My Textile Notes

Textile Used in Trade Displays

2009-12-09T23:22:00.000+05:30

It is trendy to use textiles specifically designed to display company information. This is specially useful when exhibiting the company’s products in trade shows and trade fairs. The most commonly used articles of display are trade show flooring, trade show carpets, logo mats and logo canopies.

Trade show flooring is primarily used in trade shows, it comes in a variety of styles and shapes. There is even a line of printed flooring, so that end users can add a logo or message to the flooring.

Trade show carpets are a great help for exhibitors and add to a nice comfortable touch to any exhibit.

Logo mats are primarily used in offices, stores, retail outlets and retail chains. These can be printed in several different ways. Inlaid logos are common and full digital images can be produced.

Printed logo canopies using EZ Up products and other styles of printed tents are used by a wide variety of companies selling products on the go. Great for outdoor events, these canopies are the mainstay of presenters at all types of fairs and festivals.

Needless to say, Textiles customized for the exhibitors can go a long way in capturing the prospective customers in an elegant and non-obtrusive way.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Count, Construction and Width of common Cotton Fabrics

2009-12-06T00:03:00.000+05:30

Please note that value in bold represents count.

Cotton Drill Fabrics

16 X 12 /96 X 48 / 48",63", 93" , 98", 120"

20 X 20 / 108 X 56 / 48", 63", 93" , 98" , 120"

20 X 16 / 108 X 56 / 48", 63" , 93 ", 98" , 120"

30 X30 / 124 X 64 / 48", 63", 93", 98", 120"

40 X 40 / 144 X 72 / 48", 63 ", 93" , 98 " , 120"

Linen/Cotton Fabrics

88 X 64 / 20s X 20s Linen / 63"

72 X 68 / 20s X 16s Linen / 63"

Cotton Oxford Fabrics

84 X 38 / 2 / 20s X 2/ 20s / 48", 63"

84 x 28 / 16 X 8 / 48 " , 63"

108 X 72 / 20 X 16 / 48", 63"

Cotton Poplin Fabrics

92 X 88 / 40 X 40 / 50" , 63"

100 X 80 / 40 X 40 / 50" , 63"

100 X 92 / 40 X 40 / 50" , 63"

124 X 64 / 40 X 40 / 48" , 63"

124 X 72 / 40 X 40 / 48" , 63"

132 X 72 / 40 X 40 / 48" , 63"

Cotton Twill Fabrics

124 X 64 / 30 X 30 / 48 " to 120"

132 X 72 / 40 X 40 / 48 " to 120"

144 X 74 / 40 X 40 / 48 " to 120"

144 X 74 / 50 X 50 / 48 " to 120"

Cotton Voile Fabrics

92 X 88 / 80 X 80 / 48 ", 63 "

92 X 104 / 80 X 80 / 48 ", 63 "

80 X 80 / 80 X 80 / 48 ", 63 "

100 X 92 / 80 X 80 / 48 ", 63 "

Cotton Satin Fabrics

100 X 80 / 40 X 40 / 98 " , 120"

132 X 72 / 40 X 40 / 120"

124 X 64 / 30 X 30 / 120"

144 X 72 / 40 X 40 / 120"

175 X (56 X 2) / 60 X 60 / 120 " - 300 TC

175 X (50 X 4) / 60 X 80 /120 " - 400 TC

195 X ( 72 X 4) / 80s X 100s X 120 " -500 TC

195 X ( 86 X 4) / 80s X 100S X 120" - 600 TC

175 X 146 / 4 / 120s X 2 / 120s / 120" - 1000 TC

Cotton Bedford Fabrics

132 x 72 / 40x40 / 48" & 63"

144 x 100 / 60x60 / 48" & 63"

124 x 100 / 40x40 / 63"

144 x 72 / 50x50 / 63"

Cotton Cambric Fabrics

132 X 108m / 60 X 60 / 48",54",63"

92 X 88 / 60 X 60 / 48" , 54", 63"

132 X 72 / 50 X 50/ 48" , 63"

124 X 100 / 50 X 50 / 63 "

Cotton Plain Fabric or Cotton Sheeting Fabrics

44 X 40 / 10 X 10 / 48", 63", 93", 98" , 120" to 143"

60 X 60 / 16 X 16 / 48 " , 63 ", 93" , 98" , 120" to 143"

60 X 60 / 20 X 20 / 48 " , 63 ", 93" , 98" , 120" to 143"

68 X 68 / 30 X 30 / 48 " , 63 ", 93" , 98" , 120" to 143"

72 X 68 / 30 X 30 / 48 " , 63 ", 93" , 98" , 120" to 143"

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Fiber Length and Spinning Performance

2009-12-04T22:40:00.000+05:30

Fiber length in spinning is important because it influences spinning limit, yarn strength, evenness and hairiness. It also contributes to the handle and luster of the product by influencing the number of turns of twist required. It influences productivity via the end breakage rate and end breakage rate.

In general, fibers less than 4 to 5 mm are lost at the spinning stage. Fibers from 12 to 15 mm do not contribute to strength but only to the fullness of the yarn. It is only fibers greater than 15mm in length that produce other positive characteristics in the yarn.

Fiber length after carding is most important. Conditions at card and fiber characteristics should be such that the fibers survive carding without noticeable shortening in length.

The fiber lengths can be assessed with the help of a staple diagram.

Remember that the fibers in the boll do not show extremely great length differences. Noticeable differences arise even before the spinning starts. This happens due to mechanical working on the fibers at the ginning and

cleaning stage.

Rectangular Staple

Such diagram is achievable with synthetic fibers.

However such lengths can cause problems in drafting as in drafting stage fibers do not move individually but in bunches, thereby producing a high degree of unevenness.

Triangular Staple

It lends itself to better processing than rectangular staple diagram. However, it produces too many short fibers which cannot be maintained under control. Thus it produces hairy yarn.

Trapezoidal Staple

The fibers depicting such diagram are ideal for processing.

