USTER has relaunched its LVI family with
upgraded electronics and design – and the accuracy and reliability as expected
from USTER.
Nearly 70 years ago, the earliest accurate
test equipment for cotton fiber properties were introduced to the market. These
were the so-called Low Volume Instruments (LVI), which made an immediate market
impact at the time, and which in later years were the platform for the
development of the high-speed integrated system known as High Volume Instrument
(HVI) testing.
However, the LVI instruments still play an
important role in the industry today, providing essential lab test solutions
for companies focused on specific fiber parameters, or those without the
throughput needs or budget necessary for HVI.
In the USA in 1948, the ‘Fibrograph’ and
the ‘Colorimeter’, two specific fiber testing instruments, were launched. More
than two decades later, HVI testing became available, combining measurement of
fiber length, strength, micronaire, color and trash of these LVI instruments
into a single, high-throughput system, ideally suited to large-scale processors
such as classing offices and major spinning mills.
Still a vital role
In this case, the advent of HVI didn’t
replace LVI in the way that products with improved capacity often do. In fact,
certain segments of the industry still depend on the LVI series. This includes
cotton traders or spinners with a lower budget, as well as those with a need
for testing only specific parameters.
It’s also clear that not every customer
needs a measuring speed of 800 samples per hour – as provided by the USTER HVI
1000. For many purposes, testing of one sample per minute is perfectly
adequate.
That’s why the USTER LVI 930 length tester,
for example, with its speed of 50 samples per hour, still has its fans.
For spinning mills with lower-cost
production structures, random sampling is generally sufficient, since their
customers often do not specify high yarn quality levels. Nevertheless, a
certain quality level is required by such mills, and it is therefore essential
to check the quality of the purchased cotton before the bale laydown. To ensure
the desired quality standard is met, it is vital to check parameters such as fiber
length, color/trash and micronaire, which are necessary for an effective cotton
bale mix.
For many mills, the USTER LVI family
includes instruments which each cover a particular aspect of fiber quality,
with absolute reliability: the USTER LVI 930 length tester, the USTER LVI 960
color/trash tester, the USTER LVI 975 micronaire tester and the USTER LVI 920
nep tester provide measurements describing these various cotton quality
parameters, while the USTER LVI 940 serves as the control system and data
manager.
Different – but equally accurate
Even though their key characteristics can
be described as “small, slow and affordable”, all LVI instruments show the same
accuracy in measurement as the flagship models – because all measurements are
based on the USTER HVI and USTER AFIS principles.
As introduced, the relaunched LVI
instruments now feature refreshed electronics and an updated design. The USTER
LVI 940 introduces even more novelties, connecting the other LVI instruments
through a new software package with expanded reports, new diagnostics,
calibration and data storage.
“The LVIs can be easily justified as
budget-friendly systems for cotton quality checks covering all basic parameters
with excellent reliability,” says David McAlister, Product Manager for Fiber
Testing at Uster Technologies.