AUTEFA acquires CU4Motion's 'Automatic Needle Exchanger'

With the Automatic Needle Exchanger AUTEFA Solutions will offer all customers an efficient and economic unit for exchanging needles, which should be an integrated part of every service workshop.

The device is based on the development of a consortium of companies, under the leadership of CU4MotionGmbH and was presented to the public at ITMA 2011 for the first time. It has been developed continuously since then and trimmed for industrial suitability in manufacturing enterprises.

The takeover negotiations between CU4Motion GmbH and AUTEFA Solutions have been successfully concluded in May 2013.

As service machine for Needle Looms the Automatic Needle Exchanger is an excellent complement to AUTEFA Solution’s portfolio. According to customer requirements the needling of the needle boards has to be simple, safe and effective, in order to avoid long downtimes and to extend the service life of the needle boards.

Dr. Stefan Schlichter, managing director of AUTEFA Solutions: “We are very satisfied with the cooperation with CU4Motion. With the Automatic Needle Exchanger CU4Motion has developed and built a perfect service machine. The machine is efficient and equipped with an adapted software system, so that reproducibility and safety at every needle exchange are most important.

"It was of major importance for us that the Automatic Needle Exchanger can be universally used for all practicable applications required from our customers and does not only cover inserting needles into new needle boards. It is about time that the hammer as the main tool disappears from the needle workshop.”

At Techtextil the Automatic Needle Exchanger will be presented at the booth of AUTEFA Solutions in hall 3, no. 33. Thus all interested customers have the chance to see the needling of a needle board and to judge all important functions for the use in a future oriented workshop.

The features of the Automatic Needle Exchanger are:

- Universal application for all needle boards and needles
- Use of different needle designs, needle types and needle densities even in one board.
- A gentle treatment of the needle boards enables an extension of the service life of the needle boards, as they will not be damaged any more when worn or broken needles are exchanged.
- The system is capable of detecting also damaged/broken needles as well as contaminations by fiber dust.
 Since the actual operation of exchanging needles is happening without the direct involvement of personnel and an entirely encapsulated environment the system is offering an extreme high safety level.

Roberto Rahn, one of the shareholders of CU4Motion GmbH: “After the great and positive feedback at ITMA 2011 our development team has been successfully oriented on the achievement of a high reliability and has optimized the processing speed as well as the robustness of the individual functions. As a result of these efforts we could redesign important individual processes, what has led to another patent application. In AUTEFA Solutions we have found a partner who will successfully establish the Automatic Needle Exchanger in the market.”

For AUTEFA Solutions the Automatic Needle Exchanger is a further building block in the concept of a modern tool management that focuses efficiency as well as flexibility. The innovative i-Point system for Needle Looms enables to achieve customised needle patterns with regard to technology by preventing surface markings in the nowovens.

AUTEFA