03 during the winding, promotes smooth roll ends, safeguards the texture, and finish.

00:18:12 This new die jig illustrates the trend to finer quality control.

00:18:17 Consistent unvarying die work depends on consistent unvarying tension in the cloth.

00:18:23 On this machine, tension is closely controlled electrically.

00:18:29 Then to check die and fabric colors and check them accurately and scientifically, there's

00:18:34 the spectrophotometer.

00:18:37 This instrument can detect and record more than two million different colors.

00:18:41 It measures colors mathematically, and it does the job right the first time.

00:18:47 The spectrophotometer enables the mill to produce uniform colors in succeeding batches

00:18:52 and repeat orders, so there aren't likely to be complaints from customers.

00:18:57 It permits exact matching to international color standards, and the answer is always

00:19:02 graphically recorded.

00:19:05 Still another instrument for finer quality control is the electronic tensile tester.

00:19:11 By compensating for instrument and cloth characteristics, it gives a smooth test at a constant rate

00:19:17 of stress, so it's really accurate.

00:19:20 This accuracy is made possible by applying automatic electronic control to the pendulum-type

00:19:26 tensile tester.

00:19:29 For finer quality control of either fiber or roving, an air orifice system of measurement

00:19:35 is proving successful.

00:19:37 Here is this instrument in a laboratory, measuring by air pressure the thickness or thinness

00:19:42 of a section of cotton roving.

00:19:45 Finer quality control here, as in many other processes, helps the mill produce better textiles.

00:19:54 Another trend, the trend to new processing methods, is getting a lot of attention from

00:19:59 progressive millmen.

00:20:02 For example, there's the new technique of infrared radiant heating.

00:20:07 Infrared lamps are already doing a multitude of processing jobs, setting starches, drying

00:20:14 crayons, pre-dyeing fabrics, drying impregnations, dehydration and sanforizing, drying thread

00:20:26 after slashing, carbonizing wool, drying printed cloth, curing dyes.

00:20:36 A different type of heating, dielectric heating, is shown here in a twist-setting operation.

00:20:43 No kinks allowed in these tire cords.

00:20:46 Carefully controlled dielectric heat assures a smooth, uniform twist.

00:20:53 This fast, modern method heats clear through from the inside out.

00:20:57 Note too that no special heating cans are needed.

00:21:01 You simply heat through the final wrapping and the package comes out ready for shipment.

00:21:06 And this is only one of several practical applications of dielectric heating.

00:21:12 Radiant fabrics illustrate this trend to new processing methods.

00:21:17 For example, this material is made by blending cotton and rayon fibers, then bonding instead

00:21:23 of weaving them.

00:21:26 Then there's an entirely new and different process of making pile fabrics of great density

00:21:31 and with long wearing qualities.

00:21:35 With this method, flock is propelled electrically onto cloth backing that has been coated with

00:21:40 adhesive.

00:21:41 The fibers hit the backing squarely and stick, forming a thick, durable pile.

00:21:47 Plain pile fabric for shoes can be made by this process.

00:21:52 So can embroidery material, automobile rugs, and fabrics for other applications.

00:21:59 From the trend to new processing methods, let's turn to the final chapter in this report.

00:22:04 Continuous processing, one of the most important production and processing trends in the textile

00:22:09 industry.

00:22:13 Range operation, continuous processing with two or more machines operating in tandem as

00:22:18 a common length of fabric moves through them without interruption.

00:22:23 The basis of efficient range operation is the electrical system of coordinating the

00:22:28 relative speeds of individually powered units.

00:22:32 The range will accelerate quickly.

00:22:34 It will decelerate smoothly.

00:22:37 And run steadily with just the right fabric tension, automatically maintained at each

00:22:42 individual unit.

00:22:45 The electric drive will provide speeds as fast as processing techniques will allow.

00:22:51 A compensating gate is one of the most commonly used control devices for the coordination

00:22:56 of range speed and fabric tension.

00:23:00 Another type of automatic control uses the photoelectric eye to scan a loop in the fabric.

00:23:06 Or so-called soft motors can be used where the warp of the fabric is strong enough itself

00:23:12 to act as a control belt and thus slow down or speed up the motors for correct tension.

00:23:19 This is the principle of electrically coordinated adjustable speed range drive.

00:23:25 Continuous processing for bleaching, washing, dyeing and soaping, printing, and plain finishing.

00:23:33 In actual range operation, each length of fabric receives identical treatment.

00:23:39 So uniformly higher quality of product is assured.

00:23:43 The handling of material between machine units is done away with.

00:23:47 And in between losses are reduced.

00:23:51 Continuous processing cuts down power and maintenance costs.

00:23:55 And production is increased.

00:23:59 More goods from the mills of America.

00:24:03 Mills who are following these progressive production trends to tomorrow's textiles.

00:24:08 Mill conditioning for maximum overall mill production.

00:24:12 Power at the point of use, putting electric motors right where they're needed to increase

00:24:17 machine production.

00:24:19 Higher control speeds to closely coordinate each step in fabric making.

00:24:24 Finer quality control to meet the growing demand for better textiles.

00:24:29 New processing methods to help solve old problems and create new markets.

00:24:34 And continuous processing, the modern textile technique of mass production by range driven

00:24:40 equipment.

00:24:43 These are the trends to the future, illustrated by some of the machinery and electrical equipment

00:24:50 that will lower the cost and increase the production of textiles.

00:24:54 In America and throughout the nations of the world.

00:24:59 Textiles, unlimited.