The first microprocessor-controlled rapier weaving machine

At ITMA Milan in 1983, Picañol introduced another innovation: the first microprocessor-controlled rapier weaving machine. The GTM (Grip Tronic Machine), the successor to the PGW, meant a breakthrough for the electronic control of weaving machines. The first GTM machines, with a width of 190 cm, reached a speed of 360 weft insertions per minute. Later, speeds of up to 500 weft insertions per minute were reached. In 1983, a new assembly line was built in Ieper to meet the rising demand. In 1986, in Brazil, a contract was signed with Itamasa (Itapecerica Maquinas SA). This was for the licensed production of the GTM and, at a later stage, the PAT-machines, for the local market, which ran until the early 1990s.