-  VISITS/HOLIDAYS

I think the most impressive thing about exhibitions of this sort is the noise, and certainly this year's Textiles Recorder Exhibition, held in the Exhibition Hall at Belle Vue, lacked none of this.  It was quite a large exhibition occupying the whole of the very large hall and almost every type of textile machine seemed to he on show, although there were no spinning mules.  These machines came from many countries, Germany and Switzerland being two of the most prominent.

 The chief offenders in making a noise were the looms, and these machines always seemed to have a surrounding crowd.  They were all of the automatic type, the shuttle being reloaded by the machine. Most of them were weaving intricate patterns, the shape being determined by a control band.  These control bands were of two types, the continuous fibre belt type with holes in, and the continuous lattice type with pegs.  The holes on the former allowed pegs to drop into them, whilst the pegs on the latter actuated small tumblers.  The final effect was the same, of course.  Those people who visited the exhibition in 1949 would almost certainly be impressed by the Platt Bros. carpet loom.  This, however, was not on view this time, but there was a very sturdy-looking carpet loom turning plain carpet off at an amazing rate.

 There was a magnificent carding machine in the Textile Machinery Manufacturers' display, and it had, incidentally, a traversing creel which is quite a new thing.

 I think the prize for speed should be given to an up-twister spinning nylon.  The spindles on this machine were revolving at twenty thousand r.p.m.  Winding frames were represented by a very peculiar piece of machinery.  Instead of your going to the machine, the machine comes to you, for the cones revolve around a sort of flattened elipse.  As each bobbin arrives at the "control centre" it is discarded and a new one automatically put in by a magazine, which the operator is continually filling.  Although the "ends" are not supposed to break, whilst we were viewing the machine they sometimes did.  We must emphasise, however, that the machine was not a full-size version, and this may have contributed to this defect.

 The dyeing department was well attended, too.  Here there was a large machine called a molten metal dyeing machine, and in view of its name, we studied it with care.  The metal temperature was around 50º C and the metal was "Glauber's metal," probably one of those low melting ones.
Anyway, the cloth came out unscorched, so it could not have been very hot inside.  It did come out beautifully dyed, however, and the machine certainly merits its name.

 As in all exhibitions, the finished products of the manufacturers were not the only exhibits and around the sides of the hall many firms exhibited their inconspicuous but very important wares.  Among the more interesting of these was a dynamically balanced beam made from elektron, and an infinitely variable gear, which was said to he quite positive.  Owing to oil being splashed up onto the inspection panel, however, I was unable to discover how this worked.

 I do not know whether I dare report the last item as it is more appropriate in the electronics section, but being primarily a scientist and not an engineer, I was naturally drawn by the electric motors, and the remarkable thing about these was that they were in section, and yet running under their own power.

 

A. HOLT, VIa Science.