Stepped Staple

It indicates that fiber materials of different lengths are mixed in wrong proportions. It has the disadvantage that fibres move only in bunches which produce a high degree of unevenness.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Influence of Fiber Fineness and Maturity in spinning Process

2009-11-29T09:31:00.002+05:30

Influence of Fiber Fineness and Maturity on spinning Process

Fiber Fineness

Fiber fineness determine how many fibers are present in the cross section of a yarn of given thickness. Additional fibers in the cross section not only provide additional strength but also a better distribution in the yarn. Minimum 30 fibers are needed, usually over 100 fibers are required. Fiber fineness influences spinning limit, drape of the fabric, yarn strength, luster, yarn evenness, handle, yarn fullness and productivity. Productivity is influenced by reduced end breakage rate.

In a conventional spinning process, fine fibers accumulate to the core and coarse fibers in the periphery.

Fiber fineness is measured in dtex which is equal to ratio of mass in dgrams and length in km. Decitex is equal to the product of Micronaire value of the cotton and 0.394.

Cotton fibers are generally classified as very fine if they have a micronaire value upto 3.1; fine if they have value between 3.1 to 3.9; medium if they have it between 4.0 to 4.9; slightly coarse between values of 5 to 5.9 and coarse if they have a micronaire value above 6.

Fiber Maturity

Cotton fiber consists of cell wall and lumen. The maturity index depends upon the thickness of the cell wall. The fibers are considered ripe if they have maturity index between 50-80 percent, unripe if they have MI between 30 to 45% and dead when they have it less than 25%.

Unripe fibers have neither adequate strength nor adequate longitudinal thickness. They lead to loss of yarn strength, neppiness, high proportion of short fibers, varying dyeability, processing difficulties mainly at the card.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Fiber Identification - Burning Test- Man-made Fibers

2009-11-25T08:50:00.001+05:30

Viscose Rayon

All viscose including High Wet Modulus scorch and ignite quickly when brought near the flame. Like cotton they burn quickly with yellow flame when in the flame. When removed from the flame they continue to burn. There is no afterglow unlike cotton. The smell is that of burning paper. They leave a light gray and feathery ash.

Acetate Rayon ( And Triacetate Rayon)

When brought near the flame, it fuses away from flame turning black. When in the flame, it flames quickly. The fabric puckers, sputters and melts. It drips like burning tar. When removed from the flame, it continues to burn and melt. It smells like vinegar. It leaves a brittle hard, irregular black ash which is difficult to crush.

Nylon

Image via Wikipedia

Nylon fuses and shrinks away from the flame when brought near the flame. In flame, it burns slowly without melting. When removed from flame the flame diminishes and tends to die out. It has somewhat pungent odor. It leaves a hard, round, tough and gray bead.

Aramid ( Nomex)

When brought near the flame, it shrinks away from the flame. When in the flames it puckers and chars. When removed from flame, it extinguishes by itself. It has no smell and it leaves a hard black bead.

Polyester

Image via Wikipedia

Polyester fuses and shrinks away from flame. When in flame, it burns slowly with melting. When removed from the flame, it burns with difficulty. It has slightly sweetish smell. It leaves a hard round brittle, black bead.

Acrylics

Orlon, Acrilan and Creslan and Zefran fuse and melt away from Flame when brought near the flame. When in flame Orlon flames rapidly. The fiber puckers, sputters and melts. Acrilan flames rapidly and melts. Creslan flames and melts and Zefran sputters slightly and flames. When removed flame all of acrylics continue to burn and melt. Orlon has a slightly burning meat-like smell. Acrilan has a buring steak smell. Creslan has sharp sweet smell and Zefran has a turmeric like smell. Orlon, Acrilan and Cresla have hard, brittle and irregular black bead. Zefran has irregular black ash that can be crushed easily.

Modacrylics

Verel and SEF fuse and shrink away from the flame when approached near a flame. When in flame, Verel burns very slowly with melting. SEF shrinks, melts and smolders. When removed from flames, all modacrylics are self extinguishing. Verel has a gunpower smell whereas SEF has a sharp sweet smell. Verel leaves a hard and irregular black bead whereas SEF leaves a hard and irregular black bead.

Spandax

Fuses but doesn’t shrinks away from the flame when approached near the flame. When in flame, it burns with melting. It has an acrid smell. It leaves a soft, fluffy black bead.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Identification of Natural Fibers by Burning Test

2009-11-22T20:13:00.002+05:30

Identification of Natural Fibers by Burning Test

Cotton

When cotton is brought near the flame it scorches and ignites readily. In the flame it burns quickly with yellow flame. Upon removing from flame it continues to burn rapidly and shows afterglow. It emits a smell of burning paper. The Ash is light, feathery and grayish. If the ash is black it denotes mercerized cotton.

Linen

Linen like cotton when brought near the flame scorches and ignites easily. In the flame it burns slower than cotton with yellow flame. Upon removing from flame it continues to burn with a smell of burning paper. The ash residue is feathery and gray.

Wool

Wool when brought near the flame smolders. In flame it burns with small and slow flickering flame. Also in flame it sizzles and curls. When removed from flame it ceases to burn. The Odor is like that of burning feather or hair. It gives crisp, dark and irregular shaped ash that can be crushed easily.

Pure Silk

Pure silk smolders when brought near the flame. In the flame it burns slowly with sputtering. When removed away from flame it continues to burn but with difficulty and ultimately extinguishes. The smell that is emitted is like that of burning feathers or hair but it is less pronounced than wool. It gives out a round, crisp, shiny black beads that can be crushed easily.

Weighted Silk

Weighted Silk smolders when brought near the flame. In the flame it burns with a glow. When removed from flame the burned part becomes briefly incandescent then it slowly chars. The smell is like that of pure silk i.e. burning feather or hair. The ash brings a screen like skeleton of original sample.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

13 things to ensure while cutting

2009-11-15T12:41:00.000+05:30

Cutting Room Procedures ( Image Source)

1. Knife guard should be adjusted according to the height of the lay.

2. The correct position of the blade, its sharpness and the reciprocating speed of the machine should be ensued.

3. Cut the lay of fabric by propelling the cutting machine on the marking line with accuracy.

4. Projections for each pattern section should be provided to facilitate the sorter in numbering the cut sections.

5. Provide notches at appropriate places with required depth.

6. Mark the position of pockets, embroidery, logo etc. by drilling small hole through the lay with correct drill bit .

7. Frayed, serrated, fused or scorched edges, ripped or pulled yarns, overcut and undercut should be avoided while cutting.

