Fabric Manufacturing Process
Fabric Manufacturing is the process that converts the yarn to grey fabric through various processes such as winding, warping, sizing, denting, knotting, weaving, and inspection process, etc. This is one of the most important processes in textile manufacturing. Fabric is a thin sheet of cloth that is made from natural or manmade fiber by weaving, knitting, or non-woven process.
Process Sequence of Fabric Manufacturing Process
Weaving Process Flow Chart
1. Winding
2. Warping
3. Sizing
4. Draw In or Denting
5. Knotting or Tie-In
6. Weaving
7. Inspection
8. Folding
9. Grey Fabric Delivered to Dyeing Process
Knitting Process Flow Chart
1. Cone Winding
2. Yarn In Cone Package Form
3. Attach the Yarn Package In the Creel
4. Feeding the Yarn in the Feeder
5. Set the Machine as per Design and GSM
6. Knitting
7. Withdraw the Roll Fabric and Weighing
8. Roll Making
9. Inspection
10. Numbering
11. Dispatch
Types of Fabric Manufacturing:
There are three types of fabric manufacturing processes. Following are the processes.
Woven Manufacturing Process Details:
Woven fabric is the textile fabric which is formed by weaving. It is produced by interlacing of warp and weft yarns in a weaving loom.
(1) Winding Process:
Winding is the first process of woven fabric manufacturing process. Winding is the process of transferring yarn from one package to another to help the next process. The rehandling of yarn is an integral part of the textile industry.
Types of Winding in Textile:
Recommended by LinkedIn
1. According to Winding Package:
2. According to Winding:
3. According to Drive:
Cone Winding: Cone winding is the process of wounding the tube yarn into a knotless bobbin and during this process yarn default is removed. Cone winding is used to remove yarn faults, improve the quality of yarn, to was the yarn during the winding process. It also makes bigger packages from ring bobbin to get the continuous lengths of yarn for the subsequent processes such as warping, sizing, etc.
Fig: Cone Winding Machine
Pirn Winding: Pirn is a weft bobbin that is placed into a shuttle They are different from yarn packages as they are uniform in shape from one to the other. Bobbins are wound back and forth uniformly, while pirns are wound half an inch at a time. Pirn winding is the process of transferring weft yarn on the small pirn to facilitate the subsequent process for the shuttle loom. A tapered bobbin having weft yarn is known as pirn winding. It is used in end-feed shuttles.
Fig: Pirn Winding Machine
Cheese Winding: Cheese is a cylindrical spring tube that is used to wound as dyed yarn in dyeing industries. A nonwoven paper and thread need to wound the cheese so that the yarn does not damage. The cheese winding machine has fix blade mechanical type slub catcher, disc tensioner, and electrical top motion
Fig: Cheese Winding
Flange Winding: In this winding, two flanges contain both sides of the package and yarns are wound parallel. In this process, there is no necessity for traversing.
Fig: Flage Winding Bobbin
Cop Winding: Cop winding is used to collect the yarn on a package that can be useful in the twisting phase. Twisting is carried out during the yarn production.
Fig: Cop Winding
Spool Winding: This winding is used to wrap string, twine, cord, thread, yarn, rope, wire, ribbon, tape, etc. onto a spool, bobbin, reel, etc.
Fig: Spool Winding Machine
Precision or Parallel Winding:When the successive coils of laid together and parallel or near parallel with each other, then it is possible to produce a very dense package. In this winding, very large yarn can be stored in a given volume. So that this is called precision winding. flange is not needed. With this winding, over-withdrawal can be possible. The yarn twist does not change in this winding. Side withdrawal cannot be possible with this winding and it is less stable.
Fig: Precision or Parallel Winding
Non-precision Winding or Cross winding: In cross winding, the winding package contains a single yarn which is laid on the package at an appreciable helix angle. Over-withdrawal is possible with this winding. The stability of the yarn package is good. Flanged is not needed in this winding.
Fig: Non-precision or Cross Package Winding
(2) Warping Process:
Warping is the process of parallel winding of warp ends from many packages (cone, cheese) to common packages (warp beam).
Types of Warping:
There are three types of warping used in the weaving process. They are described as follows:
(3) Sizing Process
Sizing is the process of applying an adhesive coating on the yarn surface. This process is the heart of weaving. Sizing is mainly done on woven fabrics, denim, and terry towels. Sizing is applied to the yarn to increase the weave performance of warp yarn by making it more resistant to weaving actions such as abrasion, tension, and friction.
