Classification of Weaving Machines

Weaving machines can be classified in various ways. Based on the weft insertion method, they are categorized into shuttle looms and shuttleless looms.

Power loom

Shuttle loom is also called “power loom”, which uses traditional wooden or plastic shuttles to insert weft yarns. Due to the large size and heavy weight of the shuttle, its repeated back-and-forth movement causes significant machine vibration, high noise levels, increased energy consumption, low running speed, and low production efficiency.

In contrast, the fundamental feature of shuttleless loom is that the weft yarn supply is separated from the shuttle, or only a small amount of weft yarn is carried. A small and lightweight weft insertion device replaces the large and heavy shuttle, creating favorable conditions for high-speed weft insertion. For weft supply, bobbin packages are used directly, and the yarn is fed into the weft insertion mechanism through a weft storage device, eliminating the need for frequent weft replenishment.

Therefore, using shuttleless looms is highly significant for increasing fabric variety, adjusting fabric structure, reducing fabric defects, improving fabric quality, lowering noise levels, improving working conditions, and reducing energy consumption.

Rapier loom：

Rapier loom is a type of shuttleless loom that uses sword-shaped rapiers, which move back and forth to insert or grip the weft yarn and carry it through the shed.

Weft Insertion Method: The rapier loom uses reciprocating rapiers to insert or grip the weft yarn, drawing the weft from a fixed bobbin located outside the machine and guiding it through the shed.

Features: When weaving fabrics with high-twist weft yarns, the rapier loom can help prevent weft untwisting and the formation of weft shrinkage defects. Most rapier looms have highly versatile rapier heads, which can accommodate weft yarns of various materials, thicknesses, and cross-sectional shapes without the need to change the rapier head.

Fabric adaptability

Due to the excellent weft yarn gripping and low-tension weft insertion, rapier weft insertion is widely used in the weaving of natural fibers, man-made filament yarns, and terry fabrics.
With a highly capable weft color selection function, the rapier loom can easily switch between up to 8 different weft colors—and up to 16 colors at most—without affecting the loom’s operating speed. Therefore, it is well-suited for multi-color weft weaving and is widely used in the production of decorative fabrics, woolen fabrics, and yarn-dyed cotton fabrics. It meets the needs of small-batch, multi-variety production.
Double rapier loomsare suitable for producing double cloth and dual-layer fabrics. They not only offer high weft insertion rates but also produce pile fabrics with good hand feel and appearance, free from back-side defects. They are ideal for processing fabrics such as long-pile plush, cotton velvet, natural silk and rayon velvet, and carpets.
In the field of technical textiles, such as the weaving of fiberglass and other high-performance fibers for specialized industrial applications, rigid rapier looms are often used.

Air jet loom weaving machine

An air jet loom is a type of shuttleless loom that uses a jet of air to propel the weft yarn through the shed.

Weft insertion method: The air jet loom uses compressed air to carry the weft yarn across the shed.

shuttleless loom

Features: Suitable for processing a wide range of fabrics, from lightweight to heavy materials. The weft yarn can be selected from 4 to 6 different colors, and the primary raw materials are staple fibers and synthetic filament yarns.

Fabric Adaptability:

Particularly suitable for processing fine and lightweight fabrics, with clear advantages in producing low-count, high-density, solid-color fabrics.
Air jet looms offer high output. good fabric quality, and low production cost, making them ideal for the mass production of solid-color fabrics with broad demand and good economic benefits.
When using a pipeline-style air jet weft insertion system for medium-speed production of high-demand medium, some high-grade fabrics. the economic and energy-saving benefits are notable.
As air jet weft insertion is a passive insertion method. The air stream may not provide sufficient control over certain types of weft yarns, which can lead to weft insertion defects.

Water jet loom：

An water jet loom weaving machine is a type of shuttleless loom that uses a jet of water to propel the weft yarn through the shed.

Weft insertion method: The water jet loom uses water as the insertion medium. The jet stream creates frictional traction on the weft yarn, drawing it from the fixed bobbin into the shed.

water jet loom

Features: Water jet weft insertion uses a unidirectional water flow as the insertion medium, which supports high loom speeds. Among several shuttleless weft insertion looms, the water jet loom has the highest running speed, making it suitable for large-scale, high-speed, and low-cost fabric production.

Fabric Adaptability:

Commonly used for processing fabrics made from hydrophobic fibers; the finished fabrics require drying treatment.
On water jet looms, the weft yarn is propelled by a single jet stream from the nozzle. The jet velocity rapidly decreases exponentially, which limits the loom’s maximum fabric width. Therefore, water jet looms are typically used for narrow to medium-width fabrics.
They can be equipped with multi-arm shedding devices for processing fabrics with high warp density or small-pattern weaves. The weft color selection capability of water jet looms is limited, with a maximum of three nozzles used for two-color or three-color weft weaving.

Classification of Weaving Machines