Futuristic Interface: Karl Mayer’s KAMCOS® 2 awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2016

Company Performance

Futuristic Interface: Karl Mayer’s KAMCOS® 2 awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2016

KARL MAYER has been awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2016 for its KAMCOS® 2 user interface system, and consequently the iF label as a symbol of outstanding design. This user interface was presented to the market for the first time at ITMA 2015. For more than 60 years, this award has been a globally recognised symbol of exemplary design. It is awarded each year by iF International Design Forum GmbH, Hanover. The number of entrants for this year’s competition was extremely high, and the role of the international jury of high-ranking experts was to award the coveted quality seal in seven disciplines from among more than 5,000 applications from 53 countries! KAMCOS® 2 was entered in the section of Communication - Apps/Software – and won the award.

Touching the future

The jury was impressed by the optimised user interface design of KAMCOS® 2, which focuses on the user. In the past, it was simply a question of operating the machine, but today you need to handle the same more judiciously. The operating concept, with process-oriented main navigation systems, can be used via a modular arrangement and a uniform interface for the various types of machines. This applies to every area – from warp knitting, through warp preparation, to the production of technical textiles. For specific configurations, the contents of the production side can be adapted to the requirements of the user roles or machine features. To avoid any operator errors, monitoring algorithms have been integrated, and access is controlled via an RFID data chip with a specifically authorised access key in each case. Extending the functions to mobile devices complements the project.

In this way, KAMCOS® 2 enables data to be accessed remotely by mobile devices using the KARL MAYER CONNECT app. As well as the user interface with its exceptional design, KAMCOS® 2 provides all the performance features of a modern automation platform. All the functions of modern textile machines can be fully integrated. This is based on the principles of an efficient, real-time data bus. The integrated elements include the Laserstopp yarn monitoring system for the instant detection of yarn breakages and rapid machine stoppage, a newly developed camera monitoring system for inspecting the textile web, and a new machine lighting system with status indicator for providing information on the operating status.