Types of Sizing Process
(4) Drawing-In or Denting Process
Reed: The reed comb-like structure that consists of regularly spaced wires. The term dent is commonly used to describe the space between two reed wires.
Fig: Reed (Weaving)
Denting: Denting means drawing the warp thread through the dent as required reed plan which determines the accuracy of the width of the fabric and the warp per inch.
Fig: Denting Process
Drafting: Drafting is the process of selecting the harness or heald frame for individual warp threads according to the design.
Fig: Drafting Plan
Drawing-In: It is the processof pulling the warp threads through the heald eye of the heald wire.
(5) Tying-In:
Tying is used during the mass production of fabric. The warp tail end from the exhausted weaver's beam is tied to the beginning of the new warp. Therefore, if every end of the new beam is knotted with the old beam then the drawing-in process can be omitted. Following the tying-in process, all knots are pulled through the drop wires, heddles, and the reed.
(5) Weaving Process:
Weaving is the process of fabric manufacturing in which two distinct sets of yarns are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric. The textile art in which the distinct set of yarns, called the warp and the filling (weft), are interlaced with each other to form a fabric. The warp threads run lengthways of the piece of cloth and the weft yarn run sideways.
There are three basic structures of weaving for fabric manufacturing:
Primary Motion of Weaving
In order to interlace warp and weft threads to produce cloth on any weaving machine three operations are necessary:
A. Shedding: In this process, the warp threads run down the fabric into two layers to form a tunnel known as the shed.
B. Picking: In this method the weft threads, which traverse across the fabric through the shed
C. Beating-Up: Pushing the newly inserted thread into the shed is known as pick. In the already woven fabric at a point is known as fell.
Fig: Primary Loom Motion
Auxillary Motion of Weaving Loom:
To get high productivity and good quality of fabric additional mechanisms are added to a loom which is called auxiliary motion. The auxiliary motion is useful, but not as essential as the primary motion.
There are also three auxiliary motions in the weaving process such as let-off, take-up, and pattern.
Fig: Schematic Diagram of a Weaving Loom
Types of Weaving Loom:
Weaving looms are mainly divided into two types:
1. Shuttle Loom: Uses shuttle for picking. Shuttle contains pirn
2. Shuttleless Loom: In this loom, the shuttle is needed for the weft insertion. Rapier, projectile, was,ter, or air mechanism are used for the insertion of weft yarn instead of a shuttle.
Shuttleless Loom are six types. They are as follows:
Grey Fabric Inspection: Grey fabric inspection is the process of identifying fabric weaving faults of the woven fabric just after the completion of grey fabric production. The main purpose of this process is to find out weaving faults and defects and generate quality reports of the fabric inspected.
Fig: Grey Fabric Inspection
Fabric Folding in Weaving: Fabric folding is the process of winding fabrics into clean, stretch-free folded form for easy packaging and transportation. It is the steps of fabric inspection which follow the inspection rules and cutting method.
Fig: Fabric Folding Machine
Knitting
Knitting is the process of forming fabric by interesting loops from a single set of yarn. There are two types of knitting
Warp Knitting
Warp knitting is the process of forming fabric by knitting in which loops are made in a vertical way along with the length of the fabric from a single set of yarn and intereshing of loops take place in a flat form on a length-wise basis.
Fig: Warp Knitting
Weft Knitting
Weft knitting is the process of producing fabric by knitting in which the loops are made in a horizontal way from a single set of yarn and the intermeshing of loops take place in a flat form on a course-wise basis.
Fig: Weft Knitting
History of Knitting
1589- William Lee, the inventor of the mechanical stitch formation technique.
1758-Jedediah Stratt, the inventor of double knit technique.
1798- Monsieur Decroix, arranges the needle radially into coroma, which rotates and thus revolves the needles one after the other through the knitting stages.
1850- The circular knitting machine was first developed by English circular knitting frame. At first it was equipped by stationer bearded needle in vertical position. Then it was developed by setting latch needle which can be easily moved.
1878- Gris Wold, gets a potant for circular knitting machine which can be produce plain ribbed structure in any desired position.
1918- The double cylinder small circular knitting machine with double ended needle and slider was first developed in England by Firm Wildt.
Illustrate the Four Base Primary Structures of Weft Knitting Fabric
Feature of Knitting Machine
