GREY ROOM

OPERATIONS

SUBJECT :- DYEING AND PRINTING.

ASSIGNMENT - 1

1

SUBMITTED BYASHISH KUMAR

ANNEPU- 6 VAIBHAV -26

DFT – SEMESTER (V) NIFT HYDERABAD

INDEX

TOPIC PAGE NUMBERWET PROCESSING

INTRODUCTION AND

PREPERATORY PROCESSES

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GREY ROOM OPERATIONS 7-19CASE 1- SANGHI TEXTILES 20-30CASE 2- WELSPUN INDIA 31-42CASE 3 – ALPS INDUSTRIES 43-50CONCLUSION 51BIBLIOGRAPHY 52

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WET PROCESSING

The Wet processing of the textile industry covers all the processes on a

textile that involve some form of wet or chemical treatment. It is the

chemical nature of the wet processing, that distinguishes it from the other

sectors of the textile industry such as yarn, fabric and garment

production.

There are mainly two types of wet processes used to increase the

asthetic features of the fabric:

• Dyeing

• Printing

Dyeing is the process of imparting colours to a textile material in loose

fibre, yarn, cloth or garment form by treatment with a dye.

Textile printing is the process of applying colour to fabric in definite

patterns or designs. In properly printed fabrics the colour is bonded with the

fiber, so as to resist washing and friction. Textile printing is related to

dyeing but, whereas in dyeing proper the whole fabric is uniformly covered

with one colour, in printing one or more colours are applied to it in certain

parts only, and in sharply defined patterns.

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The basic operations concerning the wet processing are:

• PREPARATION

• COLOURATION

• FINISHING PROCESSES .

Preperatory processes exist to ensure that the textile has the right

physical and chemical properties for it to be coloured or finished.

Preparation processes are used to remove impurities (fats, waxes, sizes,

spinning lubricants etc.,) from natural fibres and any added substances

from earlier stages of processing, If dyestuffs/finishes need to be applied,

impurities must be removed first.

Preparation of Cellulosic fabrics

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SINGEING

DESIZING

SCOURING

BLEACHING

MERCERIZING

• Shearing and cropping removes fibres and loose yarns of up to

8cm are cut from the surface of the fabric.

• Surface hair removal is the first stage in a preparation sequence and

can be carried out by the process of Singeing.

• Sizes are applied to the warp yarns of woven fabrics to assist the

weaving process and must be removed prior to dyeing or printing by

a process known as Desizing.

• Scouring removes water-soluble impurities, waxes and fats and

soiling. It partially removes vegetable matter and has little effect on

any natural colouring matter that may be present in the fibre.

Removal of these impurities greatly improves the absorbency of the

fibre, which is essential if dyeing and printing are to be successful.

• Bleaching converts natural colorants to colorless products and

helps to breakdown any remaining vegetable matter.The bleaching

of cellulosic fibres is done with oxidizing agents, usually one or two

among Sodium hypochlorite, Hydrogen peroxide, Sodium chlorite

and Calcium hypo chlorite.

• Mercerization is a preparation process, which is only applicable to

cellulosic fibres and cotton in particular. Mercerization swells

cellulosic fibres, making the fibre more lustrous, stronger, giving it a

greater capacity to accept dye, more absorbency; a softer handle

and making it more extensible. Mercerization can improve the

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appearance of cotton fabric with a high percentage of immature

fibres by the increased luster and dye acceptance.

Preparation of Wool fabrics

• Carbonizing is treating the wool with a strong acid to remove

remaining vegetable impurity and is carried out off loose stock or

piece. As a final step, the goods must be neutralized and rinsed.

• Felting is the tendency of the fibres to form matted entanglements

such that a woven fabric, for eg, wool fabrics can become so matted

that the warp and weft yarns are no longer visible. The result is a

fabric which is apparently composed entirely of an entangled web of

fibres and the fabric is referred to as a felt.

• Milling is the process of deliberately felting wool goods to achieve

the effects of felting.

• Wool fabrics are given a temporary set during either a crabbing

(passing the fabric through hot water) or blowing (using stream).

Preparation of silk fabrics

• The process of removing gum from silk is known as Degumming or

Boiling off. The common method of removing gum from raw silk is

treating it in a hot solution or neutral soap, which is the best

degumming agent.

