LARGEST EVER MACHINE DESTINED FOR CHINA

This LCL tufting machine with FRS attachment breaks new ground for Cobble. It is the largest machine of its type to be shipped to China and will be going into production with a new customer. The 4 metre wide 1/8″ gauge machine can produce commercial or domestic carpet and was completed in a particularly tight time-schedule ready for installation and commissioning during April at the customer’s new purpose-built factory in Central China.

This latest order confirms Cobble’s growing importance as a supplier of high quality tufting machines to carpet manufacturers across the Far East and particularly in the rapidly growing Chinese market.

The company has been selling carpet machinery and ancillary equipment to customers in China for more than 40 years and has forged strong links with leading carpet manufacturers throughout the country.

Manufacturing in Blackburn, where this latest machine was made, is now complimented by local production at the Cobble Group’s own purpose-built factory in Suzhou, near Shanghai in Eastern China. As well as serving the Chinese market, this new factory will also export machines to carpet manufacturers worldwide.

DOMOTEX SUCCESS FOR COBBLE

This year’s DOMOTEX in Germany has proved to be the best ever for Cobble. A record number of enquiries was undoubtedly helped by the decision to launch three new products at the carpet industry’s major international exhibition.

‘There was considerable surprise at our level of investment in bringing new technology to the market,’ says Ian Laven, Sales and Marketing Director of the Cobble Group. ‘Launching three new products at a difficult time for the floor covering industry inevitably attracted considerable attention. Visitors were curious to discover more, not only about the products but about the thinking behind them. As far as we’re concerned, it’s quite simple. It demonstrates our commitment to the industry and to providing innovative products at this challenging time that can help manufacturers to become more efficient and effective in their business.’

AXTEQ, the new Axminster weaving system attracted interest from across the industry for its ability to cut costs, reduce waste and free-up production space. It marks an unprecedented collaboration between leading Axminster manufacturer, Brintons Carpets and Crabtree Textile Machines, a member of the Cobble Group.

The new Cut Cut machine announced at DOMOTEX, offers an exciting new potential in patterned cut pile carpet. Its patented twin hook and single clip design and unique knife angle arrangement gives it a level of simplicity and reliability that has broad appeal.

And completing the trio of new products is the MYRIAD scroll. Each yarn feed is individually controlled to produce a full spectrum of patterns from precise high definition to subtle textures and superb shadows with infinite variations in pile height. And, they can all be produced on a single machine that is ideal for broadloom carpets, carpet tiles, bathmats and rugs.

Three New Products Launch Cobble into 2011

Cobble Group companies are launching three new products at DOMOTEX 2011 that will enable manufacturers to cut the cost of carpet production and develop new business opportunities.

AXTEC

AXTEC is a totally new Axminster weaving system that cuts costs, reduces waste and frees up production space.

It marks an unprecedented collaboration between leading Axminster manufacturer, Brintons Carpets and Crabtree Textile Machines, a member of the Cobble Group. AXTEC is based on an innovative yarn selector system that will transform the way Axminster carpets are made. It has been designed and patented by Brintons and is manufactured and supplied by Crabtree.

The transformation starts at the creel with a dramatic reduction in packages. A conventional 4 metre loom could have up to 1100 packages for each colour. The AXTEC selector system reduces this to just 8. A typical commercial weave could use up to 10,000 packages and on a loom fitted with the AXTEC system this comes down to less than 100. Smaller creels free up valuable production space and offer the option of over head installation for even more space saving.

At the heart of the system is the high-speed tuft selector. Yarn of the appropriate colour is drawn from the creel, cut to length and placed in a transfer tray where it is picked up and woven into the carpet as on a conventional loom.

AXTEC can use the same materials, and achieve the same construction, qualities and pile height as a conventional loom. The difference is the dramatic reduction in packages where changing one colour can mean changing just 8 cones. Waste at winding, on the creel and at changeovers is reduced while productivity is increased.

With faster changeovers, the new system makes it possible to economically weave small quantities in high colouration. It is already in regular production at Brintons factory in Kidderminster, England and is now being made available to other manufacturers.

MYRIAD

The new MYRIAD scroll from Cobble offers the opportunity to explore new patterns and develop new products. It extends design for broadloom carpets, carpet tiles, bathmats and rugs.

Each yarn feed is individually controlled by a high precision motion controlled drive. The MYRIAD produces a full spectrum of patterns from precise high definition to subtle textures and superb shadows with infinite variations in pile height and all on a single machine.

It can be used on its own or with other patterning attachments and is available in two versions. MYRIAD Scroll 1 has single yarn control and produces full repeat or fixed repeat patterns and creates a myriad of texture, shadows and high definition colour patterns.

MYRIAD Scroll 2 has dual yarn control and has all the benefits of MYRIAD Scroll 1 with fixed repeats. It gives significant cost savings because it uses only half the yarn feeds compared with a single yarn control machine.

2 Pile Height Cut System

The 2 Pile Height Cut System, developed by Cobble, offers an exciting new potential in patterned cut pile carpet.

With its patented twin hook and single clip design and unique knife angle arrangement, the combination is one of simplicity in operation and reliability in use. Accurate control of yarn feed through Cobble’s Full-Repeat-Scroll (FRS) technology ensures reaction time of pile height switching meets that of existing cut/loop qualities with the added benefit of providing full repeat twin height cut pile patterning availability across the full machine sewing width.