8. On Bend knife machine, use ready patterns aided by appropriate fixtures for carrying out precision cutting.

9. Sections which need to be cut individually (e.g. checks to be aligned in the front panel) are to be respread and folded by aligning the checks/stripes.

10. Use appropriate fixtures to ensure the matching of the folded sections.

11. Discard the cut scrap into the caster bins positioned near the table.

12. Tie the cut lay along the cut sections of the master marker in a bundle.

13. Erase the splicing and the end marks after the spread is cut and bundled.

Safety Instructions in Handling Cutting

a. Areas near cutting tables should be clearly marked, and their access restricted should be restricted by barriers.

b. On motorised and automatic cutting tables the warning signals should be fitted to indicate when blade is in motion.

c. The machine ideally should be fitted with automatic adjustable guards to fully cover the exposed part of the cutting blade.

f. The five finger chain blades should be available to all the operator working on knife and should be worn on all times during cutting work.

g. There should be a regular check on the condition of the light, guard, and table fittings.

h. Only fully trained operatives should be allowed to work on knives.

i. The operators' standards should be checked against the published operating practice on a regular basis and should be corrected wherever a deviation is found.

j. There should be an effective cleaning system in operation that prevents build up of fluff, fly and off cuts, thus reducing fire, health & trip hazards?

A complete of list of safety measures can be found here

For those who want to go in for technical details they can click here for round knife and here for straight knife .

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

The Sari- Some Facts, Methods, Techniques and Measurements

2009-11-08T13:42:00.002+05:30

The Sari has not lost its appeal in modern India. Despite the growth of Women Western and other modern outfits, the charm of Sari remains.

A users manual on How to Wear a Sari can be found here or here . A visual guide to various styles is presented here.

An amazing classification of Different Saris of India can be found on the site of Indiangarment.com. You can find a complete manual of Indian Saris here.

A very nice manual on the measurement for various Indian garments such as Churidars, Parallels, Sharara, Lehnga Chunni or Ghahgra Choli and blouses is given on the same site.

And of course, an interesting concept of Automatic Sari is also given.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Animation- Weaving Principles and Fabric Structure

2009-10-20T08:38:00.000+05:30

1. Relationship between Draft, Peg Plan, Denting Plan and Design- Click Here

2. Weave and Color Combination - Click Here

3. Principle of Double Cloth Formation- Click Here

4. Principle of Tubular Fabric - Click Here

5. Double Cloth based on Exchange Principle- Click Here

6. Principle of Terry Towel Weaving- Click Here

7. Principle of Weaving Leno Fabric- Click Here

8. Principle of Weaving Velvets and Corduroys- Click Here

9. Principle of Jacquard- Click Here

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

A Few Notes About Fiber Chemistry

2009-10-20T06:55:00.000+05:30

1. All fibers are formed from polymers, are not the only products containing polymers

2. Polymer means many units. Each individual molecule is known as monomer and the process of joining all the monomers together to form long chain molecules (polymers) is known as polymerisation.

3. The degree of polymerisation is the number of monomers units in the polymer. These may be of same type ( a homopolymer ) or two different randomly arranged monomers ( a copolymer)

4. There are two types of polymerisation: addition polymerisation, where all the atoms present in the monomers are also present in the polymer and condensation polymerisation where some small molecules are eliminated during polymerisation.

5. Polypropylene and acrylic polymers are produced by addition polymerisation.

6. Polyester, polyamide, wool, silk, cotton, flax, jute and viscose polymers are produced by condensation polymerisation.

7 There are three types of intermolecular forces. In decending order of strength: they are hydrogen bonds, polar bonds and Van der Waal's forces.

8. The properties of polymers for good fiber formation are: high degree of polymerisation, good intermolecular forces, linear and regular arrangement of monomers, high orientation of molecules and an inflexible repeat unit.

9. Crystalline regions are highly ordered areas within the fibers. They give the fiber its tensile and rigidity properties.

10. Amorphous regions are where the molecules are not closely packed within the fibers. They give the fiber its flexibility, extensibility and elasticity.

11. In natural fibers, crystalline regions develop as the fiber grows. In MMF, the ratio of crystalline to amorphous regions can be altered by drawing and heat setting.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Cloth setting and Fabric Geometry Theories

2009-10-18T21:21:00.001+05:30

1. Fractional Cover is defined as d/p where d is the diameter of the yarn and p is the thread spacing.

2. There are various theories for calculation of yarn diameter. According to Law yarn diameter d is equal to 1/ sqrt (Fn) where F is 500 for worsted yarn, 800 for cotton yarns, 530 for woolen n being worsted and cotton and Yorkshire count respectively. According to Ashenhurst yarn diameter d = 1/(F sqrt(N)), where F is .95, .9,.84 for cotton, worsted and woolen yarns respectively and n= yds/lb. According to Pierce, yarn diameter is 1/(28 sqrt(N) where N is the English count.

3. Ashenhurst Diameter intersection theory says that when the count of warp and weft are the same, it is assumed that an intersection takes up as much space as a thread. Then Threads/inch (T) can be determined as equal to D x W/ (W+I) where D is the diameter per inch of yarn, W is the threads in one repeat of weave and I are the intersection in one repeat of weave. For plain weave W =2, I=2 for 2/1 twill weave, W=3 and I = 2.

4. Curvature theory says that T = D x W/ ( W +.732 I), the notations being the same as in point 3.

5. Armitage Maximum Setting Theory says that cloths which are similarly built are equally firm. For regular twill weaves Threads per inch (T) = Sqrt (6 x C(F+4)) where C are the counts of worsted yarn and F is the average float of weave. For other weaves, Armitage gave the following “setting ratio” instead of (F +4). For plain weave it is 4.75, for 2/2 hopsack it is 6.25, for 4 end satin it is 6.5 for 5 end, 6 end and 8 end satin it is 7.5, 7.75 and 9.0 respectively.

