University professors spark brainstorming sessions; digital technology empowers the traditional textile weaving industry.

At the recently held First Yuhang District Science and Technology Achievements Exhibition, three local textile enterprises in Yuhang, including "Tengshi Weaving," signed contracts for 34 HT-2688 digital weaving systems developed by "Hengfang Digital" in one go, with a contract value nearing 12 million yuan.

This enterprise, which has been engaged in the research and development of digital textile technology for many years, was founded by several teachers and technicians from Zhejiang University who pooled their own funds and contributed their "intelligence" as equity.

Rooted in Yuhang and Haining, the most concentrated regions for domestic home textile production, the company has installed modern propellers for the most traditional textile industry using the latest digital technology.

Bringing both "intelligence" and "capital" has further fueled the ambition of the entrepreneurs.

传统纺织行业普遍存在设计生产手段落后、劳动强度大、生产效率低等问题。以提花织机为例，传统方法是在花样设计后，在纹版上打孔来控制纹针的升降，严重制约了产品开发速度和品质，无法适应快速变化的市场。浙大几位老师，带着各自在纺织、机械、计算机、数智等方面的"手艺"开始创业。因为直面"应用"，企业研发的电子提花机（含电子龙头）等数码纺织关键装备，一经推出就立刻被市场认可。

The electronic jacquard head is a key piece of equipment for digital weaving technology. The jacquard pattern data files designed through textile CAD technology are directly controlled by a computer to operate the needle selectors of the electronic head. Foreign electronic jacquard looms are prohibitively expensive, leaving domestic private textile enterprises, which are mainly small and medium-sized, "powerless to act." Developing a set of electronic jacquard heads with independent intellectual property rights that can rival foreign imported products in performance but are significantly cheaper has become a demand for many domestic textile enterprises.

Unlike the entrepreneurial model where teachers provide technology and enterprises provide capital, Zhu Aimin and several other teachers, as partners, not only brought their "unique skills" but also had to invest "real money" of 100,000 or 200,000 yuan each. Zhu Aimin believes that this approach further ignites the ambition of the entrepreneurs.

"The edge of a sword is honed through grinding."

Since 2003, teachers from Zhejiang University have been integrating and synthesizing their wisdom and technologies, including textile technology, mechanical electronics, computer software, and network technology developed in recent years. They have successfully developed electronic jacquard heads in various specifications, such as 1344, 2688, and 6144 needles, with a 12288-needle electronic head currently under development.

The company has also developed high-speed flexible rapier looms matched with the electronic heads, with a maximum width of 3.6 meters, achieving integrated production of looms and heads domestically. These products lead the country in various technical indicators, with some reaching international advanced levels, and their prices are only 1/3 to 1/6 of those of similar foreign products, making them highly competitive in both domestic and international markets.

在数字纺织技术及相关产品研发的多年探索中，浙江大学的教师们实现了从"理论型"向"专家型"的转变，将最先进的技术应用于传统产业的升级改造。他们承担了多项国家级重大科研任务，包括国家863项目"基于CSCW的纺织品图案CAD/CAM系统"。研发团队还荣获了包括国家科技进步三等奖、省级科技进步二等奖以及国家科技部科技成果奖在内的多项荣誉。此外，他们还获得了10余项国家授权专利。