The Yaskawa drives were selected for their exceptional starting torque which provides the smooth acceleration ramps required to ensure the wire is not stressed on start-up. The same drive also has an excellent soft stopping capability enabling rapid stops to be made in less than 0.5 seconds. This has productivity benefits as well as ensuring the machine runs smoothly and fault free. On machine set-up, the Yaskawa VS Mini V7�s jog function is used to slowly increment the knitting machine at 5Hz to allow the machine to be threaded. Knitting head speeds vary dependant on the machine up to 2,000 reverses per minute to almost zero speed, depending on the material used and line production speed.

Depending on the customer�s requirements, the machine can have between 3 and 2,640 needles arranged on the periphery of the knitting head, using wire between 0.003 and 0.020� �. Wire materials can be anything from stainless steel for certain filter applications to platinum that is notoriously difficult to knit with. The Yaskawa VS Mini J7 is a compact AC inverter that can be used with almost any AC motor. The 0.4kW version used by Tritex measures just 128mm in height yet delivers 150% at 3Hz or less. A high-speed current limiting function minimises the possibility of over-current trips and provides inrush current suppression. The inverter is simple to set-up using an ntuituve menu of commands and a speed control knob on the front of the drive.

Wire knitting is widely used in the manufacture of high-temperature supports for precious metal catalytic converters, explosion container collars for automotive/car air bags, re-usable filters for crankcase breathers, flexible high-temperature exhaust seals, small demister pads for the chemical industry, anti-vibration mountings, industrial and domestic pot scourers, aircraft air conditioning filters and noise insulation pads.