Leading European manufacturers of textile industry equipment presented the latest developments and technologies at VSTU

Vitebsk State Technological University is the only one in the republic that trains specialists in textile production technologies, which means that teachers and students must be aware of new trends and innovative solutions in the industry. One of the events that allows for the study of best practices, the acquisition of new knowledge, and the establishment of partnerships with leading equipment manufacturers, light industry organizations, educational institutions, and research centers has become the international scientific and practical symposium "Progressive Technologies and Equipment for Textile Production". The forum, initiated by VSTU, also attracted representatives of the largest textile industry enterprises of the republic – "Vitebsk Carpets", "Vitebsk Silk Fabric Combine", Orsha Linen Mill, Pinsk "Polesie", OJSC "Mogotex", Baranovichi Cotton Production Association, as well as the Center for Scientific Research of Light Industry, Bryansk Worsted Combine and Kamyshin Technological Institute (RF).

The current symposium is the 4th one. This time, representatives of leading European companies, whose brands are well-known in the global community, came to Vitebsk to present their latest developments and newest devices. The technological university has long-standing successful partnerships with some of the manufacturing firms.

– In 2010, our university signed a cooperation agreement with the Swiss company Uster Technologies AG, a recognized world leader in the field of production of testing equipment for spinning. Our specialists underwent internships at this production facility, and VSTU educational laboratories have a special set of instruments from the manufacturer for evaluating various yarn characteristics. To date, we are the only ones in the country to possess the unique Uster Tester 5 automatic device. There are no similar devices in educational institutions or directly at industry enterprises. The equipment allows for a comprehensive assessment of fiber quality, a special scanner

analyzes it for maturity, contamination, entanglement, and the presence of knots. At the symposium, the company's official representative Werner Baumann presented a report on the capabilities of the latest modification of this installation – the Uster Tester 6 unified testing center, – said Dmitry Ryklin, Head of the Department of "Technology of Textile Materials" at VSTU.

Among those who are not presenting equipment in Vitebsk for the first time is also Savio Macchine Tessili Spa. The Italian firm is the number 1 company in the winding machinery segment. In addition, it specializes in the production of twisting and spinning machines. A sample of one of the most common Savio automatic machines is also in the university laboratories; with its help, students study the specifics of the equipment installed at many enterprises in the industry. This time, at the symposium, the Italian guest Paolo Vigniera presented a report on the ECOPULSAR winding machine, improved last year, which is more energy-efficient compared to analogues and earlier modifications, and also minimizes production waste.

A representative of the Belgian company Picanol is visiting the Vitebsk university for the second time. In his speech, Rinaldo Radice spoke about the range and advantages of weaving equipment from the world-renowned firm. Presentations by Stäubli International AG (the company supplies equipment to Orsha Linen Mill, Mogotex, etc.) and LonatiGroup, which presented a comprehensive technology for the production of hosiery to the audience, were also useful for specialists. For the first time, the VSTU scientific and practical forum was also visited by the French manufacturer N. Schlumberger, specializing in the production of equipment for wool spinning. Currently, the Department of Technology of Textile Materials of VSTU is actively introducing information about this type of fiber and yarn made from them into the educational process.

Dmitry Borisovich notes that over the past 15 years, production has changed and modernized significantly. To train a qualified specialist, the teaching staff constantly

updates educational programs in cooperation with manufacturers of the most modern and in-demand equipment, invites new partners to joint projects, thanks to which the university becomes one of the main platforms for studying trends and specifics of innovative solutions in production.

Natalia Kamleva. Photos by Dmitry Osipov. "Vitebskiye Vesti".