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Preparation of man –made fiber fabrics

• A fabric can be exposed to dry heat or steam at a temperature

above the softening temperature while being held flat and to a

particular width.. If we continue to hold the width fixed while the

fabric will be very resistant to stretch or shrink in the width at any

subsequence stage of processing so long as the setting temperature

is not reached or closely approached. This is known as heat

setting.

GREY ROOM OPERATIONS

GREY INSPECTION

This is an important stage at which proper inspection should

be carried out.

The fabric construction, weight, structure,Cotton quality and

grades used, besides its other parameters like width, strength

in grey, physical appearance Kitties, neps, manufacturing

defects, piece lengths etc are to be checked and cleared for

processing as all these characteristics have their influence on

the Processing activity.

These characteristics give a fairly good idea of your

capabilities to process the fabric i.e., that you have the right

infrastructure in terms of machinery and men. They also, are

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the indices for certain end results and one can decide at this

stage itself whether a particular specification can be met or

not in the final product.

A wrong decision at this stage can be disastrous, as any

amount of intervention later cannot solve the problem.

Examples:

Inferior mix with dead cotton and immature cotton will

cause undesirable specks on un- mercerized dyed

fabric. Even Bleached fabrics will look neppy.

Sometimes mercerization also will not improve the

appearance.

Morphological and nutritional factors change raw

cotton characteristics and consequently have influence

on their processing and dyeing behaviors. Good

manufacturing practices ensure taking these factors

also into consideration at the mixing stage itself in the

blow room.

Fabric without the proper reed width and grey width will

not give the desired finished width and construction

parameters. Where the specification is for pre- shrunk

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finish, the grey width should be determined in advance,

taking this aspect also into consideration.

Commissioned Process houses should be fore-

warned and insist on the correct Reed / Grey width.

Processing on Mercerizer and Senters will also pose

problems.

Thick selvedges pose problems of forming ridges at

the selvedges in a batching operation.

Un- bound selvedge warp threads especially fabrics

woven on two/three in a split looms will get frayed and

cause problems of getting wound on the guide rollers

of washing range / Pad steam Range etc.

Improper construction / insufficient width of selvedges

cause folding /curling problems.

Lower CSP (Count Strength Product) of yarn can

cause problems of not meeting the specifications of

strength in the final finished material, particularly where

cross-linking resins or flame retardant finishes are

involved. Such problems are more prevalent in fabrics

made out of open-end spun yarn, besides inferior

mixing. Care should be taken to ensure the desired

starting CSP for the required finished strength

specifications.

A good House keeping and discipline should be

maintained for identification and segregation of sorts /

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different blend compositions /merge numbers in case

of Polyester (Synthetic) blends.

Where there is difficulty in controlling the sources of

grey, as in the context of commissioned processing, it

is desirable to segregate fabric including cotton,

source-wise, check dye-ability and then group.

Also, certain defects from manufacturing cannot be

covered in Dyeing. E.g. Reed lines, starting places,

count variation particularly in the weft, etc should be

segregated and diverted to Bleaching or Printing.

SHEARING, CROPPING AND MENDING

These operations are generally carried out before

dispatch to Process House to clean and to remove

loose threads anchored on the surface.

Inspection of grey fabric is carried out on machines /

tables and mended where possible or the fabric with

major faults are cut out. In some Process Houses

these operations are carried out in-House.

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Fabrics with high incidence of warp and or weft floats

like in some Jacquards cannot be sheared and

cropped. Similarly very delicate fabrics cannot stand

this operation.

The removal of loose threads and trimming /cleaning

will have to be done while mending on the inspection

machines / tables manually.

Caution should be exercised to avoid fabric susceptible

to damages during shearing and cropping. This will go

a long way to avoid further problems elsewhere in the

process sequence.

The problems related to shearing and cropping operation.

PROBLEMS DETAILS

Loose threads anchored on surface of

fabric not removed due to poor

performance of the operation

Loose threads will get wound

on guide rollers forming ridges

in the processing machines and

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cause creases at these places.

Also loose threads can cause

problems of Dye /Print transfer

in a padding / Printing

application

Blade sharpness and settings are

important parameters that need to be

checked frequently

Blunt blade /setting will affect

efficiency adversely will result

in uneven cropping resulting in

un-cut loose threads.