6. Laws Maximum Setting suggests that T = ((D x F)/ (F+1) )+ various percentages where F is the average float and D is the diameter per inch. For common weaves like plain weave T = ( D X 1)/(F+I), for twill weave T= ((DF)/(F+1))+ 5% for each float exceeding two, for satin weave T = ((DF)/(F+1))+5.5% for each float, for hopsack weaves T= ((DxF)/(F+1))+ 4.5% for 2 floats and 9.5% for floats exceeding two.

7. Brierjey’s Maximum Setting suggests that square settings vary according to the formula T= sqrt (KC x (F)^m) where C is the average count of yarn, F is the average float, K is a constant varying according to kind of yarn and numbering system: it is 134 for worsted yarn, 200 for cotton yarn and 60 for york shire yarn. m is a constant varying according to the type of weave: For twill weaves it is 0.39, for Satin weaves it is 0.42 and for plain and hopsack weaves it is 0.45.

An amazing treatment on fabric geometry is done in this presentation.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Why Wool Feels Warm

2009-10-14T21:49:00.003+05:30

Image via Wikipedia

Why Wool is Warm to Wear- Heat of Sorption

When a fiber absorbs water, heat is evolved. It results from the attractive forces between the fiber and water molecules. The phenomenon occurs due to the fact that when moisture vapour is absorbed into fiber’s internal structure, it transforms from gas to liquid and the phase change produces the rise in temperature.

It is calculated by heat of wetting. It is the heat evolved when a specimen of the material at a given regain, whose dry mass is one gram is completed is completed wetted.

It is expressed in joules per gram ( of dry material)

The heat of wetting is greatest for the more highly absorbing fibers and is very small in the non-hygroscopic fibers. Thus it is 113 J/g for wool, 106 for viscose, 69 for silk, 55 for flax, 46 for cotton , 73 for mercerized cotton and only 34, 31,5 and 7 respectively for Acetate, Nylon, Polyester and Acrylic.

As we can see from the figures above, wool has the highest heat of sorption. And this heat raises the temperature of the wearer which makes the wool feel warmer. In fact “the heat of sorption from a kg of Merino can be equivalent to the output from an electric blanket over eight hours” (Source ).

You can also find some discussion on Heat of Sorption here.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Why Fiber Fineness is so Important

2009-10-13T12:51:00.002+05:30

Why Fiber Fineness is So Important

It has been known since long that fiber fineness plays an important role in determining the quality of resultant yarn and hence that of the resultant fabrics. In general fiber fineness is important due to the following factors:

1. It affects Stiffness of the Fabric

As the fiber fineness increases, resistance to bending decreases. It means the fabric made from yarn of finer fiber is less stiff in feel. It also drapes better.

2. It affects Torsional Rigidity of the Yarn

Torsional rigidity means ability to twist. As fiber fineness increases, torsional rigidity of the yarn reduces proportionally. Thus fibers can be twisted easily during spinning operation. Also there will be less snarling and kink formation in the yarn when the fine fibers are used.

3. Reflection of Light

Finer fibers also determine the luster of the fabric. It is so because they there are so many number of fibers per unit area that they produce a soft sheen. This is different from Hard glitter produced by the coarser fibers. Also the apparent depth of the shade will be lighter in case of fabrics made with finer fibers than in case of coarser fibers.

4. Absorption of Dyes

The amount of dye absorbed depends upon the amount of surface area accessible for dye out of a given volume of fibers. Thus finer fibers leads to quicker exhaustion of dyes than coarser fiberes.

5. Ease in Spinning Process

Finer fibers leads to more fiber cohesion because the number of surfaces are more so cohesion due to friction is higher. Also finer fibers lead to less amount of twist because of the same increased force of friction. Which means yarns can be spun finer with the same amount of twist as compared to coarser fibers. Which also means that the yarns will be softer.

6. Uniformity of Yarn and Hence Uniformity in the Fabric

Uniformity of yarn is directly proportional to the number of fibers in the cross fibers. Hence finer the fiber, the more uniform is the yarn. When the yarn in uniform lit leads to other desirable properties such as better tensile strength, extensibility and luster. It also leads to fewer breakages in spinning and weaving. In fact fiber fineness is one of the dominant factor in determining the limiting count to which a yarn can be spun.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

8 Things to Remember While Spreading Fabric

2009-10-10T13:46:00.004+05:30

Things to remember While Spreading

1. Mark the Splice Zone on the Spreading Table

Spreading is an operation in which bolts of fabrics are unrolled on a table in such a way in order to produce a multi-layer stack, so as to facilitate cutting.

Fabrics usually contain many defects. The defects in pieces which are cut into patterns are highly undesirable. To avoid this, the spreading operator must identify and cut out defects as the material is being spread on the table. However, if the material is cut in the mid of the pattern, it will lead to more material wastage.

To avoid this, zones are defined called splice zones, where cuts can be made by the spreading operator. Also it is also required to decide about the overlap of the next section of cloth. Thus there are two lines in a splice zone: One line shows how far the previous piece of cloth must extend, and one line shows where the next piece of the cloth must begin, ie how much overlap is needed.

Thus when a flaw is encountered, the spreader is stopped, the operator moves back to the nearest splice point, cuts the flaw out and moves the spreader back to overlap the cut line with the required overlap.

Apart from cutting out defects, splices are also used to achieve proper shade matching when starting a new roll of cloth.

Thus the splicing points are marked by means of a chalk or paint.

