ELECTRIC JACQUARDS:
THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS
K. Hepworth
Department of Textile Industries
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT

1

Introduction.

The recent widespread use of computers and colour monitors in the representation and development of weave structures and in the simulation of colour-and-weave effects has encouraged loom manufacturers to complete the chain of automation of fabric production by developing computer-controllable shedding mechanisms. These mostly take the form of electromagnetically actuated dobbies, although some jacquards are also available. Although activity in this field has accelerated during the past twenty years or so there is a history of over a hundred and thirty years of development of electric jacquards for weaving.
It is apparent that almost as soon as the jacquard was established there was a desire to reduce the bulk and weight of the punched cards used for programming it and the expense of punching, linking and storing them. By 1833 a two-stage mechanism had been described that enabled a continuous band of paper to be substituted for the cards but punching was still needed. By the middle of the century an electrically conductive program, on which areas could be obscured by insulating paint, was being proposed in conjunction with electromagnetic methods of hook selection and at least one demonstrably operable machine resulted. By the end of the century photographically prepared programs of a similar kind were being proposed albeit with a somewhat less elegant mechanism. This system resulted in, at least, a commercial card cutting service for the users of conventional jacquards. Two immediARS TEXTRINA 10 (1988), pp. 141-166

ately apparent advantages of electrical programming had been easier
"editing" and the ability to introduce elementary switching logic to impose weave interlacings on an electrically defined pattern or to combine