Loom Attachment enables on-loom warp printing.

Press Release Summary:

LOOMPRINTER consists of retractable heating plate, transfer paper unwinding and rewinding system, and control panel with PLC and touch screen. Device synchronizes printing operation with weaving process and allows users to start, stop, or change printing at any time during process. Product also enables side-by-side and simultaneous weaving of 2 weave constructions of differing take-up from one warp composed of identical threads.

Original Press Release:

The LOOMPRINTER: Innovative On-Loom Warp Printing Technology from Cortex

Chicago, May 14, 2003 The French company CORTEX, a designer, developer, and producer of textile machinery, is introducing its exclusive LOOMPRINTER. This unique device is an innovative, internationally patented technology for on-loom warp printing. Used for clothing, upholstery, home decoration, ribbons, webbings, etc., it integrates warp printing and weaving of synthetic yarns (polyester, polyamide, acrylic, triacetate) in a single, simple operation: loomprinting. The LOOMPRINTER consists of a retractable heating plate, a transfer paper unwinding and rewinding system, and a control panel with PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and a touch screen. It is located, just like a knotting machine, at the loom entry and operates between the backrest roller and the eventual drop wires. The LOOMPRINTER can be used with any kind of loom, and its wheels allow it to be easily moved from one loom to another. With this high performance tool, the printing operation is perfectly synchronized with the weaving process. When weaving starts, the heating plate is lowered to come in contact with the transfer paper and presses the latter against the warp. As the warp moves forward, the paper advances under the plate at an independently adjustable speed and "kiss printing" (light contact of the warp with the paper due solely to the warp's tension) starts. The LOOMPRINTER provides total printing flexibility. The user can start, stop or change the printing at any time during the process. The warp printing process encourages "on the spot" production of products with high added value, without any additional labor or any of the drawbacks associated with traditional warp printing processes. With its special capability to adjust, at will, the transfer paper advance speed independently of the loom speed, the LOOMPRINTER demonstrates increased versatility. The original motif can thus be stretched by anamorphosis during weaving, at varying degrees, until shaded effects are obtained, with pattern repeats of up to approximately 10 feet. From a single transfer paper, the device enables pattern drawings, partial printing, Seersucker, and shaded effects to be produced and thus offers the possibility of easily creating innovative and exclusive articles. In addition to printing, using the LOOMPRINTER on a loom also enables a technical breakthrough: the side-by-side and simultaneous weaving of two weave constructions of differing take-up (e.g. satin and taffeta), from a single warp composed of identical threads. The combination of heat (contributed by the LOOMPRINTER) and thread tension (loom) allows the warp threads to be over-drawn in different ways depending on their weave construction. The differences in take-up are thus easily compensated and such a weaving, once impossible, is now easily achievable. The device is also suited for warp printing on narrow width warps, for applications such as ribbons and webbings. These unique characteristics offer the following advantages: creativity, very high reactivity to any rush orders or to any production plan changes, stock elimination, increased productivity, reduced printing costs, and better quality. Thanks to the LOOMPRINTER, producing varied, traditional or exclusive articles intended as samples or production items becomes an easy reality. It is the perfect response to the textile industry's current needs of greater productivity, flexibility, and creativity. CORTEX is seeking business contacts in both the United States and Canada. For further information, please contact: Mr. Gene VALENTA JERRY VALENTA & SONS 1083 Goffle Road Hawthorne, NJ 07506 Tel.: (973) 423-2220 Fax: (973) 423-9590 E-mail: info@jerryvalentainc.com Web: www.cortex.fr or FRENCH TECHNOLOGY PRESS OFFICE One East Wacker Drive, Suite 3740 Chicago, IL 60601 Tel: (312) 222-1235 Fax: (312) 222-1237 E-mail: contact.ftpo@ubifrance.com