2. Use Paper for the first ply in case the table surface is rough or when fine fabrics are being spread

3. Identify the defects noticed in the fabric by means of stickers

4. Use lubricated paper for separating layers

a. To prevent scorching in the natural fibers ( coarse fabrics)

b. To prevent fusing in the synthetic fabrics

5. Ensure that decided number of ply count and height of the spread is achieved.

6. How to spread

a. Mount the bolt on the machine

b. Pull the fabric to far end position

c. Position the fabric at the far end ( with our without weight or pins)

d. Align the ply ( width on one side)

e. Cut the ply after each lay

f. Repeat this process from b-e until the entire bolt is spread.

g. Check ply count

h. Repeat a and then b to g till the decided number of ply are spread

i. Mark the remnants of the bolts with length in meters and bolt number and stack separately at the given place.

7. How to Splice

a. When the ends of the patterns in a marker are joined on both sides by straight line then use the single line splicing. Make sure that overlapping at this point should be about 2”

b. When the ends of the patterns in a marker interlock at a common vertical line across the width then use two line marking with a diagonal indicating common area that must be overlapped when patterns in a marker interlock at a common vertical line across the width.

8. When the required height of lay is achieved, place the marker on the spread and secure it by means of brass pins on each pattern section.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Additional Reading: Indian Textile Journal

Comparison of Various Printing Techniques

2009-10-02T21:30:00.001+05:30

Comparison of Various Printing Techniques

There are various printing techniques available. All have their unique points as well as shortcomings. It would be worthwhile to compare them in order to appreciate and use them for a particular end use.

Handblock Printing: It yields very low production, there is more downtime of ‘machine’. The cost of set up is very less. Very skilled personnel is required to do such printing. The cost of making a design is very less, however durability of design is very low, being defined by durability of block, usually made of wood. The variety of designs is dictated by the skill of the woodworker who carves those designs. The size of design pattern repeat can be larger. There is a limitation of width of the fabric- which is dictated by the width of the table. The printing can be very bold or subdued. In fact, in India there are numerous techniques based on a twin combination of natural dyes and block printing.

Roller Printing: Yields more production , machine downtown is very less, however cost of setup is high- as investment is needed for the maching. The space required is less. Again very skillful operators are required. The cost of making a design is more, as roller has to be carved. The durability of the design is more than a handblock print. Very elaborate and fine designs can be carved on a roller printing. The repeat size is limited to upto 42 cm. Again it has a limitation of fabric width. Very bold and lustrous prints cannot be done on a roller printing.

Flat Bed Screen Printing: Yields more production but less than roller printing as the process is not continuous. There is very less downtime of the machine. The cost of machine and installation is very high. The space requirement is also very high. Very less skilled workers are needed for this printing method. The cost of making a design is less as compared to a roller printing. The durability of the design however is very less, as new screen has to be made after few uses. The quality of designs can be very fine. The repeat of pattern can be very high. Also even a higher width cloth can be printed. The colors can be very bright and bold.

Rotary Printing: It has the maximum production among all printing techniques. The machine downtime is very less. The cost of machine and space requirement is again very high. Less skilled workers can be employed to operate this machine. Cost of making a design is very high. Compared to this the durability of the design is very less. The variety of design it offers and the quality of reproduction is the best among all techniques. Also fabric width can be high for it to be printed. It can yield bright colors.

Transfer Printing: It can do printing only on synthetic fibers such as polyester. One cannot get a ‘tone effect’ in this printing. Even unskilled workers can be used for this technique. However 100% color is not transferred so reproducibility is affected. Paper can’t be used again after one printing therefore its durability is the minimum of all techniques. The cost of making a design is very high. The production is about equal to that of flat bed. There is very less downtime of the machine. Space requirement is very less, infact, less than any other printing technique.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Major Warping Defects- On Sectional warping

2009-09-29T07:37:00.000+05:30

Snarlings and Overlappings

These are caused by irregular yarn tension. The broken end is not tied-up by the operative with the yarn end on the drum.

Different lenghts of sections, High Wastage Rate

This is caused by over-or-under warping of sections, untimely laying of lease cords due to faulty operation of the counter and the carelessness of operative.

Overlapping/Excessive Distance

The sections overlap each other or there is an excessive distance between them. This is caused by support improperly set and the careless of warper operative.

Stripiness in the Warp

This is caused by improper mixing of raw material

Irregular Winding

Irregular winding on the warper's beam which is displaced towards one end. This is due to improper position of the weaver's beam in warp beaming.

Different lenghts of Ends

It also includes irregular distribution of the section in the weaver's beam width. This is caused by improper fixing of section ends to the weaver's beam.

Excessive or insufficient number of yarn ends in the warp

This is caused by improper calculation at gaiting.

Warp Beaming on a defective weaver's beam

This is caused by carelessness of the assistant foreman and the warper operative.

Incorrect Laying of lease cords, or their absence in some sections

Again this is caused by carelessness of the warper operative.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Suitability of a fiber for a blend

2009-09-28T02:22:00.000+05:30

Fibers in a blend are chosen keeping in mind various properties of the constituent fibers. Thus a blend is chosen which gives the best of properties of the different constituents of the blend. The properties that are considered can be strength, absorbency,crease resistance, resistance to abrasion, resistance to heat, bulkiness,resistance to pilling and Dimensional stability.All the fibers do not have all the properties that are desired. This is the very reason why blend is chosen.

Cotton has moderate strength and dimensional stability. However, it is excellent in absorbency, resistance to heat and pilling. It has an average resistance to abrasion and poor bulkiness properties and crease retention.Thus it is added in the blend to have excellent absorbency properties.

Viscose Rayon has excellent absorbency, resistance to heat and pilling. Thus it is similar to cotton in these properties.It has however, poor resistance to abrasion, bulkiness, crease retention and stability. It has an average strength. It has absorbency properties similar to cotton. It is also cheaper than cotton.

Acetate Rayon has excellent resistance to pilling and stability. It has moderate resistance to heat and average absorbency, crease retention and stability. However its resistance to abrasion is very poor.

Wool has excellent absorbency, bulk and wrinkle resistance. However, it has poor stability. It has moderate abrasion and heat resistance. Its crease retention, resistance to pilling and strength can only be considered as average.

Nylon has excellent strength, stability and abrasion resistance. However, It has poor absorbency and bulk. It has moderate crease retention and average resistance to heat and pilling.

