Tools are provided that communicate to a pattern designer how much yarn is being used on every needle for a given tuft height pattern and permit the designer to adjust the pattern accordingly to balance the yarn usage on the needles. An electronic representation of a pattern design is received for controlling a carpet tufting operation. The pattern design includes a pile height per tuft. A grid is provided for representing the pattern design using different visual cues to represent different pile heights. A graph depicting use-of-yarn per needle for the carpet tufting operation is generated. The grid and the graph can be on a common user interface and can be viewable at the same time on a display device.

Tools are provided that communicate to a pattern designer how much yarn is being used on every needle for a given tuft height pattern and permit the designer to adjust the pattern accordingly to balance the yarn usage on the needles. An electronic representation of a pattern design is received for controlling a carpet tufting operation. The pattern design includes a pile height per tuft. A grid is provided for representing the pattern design using different visual cues to represent different pile heights. A graph depicting use-of-yarn per needle for the carpet tufting operation is generated. The grid and the graph can be on a common user interface and can be viewable at the same time on a display device.

A tufting machine has a needle bar for carrying a plurality of needles for reciprocating into and out of a base material. A sliding needle bar shift mechanism may shift the needle bar laterally according to a pattern. The needle bar is mounted for reciprocation and for lateral movement relative to the direction of reciprocation by a drive system including a first directional drive component having a foot secured to a respective push rod of the tufting machine and a second directional drive component connected to the shift mechanism. The first and second drive components will connect to the needle bar through linear bearings or bushings so that the motion of the needle bar in multiple different directions is controlled while permitting greater machine operating and needle bar shifting speeds.

A pile fabric includes ground yarns constituting a ground structure; pile fibers that are tangled with the ground yarns, the pile fibers including portions standing on a front surface side of the ground structure; and an organically-modified silicone-based softener adhered to the pile fibers located on a back surface side of the pile fabric. The pile fibers include at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylic fibers and modacrylic fibers, and have a softening point lower than a softening point of the ground yarns. The portions standing on the front surface side of the ground structure are not fused to each other, and on a back surface side of the ground structure, at least part of the pile fibers located outside of the ground yarns are fused to each other.

A carpet product including a primary backing layer and a plurality of yarn tufts. The plurality of yarn tufts are tufted in and extend upwardly from a top surface of the primary backing layer to form a tufted carpet product. The carpet product has an inner portion and a peripheral portion surrounding at least a portion of the inner portion and extending along at least one of the edges of the primary backing layer. The plurality of yarn tufts include a plurality of peripheral yarn tufts positioned within the peripheral portion of the tufted carpet product. A portion of the peripheral yarn tufts are anchored to other peripheral yarn tufts. At least a portion of each anchored peripheral yarn tuft is entangled with one or more of the other peripheral yarn tufts.

A carpet product including a primary backing layer and a plurality of yarn tufts. The plurality of yarn tufts are tufted in and extend upwardly from a top surface of the primary backing layer to form a tufted carpet product. The carpet product has an inner portion and a peripheral portion surrounding at least a portion of the inner portion and extending along at least one of the edges of the primary backing layer. The plurality of yarn tufts include a plurality of peripheral yarn tufts positioned within the peripheral portion of the tufted carpet product. A portion of the peripheral yarn tufts are anchored to other peripheral yarn tufts. At least a portion of each anchored peripheral yarn tuft is entangled with one or more of the other peripheral yarn tufts.

Tools are provided that communicate to a pattern designer how much yarn is being used on every needle for a given tuft height pattern and permit the designer to adjust the pattern accordingly to balance the yarn usage on the needles. An electronic representation of a pattern design is received for controlling a carpet tufting operation. The pattern design includes a pile height per tuft. A grid is provided for representing the pattern design using different visual cues to represent different pile heights. A graph depicting use-of-yarn per needle for the carpet tufting operation is generated. The grid and the graph can be on a common user interface and can be viewable at the same time on a display device.

Tools are provided that communicate to a pattern designer how much yarn is being used on every needle for a given tuft height pattern and permit the designer to adjust the pattern accordingly to balance the yarn usage on the needles. An electronic representation of a pattern design is received for controlling a carpet tufting operation. The pattern design includes a pile height per tuft. A grid is provided for representing the pattern design using different visual cues to represent different pile heights. A graph depicting use-of-yarn per needle for the carpet tufting operation is generated. The grid and the graph can be on a common user interface and can be viewable at the same time on a display device.

A method is provided for installing an add-on component to a surface of a wind turbine blade, as well as the blade with attached add-on component, and the add-on component as a stand-alone device. A slot is defined in one or both of the pressure side or suction side surfaces of the add-on component. The adhesive side of strips of a double-sided adhesive tape are attached onto either the surface of the wind turbine blade or an interior surface of the add-on component, the tape strips having a release liner on an opposite exposed side thereof. The tape strips are arranged longitudinally along one or both sides of the slot, and each strip has an extension tail that extends beyond an edge of the add-on component when component is held at a desired position against the surface of the wind turbine blade. The extension tails are pulled along the slot at an angle such that that release liner is removed through the slot along the length of the tape strip while maintaining the desired position of the add-on component against the surface of the wind turbine blade.

A method for installing an add-on component to a surface of a wind turbine blade includes attaching an adhesive side of strips of a double-sided adhesive tape onto either the surface of the wind turbine blade or a surface of the add-on component, the tape strips having a release liner on an opposite exposed side thereof. The tape strips having an extension tail of the release liner that extends beyond an edge of the add-on component when the add-on component is placed and held at a desired position against the surface of the wind turbine blade. With the add-on component held at the desired position, the extension tail is pulled away at an angle such that that release liner is removed along the length of the tape strip while maintaining the add-on component against the blade surface to attach the exposed adhesive under the release liner to either the surface of the wind turbine blade or the surface of the add-on component.