Also tear the fabric

intermittently Better to mend on

tables including loose threads

than run on faulty Shearing and

Cropping machine.

Defective Exhaust /Suction fans

The blade section will get

clogged and cleaning of the

fabric will be affected.

Seam Detectors

The none / faulty performance

can cause extensive damages

and down time losses.

Metal Detectors Absence of or faulty detectors

may allow metallic foreign

bodies embedded in the fabric,

which will damage the Fabric

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and the machine in subsequent

operations case study.

Emery rollers major causes for problems

Intermittent rotation of these

rollers due to bearing defect will

give differential

cleaning/rubbing and cause

variation in shade/ appearance.

Settings for fabric contact

should be pre-determined to

avoid satisfactory cleaning.

Fabric run with folds in body/selvedges

or crumpled together

Emery rollers will give uneven

abrasion marks at the folds that

cannot be corrected Also the

blade will abrade differentially /

cut the folded areas and also at

the folded selvedges

Untrimmed selvedges/Un bound

selvedges

In some cases, untrimmed

selvedges will get entangled in

the Stenter causing cuts/tear at

the selvedge. Un bound

selvedge can fray and cause

problems.

Major cuttable faults

Tearing / Entanglement of

fabric at these places while

processing under tension

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SUGGESTED ACTIONS

Honing and setting of the blades should be carried out in a pre

set time cycle depending on the type of fabrics. Running of

heavier and thick fabrics may require more frequent attention.

The guiders, tension rollers, emery rollers condition, bearings,

parallelism / alignment of the guide rollers, exhaust fans etc.

should be checked and maintained as a preventive maintenance

exercise with out fail.

Selvedge uncurlers should be maintained for efficient

functioning.

Metal detector, Seam detector and lifting mechanism should be

functional to avoid damages / down time.

Vigilant supervision.

The system should provide for segregation of material rendered

faulty due to any malfunction.

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The defects caused at this stage, if allowed unnoticed, will cause

a number of problems related to rubbing marks, tear / holes,

hazy appearance, and even apparent dyeing faults like patchy

effects.

MAKING UP OF THE LOT / BATCH SIZE

The next important stage in the Grey Inspection and forwarding

for processing is the making up of the lot and batch size.

Based on the grey inspection input, the fabric from different

categories based on weight, construction, width, source etc

should be segregated and grouped.

The specific group should be stitched together and made into a

lot size.

A lot may comprise of the entire fabric material of an order

quantity or any other basis followed by the Process House, but

the batch size should be in terms of the minimum length

determined in advance.

This will depend on the Processes and the process sequence.

C ertain operations in the sequence may permit mixing of the

groups, but if any one operation requires segregation, that would

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over ride other considerations for making up a batch.

Examples:

Weight/construction/width wise grouping will be critical at

both continuous and batch wise preparation stages of

scouring, but not so critical in certain operations like in the

chainless mercerizing range.

If for some reason the small Process House is resorting to

batch mercerizing / causticising, batch identity should be

maintained. However this method of mercerization is not

very satisfactory and can only be a compromise with the

attendant problems.

The problems relating to mixing of categories shall be

further discussed under Scouring, Mercerizing etc.

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STITCHING

Stitching the pieces together is an area requiring serious attention.

Flawless stitching of the joints is essential in order to avoid much of the

problems caused by negligence in this apparently innocuous operation.

Problems related to Stitching

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Considerations Consequences during Processing

Piece ends cut

obliquely to the weft

direction and joined

Will result in Weft distortion Any

correction on the machine cannot

solve this unless the piece ends are

torn along the weft line and again re-

stitched along the weft line

Stitching thread

selection

Stitch thread should withstand the

rigours of the process sequences /

chemicals used / tension / stress etc.

Stitching pattern Butt to butt stitching would be ideal

for fabrics with good cover factor and

with standard reed x pick parameters

and heavy fabrics. Fabrics with low

cover factor and low reed x pick

parameters; also some of the re-

generated cellulose and their blends

may yield and fray to snap at the

joints under tension during

processing.

In such cases the joint will have to be

the regular end on end stitching.

It may be cautioned that this pattern

of stitch for very heavy qualities like

canvas, denims etc. could result in

damages to the padding mangles and

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washing machine nips.

There are also chances of stitch

marks showing up in certain batch

wise dyeing processes.

