Heald Frame Construction and Material Technology
topic
Modern heald frames use carbon fibre reinforced composite or aluminium extrusion construction to minimise frame mass while maintaining the stiffness required to prevent frame resonance at operating frequencies up to 20 hertz on high-speed looms, with lightweight frame design reducing the driving force and energy required for shedding that represents 20 to 40 percent of total loom energy consumption.
Role
Reduces loom energy consumption and enables higher maximum shedding speeds by minimising heald frame inertia through lightweight material construction, with carbon fibre composite frames providing 60 to 70 percent mass reduction compared to steel frames while maintaining adequate stiffness for precise shed geometry control at the operating frequencies of modern high-speed rapier and air-jet weaving machines.