Polyester has excellent strength, stability, crease retention and abrasion resistance. However it has poor absorbency, bulkiness properties and resistance to pilling. Its resistance to heat is average.

Acrylic has excellent bulk and stability. It has moderate resistance to heat and average crease retention and strength. Its resistance to abrasion and pilling and absorbency are very poor.It is similar to wool in most of the properties. It is also cheaper than wool.

Modacrylic has excellent stability and bulk properties. However its absorbency, resistance to heat and pilling is very poor. It has average strength, resistance to abrasion and crease retention.

Polypropylene and Polyethylene have excellent stability and strength. They have poor absorbency, bulk and heat resistance. The have average crease resistance and resistance to pilling.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

Drafting and Denting Plan in Weaving Design

2009-09-27T08:13:00.001+05:30

Systems of drafting

Apart from straight draft there are other systems of drafting which are in vogue. Some of the common ones are given as follows:

1. Skip drafts

This systems is particularly useful is weaving very densely set fabrics. Normally a small number of heald shafts is required, but to avoid overcrowding of heald eyes and to reduce friction and rubbing, more than minimum heald shafts are used.

For example, the plain weaves indicated at A may be drawn on two heald shafts as shown in B. But this works only when cloth is coarse. If the cloth is of medium fineness then plain weave may be drawn on four heald shafts as shown in C. If the cloth in very fine, the plain weave may be drawn on six heald shafts, as indicated in D.

Sateen draft

The purpose of sateen draft is similar to skip draft. It is also used to reduce friction between adjacent warp ends and to prevent overcrowding of heald eyes. But here the number of heald shaft is not increased rather the ends are staggered and placed randomly.

For example the following design employs straight draft.

However, the same design can be made using sateen draft

Notice that peg-plan is also changed.

Point draft

Point drafts are used for weaves which are symmetrical about the centre. They are frequently employed to produce waved or diamond effects.

The main advantage of the system is that is allows the production of a large number of effects with lesser number of heald shafts than those used in straight draft.

Example – Consider a design employing pointed draft as in this figure given below:

Denting plans

Denting plans describe the arrangement of the warp ends in the reed (dents are the gaps between the metal reed wires).

Denting plans depend on the number of ends per inch and the number of dents per inch in the reed.

Denting plans indicate how many inch to be put in one end of the dent.

It we place those ends which work alike in the same dent of the reed, there will be same rubbing of ends.

The prevent this, the ends which work alike are drawn through different dents.For Example, The figures A show a design and B its denting order.

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum.

How to Construct the Three Elements of a Weaving Design given the Other Two

2009-09-20T08:13:00.000+05:30

LIFTING PLAN OR PEG PLAN

Lifting plans indicate how each heald shaft is lifted on each pick in the design.

Let us again take our draft and design as worked previously.

We see that (1st, 5th, 9th) ends raised on 1st and 2nd pick; as there ends are attached to the 1st heald shaft; so 1st heald shaft should be lifted on 1st and 2nd pick and dropped on 3rd and 4th pick.

Similarly 2nd heald shaft should be lifted in 2nd and 3rd pick, 3rd head shaft should be lifted in 3rd and 4th pick and last heald shaft should be lifted in 4th and 1st pick.

How to Construct a Lifting Plan from a given Draft and Design

First of all we have to observe that lifting plan or peg plan is a relationship between the heald shaft and the no of picks.

Thus we can say that

Lifting plan decides Working of heald shaft and picks.

Design decides Working of ends and picks

And draft decides working of heald shaft and ends.

Thus these three are related.

As in our design, there are 4 heald shaft and 4 picks so our lifting plan will have 4 heald shafts and 4 picks. It is indicated on the left of the design. The rows, indicate the picks and columns the heald shafts.

Now to draw the lifting plan we proceed as follows:

From Design it is known that 1st end is up on 1st ad 2nd pick. As first end is connected to 1st heald shaft. So heald shaft No.1 should also be up on 1st and 2nd pick. We denote it by cross as shown in the figure below

Thus in the lifting plan it is clear that 1st heald shaft is lifted on 1st and 2nd pick.

Let us see the working of 2nd heald shaft. It is clear from draft and design that 2nd heald shaft is lifted (“up”) on 2nd and 3rd pick. So we trace its working on the lifting plan as:

Similarly we can trace the working of 3rd and 4th heald shaft on the lifting plane so that our final lifting plane will look like as given below:

How to Construct a draft from design and lifting plan.

Here we see that 1st , 4th and 10th ends are working alike. So we take them on the first heald shaft as shown in figure (a). Similarly 3rd, 8th and 12th ends are working alike so we take them on the second heald shaft. Going by the same reasoning 2nd, 6th and 9th ends are taken on the third heald shaft and 4th, 7th and 11th ends are taken on the fouth heald shaft as shown in figures (c) and (d). The combined draft is given as shown in figure (e)

How to Construct a design from given draft and lifting plan

Here we notice from the drafting lan that the first heald shaft is connected with 1^st, 5^th and 10^th end. Also from lifting plan, we find that this heald shaft is up on first and second pick. So we copy the working of the first heald shaft as shown in figure (a). Similarly we can copy the working of the second, third and fourth heald shafts as shown in figure (b), (c) and (d). Finally the combined design is as shown in figure (e).

Now that you've finished reading this post, what are you going do? You should go join the Forum to discuss about this topic.

How to Construct a Drafting Plan from a Design

2009-09-13T15:15:00.008+05:30

Creating Drafting Plan – Step-by –Step -Procedure

First let us understand the meaning of the ‘straight Draft. Let us draw our full previous design again.

Step 1: Number the columns starting from 1, from the left. The number represents the number of ends in the repeat. It is already done in the design.

Step 2: Find out which ends (colums) are working alike. We find that column 1,5 and 9 are working alike. Thus from the principle of drafting they should be on the same heald shaft.

Similarly sets of ends (2, 6, 10), (3, 7, 11), (4, 8, 12) are working alike, these four all the ends on the set should be on the same heald shaft.