The aim should be to avoid ridges at

the joints and ensure smooth

passage of the joints through the nips

without jolting / jumping.

Bad stitching:

• Broken threads

causing intermittent

gaps in the stitching

• Beginning and

End of the stitching

not properly locked

Opening up at the places of gaps

under tension can cause distortion

immediately next to the gaps.

Sometimes even joint may snap.

Creases may start generating from

these points.

The joint will open up at the

selvedges causing Selvedge folds,

rolling /curling of selvedges.

Variation in Grey

width

• Variation in grey

width within a

tolerance of 2cm*

• Stitching with

Any protrusion of piece beyond the

stitching shall result in folding of the

selvedge starting from the protruding

portion: some times right through the

piece length.

After aligning one side while stitching,

the two ends of the pieces should be

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puckering or with

folds (pleats) to

accommodate wide

variation in width

guided (stretched / relaxed) such that

at the end there is no protrusion

Creases will start from the folds.

Considerable length of the piece shall

be creased up before the fabric

opens up.

Should be totally avoided. The pieces

should be grouped together as per

the width at the inspection stage itself

as already discussed.

CASE 1

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GREY

ROOM

OPERATIONS

AT

SANGHI

TEXTILES

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SANGHI TEXTILES PVT. LTD

Sanghi Textiles Pvt. Ltd., one of the largest and latest textile processors in

South India, strives for customer satisfaction while attempting excellence in

quality. It was commissioned in 1979 and now runs with a production

capacity of 100000 metres per day. It is an integrated unit with processing

facilities of cotton, synthetic and blended fabric of all qualities. It has

updated and upgraded quality management system with modern

technologies to enhance customer satisfaction while obtaining feedback

from their valued customers.

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PROCESS FLOW

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Grey Fabric checking and stitching

Further treatment rendered to cotton fabric

Further Treatment Rendering to polyester fabric

Singeing

Desizing

Scouring

Bleaching + H2O2 Treatment

Mercerizing

Souring

Jigger Dyeing

Scouring

Finishing

Mercerizing

Bleaching + H2O2 Treatment

Souring

Jet Dyeing

Finishing

Sanfronising & Calendering

Folding and Packaging

DEPARTMENT

Grey room Department

Bleaching Department

Dyeing Department

Printing Department

Finishing Department

Folding Department

Quality Assurance Department

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Folding and PackagingSanfronising & Calendering

Grey room operations at Sanghi Textiles

The Main purpose of the Greyroom Department is to inspect the grey

fabric for weaving defects, to mend all repairable defects and to generate

quality reports of the fabric inspected so that the fabric can be delivered to

the processing department as per the present requirement or demand. It

stores the grey goods in the roll form, until they are issued to the

processing. The major operations carried out in the Greyroom department

are:

1. Bale Opening

Motive:

Before taking the fabric for the process it is necessary to verify all

the relevant information and document.

Fabric Check:

Fabric checking is carried out on a light table. Here,

the fabric is placed on a glass table with two tube

lights below it. Due to the illumination the fabric

defects become visible to the naked eye and are thus manually

removed.

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Procedure:

The bales are brought manually from the godown by keeping the

bales in the hand trolley for opening the bales for verification such

as fold, width, length, weight and ends for picks.

Precautions:

- While opening the bales care should be taken by workmen, so

that no damage should occur when using the knife for opening.

- Trolley should be checked properly to avoid any type of accident

during the transportation of the bales from godown to the

opening places.

- To keep in mind that iron strike should not damage the fabric

while opening the bales and also no injury should happen to the

workers.

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2. Grey Room Checking And Rejection

Motive:

Before the fabric is given for stitching the grey goods have to be

checked, inspected on the table for checking of oil stains, water

marks, etc. to maintain quality.

Procedure:

After opening the bales, cotton or man-made fabric,

the fabric is taken on the checking table and

examined thoroughly. The mendable defects are

repaired using implements like a trimmer, comb etc.

The non-mendable defects are carefully noted in

the report. Good fabric has to be allowed for

stitching and rejected goods are kept separately for party approval.

Grey fabric inspection machine :

The 100% grey fabric inspection is done in the Almac woven fabric

inspection machine. The unit has installed three fabric

inspection machine of Almac brand.

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The Almach woven fabric inspection machines have the following

features:

- Inspection table is laminated with adequate number of tube-lights

provided beneath and above the glass with variable lighting

arrangement.

