US based Lawson-Hemphill Inc., an industry leading supplier of QC and lab testing instruments will be showcasing its latest equipment at the forthcoming ITMA in Barcelona. The highlight of the TMI Group company's stand will be its latest generation entanglement tester called the EST with high speed optical sensing technology introduced into the industry more than 20 years ago. 

According to the company, the proprietary technology provides accurate measurements with user friendly software that makes it fast and easy to perform high volume testing.  The EST is said to offer a unique feature of measuring and reporting the strength of entangled points at programmed steps of elongation. 

"Very high volume testing is possible because test speeds of up to 400 m/min are possible  The EST measures the draw tension, entanglements/meter, and related data each incremental step programmed," a Lawson-Hemphill spokesperson said.

"All combined, the new EST entanglement tester supplies meaningful data necessary for quality assurance for downstream fabric processing of the filament yarn.  This provides assurance the entanglements in the yarn are removed at the right levels needed in fabric formation."

HDK-DFT with Full Auto Changer

Also on show at ITMA will be the latest generation HDK-DFT with Full Auto Changer which Lawson-Hemphill introduced as a unique instrument for simultaneously measuring draw force on a yarn while kntting the yarn for dye checks. 

The HDK-DFT is used both in routine testing of POY in direct spinning applications and for remelt spinning to optimize the process conditions.  It is said to be excellent for checking new masterbatches and confirming the colour consistency with a spectrophotometer.  Lawson-Hemphill will be showing the HDK-DFT integrated with its latest generation SAK autopackage changer. 

Fiber Analysis Knitter

Lawson-Hemhill says it received major orders this year for its SAK Auto package changer integrated with the FAK (Fiber Analysis Knitter), which is widely viewed as the standard lab knitter for spun and filament yarns.  This automation combination provides a high degree of automation and integration with automatic packing systems. 

"The FAK is widely used by institutes, machinery companies, and dye houses because it provides precise and consistent fabric samples due to the proprietary tension and stitch length control.   Because of this precision and guaranteed reproducibility, it is considered reliable with spectrophotometer usage.    This saves losses since it is easier to reproduce the same colours and confirm them by accurate spectrophotometer readings," the company said.

Lawson-Hemphill will also be showing the ADF (Automatic Tensile Tester) in Barcelona, their FST (Force Shrinkage Tester), the DMT (Dynamic Modulus Tester), as well as traditional lab instruments such as friction testers, denier reels and twist testers.