Knitting oil, BECHEM Staroil KNT 22 reduces operating temperature, cuts down maintenance cost for the Customer
Customer: A mid-sized manufacturer of knit fabrics located in Ludhiana in the state of Punjab, India with supplies to export market. With focus on product quality and timely supplies, the company over the years, has been consistently rated excellent by its Global customers.
Process details
Application: Circular knitting
Machine OE: Popular brand from China with proven performance in the market
Material to be knit: 100% cotton fabric
RPM (revolutions per minute): 18.3 (Avg.)
Existing knitting oil: Brand K oil – M series
Knitting oil consumption with existing product: 72 drops per minute
Avg. life of needles and sinkers: 92,000 kg. of knitted fabric
Trial procedure observed
Two identical knitting machines, A & B with similar processes were identified for the trial. Circular ‘machine A’ was run with the existing knitting oil, ‘Brand K oil – M series’ while ‘machine B’ was run with BECHEM Staroil KNT 22.
Performance of both the products on the respective machines was observed for a period 1 week with temperature observed at key points (needle cam, needle cylinder and sinker cam) of the knitting bed. The oil consumption for ‘Brand K oil – M series’ was maintained at 72 drops per minute as per the existing practice. The BECHEM team however after studying the process parameters recommended an optimised oil flow at 55 drops per minute with BECHEM Staroil KNT 22.
Thermal scans and temperature readings of knitting beds of machine A & B
Temperature Points | Avg. temperature readings in °C | |
Machine A with Brand K oil M Series | Machine B with BECHEM Staroil KNT 22 | |
Sp1 | 54.0 | 51.5 |
Sp2 | 56.7 | 50.7 |
Sp3 | 55.5 | 49.1 |
Sp4 | 62. 4 | 53.9 |
Sp5 | 65.5 | 59.2 |
Sp6 | 65.7 | 60.0 |
Trial results
- An average reduction in temperature of about 5.5°C was observed with BECHEM Staroil KNT 22 across the points
- 24% average reduction in oil consumption
- 100% washable: Indicating the washable property of the oil, all materials processed during the trial period was approved by the QC
Having evidenced the results, the Customer switched over to BECHEM Staroil KNT 22 and has been experiencing better needle and sinker life. The Customer is impressed with the washable property of the knitting oil and now vouches for the performance and quality of BECHEM Staroil KNT 22.