Interlacing equipment may be used to form fabric and to create a gap in the fabric. The fabric may include one or more conductive strands. An insertion tool may be used to align an electrical component with the conductive strands during interlacing operations. A soldering tool may be used to remove insulation from the conductive strands to expose conductive segments on the conductive strands. The soldering tool may be used to solder the conductive segments to the electrical component. The solder connections may be located in grooves in the electrical component. An encapsulation tool may dispense encapsulation material in the grooves to encapsulate the solder connections. After the electrical component is electrically connected to the conductive strands, the insertion tool may position and release the electrical component in the gap. A component retention tool may temporarily be used to retain the electrical component in the gap as interlacing operations continue.

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.

The present invention involves a Bi-axial bias weaving machine and two dimension woven structures (material) having interlaced bias strands. The material includes plain, twill and satin structures made of two bias flat strands (tape) interlacing each other at particular angles (30-60). The weaving machine includes bias holders assembly, chains, bias rapiers and take-up assembly. The embodiment of this invention may be utilized to produce high performance fabrics such as textile performs for aerospace composites.

Embodiments relate to conductive textiles and methods of their production, as well as systems for electronically connecting devices through conductive textiles. An example textile comprises a first electrically conductive track; a second electrically conductive track; and at least one non-conductive portion. At least a portion of the first electrically conductive track overlaps or is in close proximity to at least a portion of the second electrically conductive track. At least said portions of the respective tracks are separated by an insulating material so that there is no electrical coupling between the first and second tracks.

Embodiments relate to conductive textiles and methods of their production, as well as systems for electronically connecting devices through conductive textiles. An example textile comprises a first electrically conductive track; a second electrically conductive track; and at least one non-conductive portion. At least a portion of the first electrically conductive track overlaps or is in close proximity to at least a portion of the second electrically conductive track. At least said portions of the respective tracks are separated by an insulating material so that there is no electrical coupling between the first and second tracks.

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 two-dimensional fabric (20) used to produce a three-dimensional composite part has a binding system (21) with binding warp threads (23) and/or binding weft threads (24) and a reinforcing system (22) with reinforcing weft threads (25) and/or reinforcing warp threads (26). At least some of the inserted reinforcing threads (25) are shortened reinforcing weft threads (25a) and/or shortened reinforcing warp threads (26a). Their thread length (L) is less than that of the binding weft threads (24) or the binding warp threads (23). The shortened reinforcing thread's (25a), (26a) free ends are located in a respective thread end position (30) or (31). The respective thread length (L) and the respective thread end positions (30), (31) of a shortened reinforcing thread (25a), (26a) in the two-dimensional fabric (20) are predetermined based on the three-dimensional shape of the composite part to be produced to reduce cutting waste when producing preforms and cutting effort.

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 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.

Described herein are techniques for creating a three-dimensional woven textile products. A method includes rotating strands of warp yarns, where each strand of warp yarn is in a direction away from a surface, in a circular motion while moving a strand of weft yarn forwards and backwards in a direction parallel to the surface so as to cause the strand of weft yarn to alternately weave in and out of the strands of warp yarn. The method includes moving the strand of weft yarn in a direction away from the surface so as to cause the strand of weft yarn to alternately weave in and out of the strands of warp yarn at a different height to create a three-dimensional woven textile product. The method includes supplying at least one of the strand of warp yarn or the strand of weft yarn with a yarn generator.