As we have four sets (1, 5, 9), (2, 6, 10), (3, 7, 11), (4, 8, 12), which are working differently, these sets should be on different heald shafts. Thus we need in all four heald shafts.

Step 3: Show the heald shaft as rows on the drafting plan and ends as columns.

Now we are ready to make drafting plan. Generally drafting plan is shown above the design.

As there are 4 heald shafts and 12 ends so we need 4 rows and 12 columns. Therefore our drafting plan will look like:

Numbering the heald shaft from bottom to top and placing it on top of the design we have:

Step 4 Marking

As 1st, 5th, 9th ends work alike (all 2 up and 2 down) so they should be drawn through the heald eye of first heald shaft, we indicate this by a cross on the first heald shaft at 1st 5th and 9th columns.

Similarly 2nd, 6th and 10th ends work alika (1 down 1 up 1 down) they should be marked on the second heald shaft in similar way.

In the same way set (3,7,11)th end will go on 3rd heald shaft and the set of ends (4, 8, 12) will go on 4th heald shaft.

Which completes our drafting plan or draft.

This drafting plan or draft is called STRAIGHT because 1st end is drawn through 1st heald shaft, 2nd end working differently in drawn through 2nd heald shaft and so on …

How to Read a Weaving Design- A Beginner's Tutorial

2009-09-08T07:14:00.004+05:30

Weave: It refers to the order of interlacing of warp ends and the weft picks.

The figure shows the plan view of the most popular weave, which is called plain weave. Cross sectional diagrams are also used, however they are ideal of showing the basic structure of compound weave.
The preferred method of illustrating weave structure is to use point paper as shown.

A square is filled in or filled with a cross mark, every time that a warp end passes over a weft pick, called warp lift or warp up.

Weave repeat

A weave repeat is the smallest number of threads required to show all the interlacing in the patterns. It is usually considered sufficient to show one repeat only.

DRAFTING, DENTING AND LIFTING PLANS

Draft

A draft indicates the number of heald shafts used to produce a given design and the order is which warp ends are threaded through the heald eyes of the heald shaft.
The healds control the movement of warp threads to form a shed, through which the weft picks pass and it is in this way that the yearns are interlaced to form the woven fabric.
The principle of drafting (i.e. putting of ends on different healed shafts) is that ends which work in different order require separate heald shafts.
To keep matters simple, we can also say that the ends that work alike are put on the same heald shaft.
Let us understand the most simple and commonly used

draft of all i.e. the STRAIGHT DRAFT. Let us take a design as given below:

First we should read the design and find its repeat.

How to Read a Design- A step by step procedure
Step 1 Calculate the number of rows and columns. It has four rows and twelve columns. Rows in design indicate the weft and columns in the design indicate the warp ends.
Thus the design is made of four weft picks and twelve warp ends.

Step -2 Note down the working of first warp end.
We see that there are two cross marks at pick position 1 and 2. The cross marks indicate that warp is ‘over’ the pick at that position or we can call it as ‘warp up’. Thus we can say warp is ‘up’ at 1st pick and 2nd pick and as there is no cross mark in 3rd pick and 4th pick, we say that warp is down on 3rd and 4th pick or weft is ‘up’ at 3rd and 4th pick.
In weavers language we say that working of 1st end is 2 up 2 down or “2/2”.
Step- 3: Similarly, note the working of other ends till you reach a point where the whole pattern is repeating itself

Working of first end is 2 up 2 down or (from step 2) –––––
Working of 2nd end is 1down 2 up 1 down
Working of 3rd end is 2 down 2 up
Working of 4th end is 1 up 2 down 1up
Working of 5th end is 2 up 2 down
Working of 6th end is 1 down 2 up 1down
Thus we see that after 4th end the whole pattern is repeating itself.
Thus we can draw the design again upto 4th end, which indicates the smallest repeat of the design, as shown in Figure:

Thus the design is 4×4 i.e. 4 ends and 4 picks.

Seam Strength Vs. Seam Slippage

2009-09-01T08:11:00.001+05:30

Difference Between Seam Strength and Seam Slippage

Both the parameters measure the performance of seam. Seam strength referes to the strength when seam finally ruptures or when the fabric breaks.

However before rupturing there is an unacceptable opening in the seam which makes the seam 'failed' commercially even when there is no visible rupture. Seam slippage measures that.

Seam strength depends upon stitch type, thread strength, stitches per inch, thread tension, seam type and seam efficiency of the material.

Seam slippage depends upon the stitch rate, the weave structure of the fabric and the width of the seam allowance.

There is another term called 'yarn slippage' which measures the shifting of warp yarn over weft yarn to render the garment unusuable.

Yarn slippage depends upon a low number of warp or filling yarn, two shallow seam allowance, too tight a fit and improper seam construction.

Find Pictures of Seam Quality Defects here.

Fabric Parameters

2009-08-16T08:40:00.004+05:30

Woven fabric parameters

There are four basic parameters that are essential for every woven fabric.

1. Ends per Inch and Picks per inch (EPI and PPI).
2. Yarn count
3. Crimp

4. Weave or Fabric Structure or Design

1. Ends per Inch or Picks per Inch

It is a measure of thread density. The normal method used to determine thread density is to use a pick glass.

2. Yarn count

EPI and PPI affects the compactness of the fabric. It is also known as thread count or cloth count. Thread counts range from as low as 20 threads per inch as used in tobacco cloth to as high as 350 threads per inch, found in type writer ribbon fabrics. Normally EPI and PPI of a fabric are described as EPI×PPI. Thus a fabric of 74×66 means 74 EPI×66 PPI.

Balanced constriction

A fabric is said to be well balanced if the number of warp yarns and weft yarns per inch are almost equal.

3.Crimp

Crimp refers to the amount of bending that is done by thread as it interlaces with the threads that are lying in the opposite direction of the fabric. Crimp is defined as the ratio of difference of length of yarn (Ly) taken from length of fabric (Lf) to the length of fabric (Lf).

