Method and apparatus for manufacturing slotted webbing on a needle loom

In a needle loom machine capable of manufacturing solid webbing comprising:

• a plurality of harnesses, each harness being adapted to be movable between up and down positions and having at least one vertically disposed heddle mounted thereon, the heddle being attached to its respective harness at opposite end thereof and having a small opening formed therein for receiving a warp yarn of material therethrough;
• delivering means for delivering warp yarns to the heddles of the harnesses;
• tensioning means for maintaining tension on the warp yarns and for taking up woven material,
• the harnesses, delivering means and tensioning means positioning warp yarns in a position that there is a single shed opening provided through the warp yarns;
• and
• a pair of needles each having a weft yarn, said needles entering the shed opening for weaving weft yarns with the warp yarns;
• wherein the improvement comprises two equal groups of harnesses, a first group being positioned adjacent the tensioning means and a second group being positioned adjacent the delivering means, the harness of the first group closest to the tensioning means being paired with the harness of the second group closest to the tensioning means, and the heddles of the harnesses of the first group having vertically oriented, elongated slotted openings formed therein for selectively positioning the warp yarns between a first position in which there is a single shed opening provided through the yarns and a second position in which there are two shed openings provided through the yarns, wherein, when said weft yarns are inserted with said needles when the warp yarns are in their first position, solid webbing is fabricated and when the warp arms are in their second position, slotted webbing is fabricated.