After 40 years in the textile and fiber industry, we here at Izumi International often see common errors in the fiber production process.

For one, correct tension control is commonly overlooked in composite material manufacturing.

Even with the most modern equipment, if the starting tension at the creel is not controlled properly, then the final product may be constructed of fibers with varying tension. As a result, it will not fully utilize the strength of all fibers equally. This can degrade the mechanical properties of the final product.

In other cases, we see applications where tension on fibers is so high that it causes filament damage. This can also degrade the quality of the final product.

To avoid these issues, our engineers often recommend the DTH, a mounted low-cost fiber tension sensor that allows you to monitor the tension in fibers or web material.

How a DTH sensor helps

The DTH tension measurement can be used to control or monitor the tension for any type of fiber, including carbon fiber, natural fibers, aramid fiber, ceramic fibers, and fiber optics.

In production scenarios where it becomes too costly to incorporate a tension sensor for each fiber to control tension, the DTH can be used to simply monitor the tension. The DTH is compact, so moving from tow to tow for individual tension verification is also an easy task.

For routine maintenance or tension monitoring, we recommend the mountable DTH, since handheld tension meters can be dependent on the operator’s skill or experience.

Application Examples

Below are some examples of applications where we’ve seen firsthand how the DTH sensor made a difference:

• Carbon fiber weaving: Weaving creels for carbon fiber are typically mechanical systems. We have seen DTH tension sensors used to periodically check the tension of each position as they fluctuate over time.
• Carbon fiber production: DTH sensors can be incorporated into the PAN precursor creels to monitor and control tension at the start of the carbon fiber production process. This helps keep the resulting carbon fiber quality consistent. The DTH output can also be used to alarm operators of a tow break or high tension.
• Unidirectional prepreg manufacturing: Incorporating DTH sensors in the creel enables adjustment of positions to generate consistent tension throughout the web for a uniform sheet output. In some cases, the edges require differing tension, and the DTH sensor enables the monitoring and adjustment required to accomplish this.
• Towpreg manufacturing: The DTH can be installed in let-off creels for towpreg manufacturing to provide accurate tension measurement of the beginning of the process. The consistent tension among tows allowed for consistent wet-out and width of the fiber.
• Pultrusion manufacturing: The DTH enables precise monitoring and adjustment of the let-off creel. This contributes to consistent tension among fibers, which helps improve the mechanical characteristics of the final pultrusion.
• Carbon fiber friction coefficient: The DTH has been used in laboratory systems to measure tension in a carbon fiber tow before and after a stationary roller, as well as to calculate the friction coefficient of the carbon fiber.

 Specifications

The DTH Tension Sensor offers a wide selection of options, including:

• Roller widths from 2.5mm to 610mm
• Capacity: 50grams to 20000grams
• Bare sensor available for incorporation into existing PLC or can be used with TAQ data transmission modules

TAQ data transmission modules available are below:

• TAQ3000 - Digital display only
• TAQ4000S - RS-232 to PC
• TAQ4000U - USB to PC
• TAQ4000E - RJ-45 Ethernet to PC
• TAQ5000  - Wi-Fi to PC

For more information, visit the DTH tension sensor product page and download the product brochure.

If you have any questions about this product or would like other expert recommendations for your fiber production process, give Izumi International a call at 864.288.8001 or contact us online. We’d love to help you find the most effective equipment for your business!