One of the first solutions that come to mind when thinking about textile quality control is the Uster Tester, which has been improving and expanding in step with quick-moving technical advancements for 75 years and offers excellent monitoring for yarn evenness. Beginning in the early 1940s, a business with headquarters in Switzerland that is now known as Uster Technologies responded to a request from a group of spinners in Switzerland for a dependable method of evaluating the “evenness” of textile slivers, rovings, and skeins. For these spinners, Zellweger Uster, a business involved in the then-emerging field of electronics, created the first instrumental method for evenness testing.
The original tester is manually controlled and displays test findings as a line on graph paper. It is on exhibit at a museum on the top floor of the Uster Technologies headquarters. A capacitive sensor and essential electronics power this initial testing effort. The moniker “Uster Tester” first appeared in the 1970s, and it quickly gained notoriety across the textile industry. It was the starting point for stages of steady growth that took place over the following two decades.
For those early Swiss spinners, improving yarn quality for their clients while also comparing their standards to those of other manufacturers was a priority. Giving quality a numerical value was a significant innovation, and it is still reflected in the “language of quality” used today in marketing, trade, and competitive advancement.
With the publication of a brief article in the German textile magazine Melliand in 1957 that provided basic information on yarn quality from various spinners, the idea of global benchmarking advanced significantly. The Uster Tester served as the foundation for the data, and the Uster Statistics publications were born out of the need for a complete service of high-quality information.
The whole textile business now depends on this thorough compilation of precise data from worldwide. It is the foundation for purposeful fiber acquisition, yarn production, and trade, and it is now accessible as a smartphone app. The most recent version of Uster Tester works with Uster Statistics to enable a one-click verification of yarn quality and specifications in a setting where speed and user-friendliness are essential.
Measurement capabilities have increased over the last 75 years because of innovative software and carefully designed sensors. A distinctive Quality Management Platform for the entire mill has been built through connectivity with other Uster systems at every level of processing. Regardless of the advantages of its connection, the evenness tester will remain the essential laboratory testing tool in and of itself. As test conditions in the lab are more uniform than in the production halls, data may be compared over time to create a foundation for the ideal mill equipment settings and operating practices.
By shrewd collaboration with Uster yarn clearers in the winding department, it integrates laboratory testing and in-process monitoring. Now that mills can access the Uster Quality Expert and the particular “Assistant Q” guidance facility; they may benefit from “Complete Testing.” With intelligent warnings that instantaneously identify possible issue spots throughout the whole process, this results in effective and proactive process improvement. Integrating accurate lab measurement with 100% in-process monitoring guarantees that quality is consistently maintained appropriately.
Today’s spinners can examine each component of their operations and choose the finest solutions for their profitability and the total pleasure of their clients. Fiber, yarn, and fabric quality are safeguarded and optimized in a single system.
