Power-Heat-Set Keeps All Machines at the Highest Technical Level

Interview: Tuğba Karademir

For more than 40 years, Power-Heat-Set has established its position in the industry by providing high quality machines and solutions. Power-Heat-Set, which carries itself further every day with developing technologies and innovative approaches, is also a pioneer in sustainability and energy efficiency.

“Our main thrive related to our GVA and HiPerSet machines is to provide their next generation focusing on efficiency, operating ergonomics, reliability, energy consumption and produced quality.” said Patrick Rieth, Area Sales Manager. We had the opportunity to talk to Patrick Rieth about the company’s long journey of success, its strategies for the future and its contributions to the industry.

How would you summarize the company’s development over the past 40 years since the establishment of Power-Heat-Set?

Power-Heat-Set and its predecessors have been supplying the carpet industry with machines and components for more than 40 years. This means that there are more than 1000 PHS-machines installed in the market and a lot of experience gained over the years.
Our two heatsetting machines, the GVA and the HiPerSet, have been developed and continuously improved in-house by skilled engineers. As a result, these machines stand for high quality, are very reliable and tailored to the needs of our customers. Since 2023 our redesigned Steamatic is also part of the PHS portfolio. This inline steaming machine focuses on customers in the worsted yarn industry and opens up a completely new sector.

Power-Heat-Set is constantly trying to bring advantages to customers, develops new technologies and is is very keen to keep all machines at the highest technical level.

“We are constantly improving our machines in terms of sustainability”

It has been mentioned that low energy consumption and the use of sustainable materials are key elements of the company philosophy. What are the tangible impacts of this sustainability approach in the production process?

All machines are designed to use as few resources as possible. This includes, for example, low electricity consumption, low water consumption and resource-saving use of materials. The heatsetting process is designed to wash out pollutants more effectively, so customers benefit from a lower-pollutant end product. We are constantly improving our machines in terms of sustainability.

Steamatic seems to bring significant innovation to the worsted yarn industry. Could you explain how this product facilitates the integration between spinning and winding, and what advantages it offers to users?

The Steamatic is a fully automatic in-line steaming unit between ring spinning and winding machines eliminating the need for autoclave steaming between spinning and winding. Customers can set all necessary parameters to achieve their perfect result for the produced yarn (e.g. temperature and duration of the steaming process etc.). Due to the vacuum in the steam dome, the steam reaches the yarn not only on the surface, but also penetrates between the fibers – this means optimal, stable steaming results, without any damage to the yarn and a more uniform steam and heat penetration.

“Our main goal is to achieve optimal steaming results for any type of yarn.”

The R&D department in Töging is continuously working on improving machinery and equipment. What specific developments are you focusing on to further enhance the advantages provided to your customers?

Our main goal is to achieve optimal steaming results for any type of yarn used. There are a number of ways in which we are constantly improving these results. For example, we have installed a new in-house developed sensor in the chamber of the GVA that can determine the exact dew point to ensure a constant drying climate. We are also constantly optimizing the software that controls our machines. Regarding the mechanical components, we look for durable materials that are easy to maintain if necessary. In general, we focus on product quality, processability, runability, productivity, energy savings and ergonomic handling of our machines.

Both the GVA and HiPerSet machines offer high performance in their design. What kind of technological innovations are you planning to work on in the future to further optimize these machines?

Our main thrive related to our GVA and HiPerSet machines is to provide their next generation focusing on efficiency, operating ergonomics, reliability, energy consumption and produced quality.

Could you provide more insight into Power-Heat-Set’s customer-oriented approach, its strategy for continuous development, and how it responds quickly to customer demands?

We are committed to providing our customers with the best support to keep their production running smoothly. Our mechanics and technicians install, maintain and repair equipment worldwide and make a major contribution to this support. We offer customized spare parts and retrofits to keep machines up to date with the latest technology.

With our U.S. subsidiary in Dalton and several sales agencies and representatives around the world we can guarantee a fast response time and immediate support.

What can we expect from Power-Heat-Set’s future product development strategies? Specifically, what plans do you have for carpet yarn processing and winding machines?

Technologies change and evolve. We at PHS will continue to incorporate these useful new technologies into our machines to ensure that our heatsetting equipment is always state of the art. The new Winder is a good example of how we are constantly responding to our customers’ needs and providing them with the right equipment. Quality and ease of use are the most important factors here.