Crimp = (Ly-Lf)/Lf

Often it is more convenient and preferable to use percentage values. Thus we can define crimp percentage as:

Crimp% = (Ly-Lf)/Lf

A crimp will normally give values ranging from 0.01 to 0.14 ie. (1% to 14%).

Crimp is related to many aspects of the fabric. It affects the cover, thickness, softness and hand of the fabric. When it is not balanced it also affects the wear behaviour and balance of the fabric, because the exposed portions tend to wear at a more rapid rate than the fabric. The crimp balance is affected by the tensions in the fabric during and after weaving. If the weft is kept at low tension while the tension in warp directions is high, then there will be considerable crimp in the weft and very little in the warp.

4. Weave

It refers to the arrangement of warp and weft in the fabric.

OTHER FABRIC PROPERTIES

1. Fabric weight (W)

It is the weight of the yarn per square meter in the woven fabric, which is the sum of the weight of the warp (W1) and weight of the weft (W2).

Weight of the warp is calculated as (per square m):

W1= [n1 x 100 (1+c1%)/100] x [N1/1000] g

Where
n1 = Ends per cm
N1 = Warp count in Tex

C1% = Warp crimp percentage.

Similarly weight of the weft is calculated as (per square m)

W2= [n2 x 100 (1+c2%)/100] x [N2/1000] g

Total weight per square meter = W1+W2

weight/piece = (W1+W2) × piece length × piece width in gram.

Example

A fabric 120m long, 1.3 m wide and having 30 ends per cm of 12 tex warp and 24 picks per cm of 15 tex weft. The warp and weft crimp percentages are five percent and eight percent respectively. We describe these fabric particulars as
30×24; 12 tex × 15 tex; 5%×8%

Warp weight per square m = [30 x 100 x (1+5)/100] x [12/1000] = 37.8 gms

Weft weight/square m = [24 x 100 x (1+8)/100] x [15/1000] = 38.8 gms

Piece weight

= total weight per m × piece length × piece width
= 76.68 × 120× 1.3
= 11962.08 gm or 11.96 kg.

2. Cover factor

(K) it is defined as the area covered by the yarn when compared with the total area covered by the fabric.
The warp cover factor can be found by using the formula.
k1= n1 x sqrt(N1)/10
Where
n1 = Ends/cm
N1 = Count of warp in tex

Similarly the weft cover factor can be found by the formula

k2 = n2 x sqrt(N2) /10

So the total cover factor is
K = K1 + K2

Thus with fabric (30×24; 12 tex×15 tex) the values are

k1= (30 x sqrt12)/10 = 10.39

k2 = (24 x sqrt15)/10 = 9.30

K = K1+K2 = 10.39+9.30 = 19.69

3. Fabric Thickness

For a wide range of fabric, this parameter is not important, but it becomes critical for fabrics that are to be used as belts and felts.

Want to Take a Quick Test on this Topic. Click Here

Elements of Weaving

2009-08-11T09:41:00.008+05:30

Elements of Weaving
Weaving is carried out on a machine traditionally known as a loom.
Fig. illustrates the layout of a weaving loom in the form of a simple schematic diagram.

The sheet of warp yarns, which consists of a number of ends is carried upon the weavers beam A. The warp ends from the beam are then drawn through the healds B1 and B2, threaded through the splits of the reed C and at the point D they become interlaced with the weft supplied by the shuttle E. The cloth is formed at the fell of the cloth, marked F and is wound upon the cloth roller marked G situated at the front of the loom.
There are three types of motions identified on a loom.

PRIMARY MOTIONS
Every loom requires three primary motions to produce woven fabrics.
1. Shedding
2. Weft Insertion
3. Beating up
Shedding
It is the name given to the motion which moves the heald frames up and down in order to separate the warp sheet into two layers and create a triangle in front of the reed (referred to as the shed) through which the weft can be passed.

Weft Insertion (Picking)
It is the means by which the weft is projected through the shed. This was traditionally by shuttle, but more recently it is done by projectile, airjet or water jet.

Beating up
It is where the reed pushes the weft into the fell of he cloth to form fabric. This requires considerable force. Hence the term, beating up.

SECONDARY MOTIONS
There are three secondary motions in weaving : let off; take up and weft selection
Let off motion - It ensures that the warp ends are controlled at the optimum tension for the fabric that is being woven.
Take up motion - It withdraws cloth from the fell and stores it at the front of the loom.
Weft selection - It is necessary to change the weft being inserted.

Ancillary or Tertiary motions
These are widely used on modern weaving machines
These include
1. Warp stop motions
2. Warp protectors
3. Weft stop motions
4. Weft replenishment
Warp stop motions stop the loom at the event of the breakage of an end.

Warp Protectors- These protect the warp in the event of shuttle flying etc.
Weft stop motions halt the loom when the weft yarn break. Warp protector motions stops the loom before beat up if shuttle fails to reach the other side of the loom.
Weft replenishment assures a continuous supply of weft yarn to the loom wherever a supply package becomes exhausted.

Care of Linen Fabrics

2009-08-07T06:33:00.001+05:30

Care of Linen Garments

1. Washing

Washing is recommended. One can use hand or machine washing but take care of the following points

- Use a gentle wash cycle and use a gentle soap.
- Use cool to warm, not hot water.
- Wash colored linens in cool water.
- Use soft water
- Use oxygen bleaches ( hydrogen peroxide) for white linen. Chlorine bleaches can cause yellowing.
- Never wash darker-colored pieces together with the lighter colored articles.

2. Drying

Can use any of the drying methods, but bring linen in while it is still damp. If linen dries thoroughly, it may become brittle. Damp Linen also helps in ironing. If a linen has become thoroughly dried, put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator before ironing.

3. Ironing

Iron with lot of steam at a medium to hot setting. Iron Linen until smooth but not dry. Once wrinkles are gone, hang the linen items until it is bone dry.

4.Storing

Clean linen items before storing .

-Avoid folding linen garments. Linen clothing should be hung on a padded clothes hanger in a cool dry environment.

- If you decide to warp the linen, use bags of linen, cotton or muslin, never plastic bags.

Tags: Care, Linen, Fabrics