Indutech to present innovations for coating & optical inspection at Techtextil

11 May '09

6 min read

The MeshInspectorCross was developed to test framed sieves. It is used, for example, by W.C. Heraeus GmbH in Hanau. There, precision sieves are used to classify soldering-paste spheres. An oversized mesh in a sieve of this kind would permit oversized pellets to enter the soldering paste, which would result in contact gaps and, therefore, defective microchips. “We quickly realised that only checking the entire surface area of the sieve could we meet the very high demands places on soldering paste”, says Thomas Krebs, Application Technology Manager at Heraeus.

“Therefore, we considered it to be very important that the system operate rapidly and fully automatically. The 'MeshInspectorCross' formed the ideal basis for this and was adapted to meet our special requirements. Because the system is used at our factory in Manila on the Philippines, it was important that it be equipped with tele-maintenance facilities so that fast help can be obtained from Germany if necessary.”

OSIF GmbH will also show a new, high-speed version of the GridInspector for checking coarse-meshed yarded goods such as interlaid scrims for reinforcement or fly screens.

EU sponsored project for material and management research
At this year's Techtextil, the Centre for Management Research of the German Institute for Textile and Fibre Research will present Avalon, a joint research project focusing on 'Nanotechnologies and knowledge-based materials (NMP)'. The project brings together 31 partners, 20 of them small to medium-sized companies. The aim of the project was to develop new hybrid textile structures for integration into shape-memory materials.

“Although shape-memory alloys (SMAs) were known to the textile sector as materials for high-tech applications, no suitable industrial processes were used in textile manufacturing”, explains Prof. Sven-Volker Rehm, the project's technical-scientific coordinator. Avalon is an integrative project with numerous partners for material and product development. In addition to materials research, however, collaborative innovation processes also need management research. “Therefore, another emphasis was on investigating concepts, methods and technologies that permit companies to form smart networks with the aim of collaborating on innovations”, says Armin Lau, scientific employee at the Centre for Management Research.

Several new ways of using SMAs in supra-sector production processes were discovered during the project. “The result is networks of companies that have developed innovative product ideas with SMAs. At present, they are working on prototypes. Additionally, new ways are now open for the management of these networks. Thus, we have developed IT-aided collaboration tools that, on the basis of various specific methods, systematically support innovation processes in interdisciplinary networks, most of which are to be found in the industrial sector. These tools and services have received numerous awards”, says Rehm. The EU-sponsored project began in March 2005 and is scheduled to run for four years and three months. Thus, Avalon will end in May 2009 and initial results be presented at Techtextil.

With yet another increase in the number of exhibitors to over 1,140, the world's most comprehensive and biggest trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens from 16 to 18 June 2009 will provide an unparalleled global and topical overview of innovative materials for markets where further growth is expected in the future. The motto of this year's fair, 'The innovation interchange', reflects the expectations of the majority of players in the sector who want to see and discover new products, to learn about the latest technology and to make new business contacts.

Techtextil 2009

More Messe Frankfurt GmbH News... More Textiles News - Germany...