Textile manufacturers in Coimbatore and Tirupur are trying to conserve air flow from compressors in their spinning and weaving machines to plug leakages and save energy. Many mills have robust air monitoring systems.

Compressed air is a key input for modern machines from spinning to weaving. Sealing off weak portions and optimising compressor capacity will reduce draw of power by textile machines, which are power guzzlers.

In Tamil Nadu’s textile belt, a large portion of the spinners belong in the category of small and medium enterprises. For an average mill with a capacity of 25,000 spindles, energy savings through air monitoring stand at 750 units every day. For the state’s spinning industry, the annual savings are estimated at Rs 200 crores.

Modern textile machines are operated by pneumatic systems, which use gas or compressed air for key processes. Compressed air needs to be clean, dry and devoid of impurities like oil or moisture. These can lead to defective garments, higher power consumption or even a sudden breakdown, risking higher capital costs for entrepreneurs. Maintenance costs of a compressed air system equal the price of the product in three years.

In modern weaving machines, compressed air ejected from fine nozzles moves weaved threads from one end of the machine to another, a process that was done manually earlier.