Eltex EYE Compact

Eltex EYE Compact

– helping carpet tufters realize a more cost-effective production

100 % of tufting yarn breaks / end outs detected
Monitors the yarns on all positions in real-time
Faulty positions indicated both on sensors and the Operator Terminal

The EYE Compact system was first introduced on the European tufting market in 2013, and has over the last decade grown to become an integral part on tufting machines for many manufacturers worldwide. Today, the EYE Compact system is more or less viewed as a necessity and a cost-effective solution for tufters.

By having Eltex’s yarn break sensors mounted on their tufting machines, carpet manufacturers are ensured that all yarns in the production are monitored and the machine quickly and efficiently stopped when a yarn break occurs. This is possible thanks to the sensor’s short reaction time and the direct connection between the system and the machine’s run and stop signals together with a proximity switch that very accurately measures the speed of the machine

The difference between having or not having an EYE Compact system mounted on a tufting machine is like night and day. The short reaction time in the event of a yarn break prevents that long sections of missing yarns are being created in the carpet and since the faulty part is usually cut off, the EYE Compact system significantly reduces waste material. In addition to the fact that this results in a lower environmental footprint and saves money, the operator can control several machines simultaniously.

The operator also avoids the time-consuming work of finding which yarn has been broken and collecting missing yarns. Should the yarn on the bobbin run out, the result will be the same. The machine stops immediately and the operator can replace the bobbin and continue with manufacturing.

By demands from the tufting industry a smaller version of the EYE Compact was also developed, called EYE Compact II. This sensor was first introduced during the 2019 Domotex exhibition in Hannover and has received a lot of praise from the industry. One of the requirements from manufacturers was to make it small enough to be mounted on modern, graphics-driven tufting machines with puller rollers.

Because of this, the EYE Compact II measures only 1/3 of the original Compact’s size but contains equally advanced technology and number of eyes. However, due to its minituarized format, the eyes had to be made smaller and measures 4 mm in diameter compared to 6.5 mm for the EYE Compact. The smaller size allows the EYE Compact II to be mounted close to the needles, just below the puller rollers which are there to help feed the yarns. Both sensors can be used for a gauge down to 1/10 inch.

At the centre of the EYE Compact system is the Operator Terminal, where all required settings are done. Its touch screen combined with an intuitive graphic user interface makes the setup easy and convenient.

The sensors are connected to the Master Control Unit and after they have been recognized by the system, the sensor eyelets are ready to be learned for monitoring the yarns. After each learning process the eyelets where yarns are passing will be active.

Up to 16 sensors can be connected to each LIN bus which let the system control a complete setup of 96 sensors and even more with a slave unit. This makes the system flexible since it can be suited on a large variety of machine brands.

To sum it all up, the EYE Compact system is a work horse that ensures tufting manufacturers always get the most out of their production with as little waste material as possible. Many operators have expressed their relief for having an Eltex EYE Compact system installed on their machines, and we sure know why.

We are looking forward to the ITMA exhibition in Milan June 2023 where our sales team will be happy to serve you. This time we have lots of news to share and on our demo machine we will be able to demonstrate our most prominent sensors and their functions.