A method and an apparatus for producing a woven material from tape-like warps and wefts includes a warp supply source for tape-like warps; a shed forming device to form a shed by the warps; a weft insertion device for inserting tape-like weft in the shed formed by the warps; and a take-up device for taking-up the produced woven material. Each of the warps extend in warp paths between the warp supply source and the take-up device. Further, the shed forming device comprises an air pressure system arranged to apply pressure on the face of at least some of the warps in an intermediate position of the warp paths, between the warp supply source and the take-up device, the applied air pressure being sufficient to displace at least some warps in essentially the thickness direction of the tape-like warps.

A drive mechanism for driving a heald frame of a weaving machine, the drive mechanism having a crank rotating about a crank axis, a coupling rod, and a swivel lever having a first arm and a second arm, the coupling rod is linked to the first arm of the swivel lever by a second hinged joint adjustable with respect to the first arm of the swivel lever, wherein in at intended locations of the second hinged joint with respect to the first arm of the swivel lever, the second hinged joint is situated on an arc of an imaginary circle when the swivel lever is in a central position between the upper position and the lower position, wherein the imaginary circle has a radius that is equal to the distance between the first hinged joint and the second hinged joint, and the imaginary circle has a center that coincides with the crank axis.

A drive mechanism for driving a heald frame of a weaving machine, the drive mechanism having a sensor device, wherein the sensor device has at least three members having both a target set with one or more targets and a detector set with one or more detectors, wherein one of the detector set and the target set is arranged at the swivel lever and the other one is arranged stationary on the weaving machine, targets of the target set and/or detectors of the detector set have different characteristics for generating a first signal when approaching the measuring position from the upper position or when departing from the measuring position towards the upper position and for generating a second signal when approaching the measuring position from the lower position or when departing from the measuring position towards the lower position, and the second signal differs from the first signal.

A machine and method are presented for continuously forming a woven composite with controllable internal fabric geometry. The machine may include one or more spools for dispensing one or more warp filaments, a roller assembly configured to receive a composite weave, a warp rack having a plurality of warp heads for engaging the warp filaments and vertically adjusting position to dynamically create a weave pattern in response to the insertion of one or more weft filaments by a weft inserter stack.

A loom allows a implementing a method for weaving a fabric (F), with warp yarns (412, 414, 422, 424) and inwoven weft yarns (61, 62, W1-W5). The loom (2) comprises a warp delivery unit (8); heddles (14) for moving warp yarns in order to form a shed; a mechanism (12) for moving (F1) each heddle vertically along a vertical path; weft insertion means (21, 22) for inserting each weft yarn in a shed (S1, S2) and for releasing the weft yarn at a given location along a weft axis (Y1, Y2); and weft delivery means (28) for delivering weft yarns (61, 62, W1-W5) to the weft insertion means, this method comprising, for at least two consecutive picks, at least the following steps consisting in a) opening the shed (S1, S2); b) picking, by the weft insertion means (21, 22), of a first end (612, 622) of a weft yarn (61, 62, W1-W5) presented by the weft delivery means (28); c) drawing (A3) the weft yarn into the shed, along the weft axis (Y1, Y2); d) releasing the weft yarn at the predetermined position along the weft axis; e) withdrawing the insertion means from the shed; and f) beating-up the weft yarn wherein, during step c), the shed is closed around the inserted weft yarn (61, 62), by moving warp yarns (412, 414, 422, 424) of a predetermined group (G4, G4) of warp yarns to a semi-closed position. The loom also comprises programmable clamping means (24) for picking up the first end (612,622) of the weft yarn (61, 62, W1-W5) at step b), for drawing the weft yarn into the shed at step c) and for releasing the weft yarn at step d), at any predetermined position along the weft axis (Y1, Y2) and a programmable mechanism (12) including actuators for semi-closing the shed around the inserted weft yarn during step c), at any predetermined position along the weft axis.

A shedding machine includes an eccentric system rotatable about a main axis; a lever; and a transmission rod, coupled to the eccentric system and pivotally to the lever about the eccentric axis and connecting rod axis spaced apart by a connecting rod center distance, the main axis and the eccentric axis being spaced apart by an eccentric center distance. To facilitate the adjustment of the stroke of a heald frame operated by the machine, which includes an adjustment system, allowing an adjustment configuration where the eccentric distance or connecting rod distance is adjustable, and a locked configuration where these distances are fixed. The machine also includes a locking system, which allows lever locking and lever release configurations.

The invention relates to the in vitro use of a di- or tri carboxylic acid with a chain length of between 15 and 23 carbon atoms, such as agaric acids in preventing formation, decreasing formation or delaying formation of a biofilm by bacteria on abiotic surfaces.

A method for weaving a fabric (F), with warp yarns (412, 414, 422, 424) and inwoven weft yarns (61, 62, W1-W5), on a loom (2) which comprises a warp delivery unit (8); heddles (14) for moving warp yarns in order to form a shed; a mechanism (12) for moving (F1) each heddle vertically along a vertical path; weft insertion means (21, 22) for inserting each weft yarn in a shed (S1, S2) and for releasing the weft yarn at a given location along a weft axis (Y1, Y2); and weft delivery means (28) for delivering weft yarns (61, 62, W1-W5) to the weft insertion means, this method comprising, for at least two consecutive picks, at least the following steps consisting in a) opening the shed (S1, S2); b) picking, by the weft insertion means (21, 22), of a first end (612, 622) of a weft yarn (61, 62, W1-W5) presented by the weft delivery means (28); c) drawing (A3) the weft yarn into the shed, along the weft axis (Y1, Y2); d) releasing the weft yarn at the predetermined position along the weft axis; e) withdrawing the insertion means from the shed; and f) beating-up the weft yarn wherein, during step c), the shed is closed around the inserted weft yarn (61, 62), by moving warp yarns (412, 414, 422, 424) of a predetermined group (G4, G4) of warp yarns to a semi-closed position.

The present invention relates to woven tubular nanotextiles, fabrication thereof using a weaving apparatus, and use thereof in vascular graft applications. The woven nanotextile conduit is 0.1 to 50 mm in diameter and includes a multitude of hierarchically arranged nanofibers. They are made from low strength bundled nanoyarns containing thousands of nanofibers with improved mechanical strength. The weaving apparatus interweaves the warp and weft yarns in longitudinal and transverse directions, resulting in a flexible and strong woven product. The physical and biological properties of the woven nanotextile were significantly enhanced when compared to non-woven nanofibrous form and conventional medical textiles. The nanotextile displayed superhydrophilic behavior in an otherwise hydrophobic material and when implanted as a vascular graft was robust, suturable, kink-proof and non-thrombogenic, with complete endothelialization of the graft luminal area.

A machine and method are presented for continuously forming a woven composite with controllable internal fabric geometry. The machine may include one or more spools for dispensing one or more warp filaments, a roller assembly configured to receive a composite weave, a warp rack having warp heads for engaging the warp filaments and vertically adjusting position to dynamically create a weave pattern in response to the insertion of one or more weft filaments by a weft inserter stack.