- Push button controls are given on the drive box on the right hand

side.

- Cloth can run in FORWARD as well as in REVERSE direction.

- Fabric runs in face in/face out manner.

- Special jogging or inching device is provided to stop the machine

at the right location of the defect.

- Soft start and instantaneous stoppage of fabric can be done.

- Automatic stop arrangement to stop the machine at the end of

the fabric piece.

- Bow bar has been provided in the batching device to open out

the creases in the fabric.

- Perfectly aligned straight edges in tunes of ± 1 to 2mm in the

model with automatic edge guiding system. The device comes

with an electronically

- Operated motorized screw type arrangement, thus doing away

with the requirements such as compressed air etc.

- Perfect tension during the flow of the fabric is provided using

guide roll assembly, thus no hassles of nip rolls occur.

- Meter Counter is installed in front of the platform top for easy

reading.

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Precautions:

- Oil and stains spotted should be removed by hand with spotting

chemicals; loose ends should be removed.

- Report about the defective goods like cuts, hales and water

marks etc. must be reported to the Supervisor and Head of the

Department of Grey Department.

- Grey checkers should clean their equipment and inspection table

and surroundings daily before starting the day’s work.

3. Stitching

Motive:

Generally the amount of cloth received is about 10 meters or more

than that. It needs to be made into long length cloth from processing

such as rope form, open form, so that several thousands meters of

fabric can be processed continuously.

Procedure:

Different types of cloth are sorted out; stitching of the same type of

fabric is carried out at the same time. Before stitching each piece is

checked for lot number, width so that at any stage in the process

pieces can be identified.

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Precautions:

Machines should be checked before stitching via needle, plates in order to

avoid stoppage in the middle of the fabric.

End to end should be perfectly stitched to avoid any type of crease

formation during the process.

No entanglement of fabric is to be allowed while stitching and works for

traceability should not hide.

Clean the machines after stitching.

Cotton goods should be stitched with cotton threads.

Blended goods should be stitched with synthetic threads.

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AMERICAN CHECKING SYSTEM

The American checking system or 4 point system has received the widest

acceptance in the textile industry. In this system, cloth defects are given

penalty points, depending upon the severity of defects. Sanghi Textiles Pvt.

Ltd. operates in 4 point system.

Defect Classification:

Size of Defects Penalty Points

1 inch to 3 inches 1 point

3 inches to 6 inches 2 points

6 inches to 9 inches 3 points

9 inches and above 4 points

• The whole fabric roll is inspected.

• Not more than 4 points are assigned to one linear yard.

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• The total penalty points per 100 yards of fabric should not be more

than 20 points.

• Any defect repeatedly occurring throughout the entire piece is

marked second.

DEFECTS & THEIR REMEDIES

DEFECTS ORIGIN REMEDIES

Ball Cut knife Be alert while opening the bales

Dirty Stain handlingClean the hands before

handling

Oil Stain Weaving Do hand spotting

Curly Cumas Comes in grey stage2-3% such defects allowed to

processing; can’t be rectified

Wrong IdentificationCarelessness of stamping

man

Be alert while stamping party

name, lot, no. of piece, no. of

processes to be done, etc.

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Stitching Variation

Selvedge to selvedgeWidth variation of fabric

Before stitching, same width of

fabric is to be segregated for

stitching to avoid creases while

processing open width fabrics.

Missing Ends

it is due to the fault of sized;

It cannot be rectified after

manufacturing of cloth

2-3% such defects allowed for

processing

Double pickit is due to the negligence of

weaver

2-3% of such defects allowed

for processing

Double Ends

Loose endsweaving

2-3% such defects allowed for

processing; cutting it by the

slitter

CASE 2:-

GREY ROOM

OPERATIONS

33

AT

WELSPUN

WELSPUN INDIA

Welspun India limited a part of the Welspun group had its beginning in

1993 as terry towel manufacturing unit at Vapi.

The company exports more than 90 % of its total production to over 34

countries and caters to 12 out of the 20 top retailers in the world.

The company s share in US home textiles market is on the rise as it is‟

moving up the value chain from selling to mass merchant, at the bottom of

market pyramid to designer brands at the uppermost tip of the pyramid.

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With licensed life style brands in home textiles, the company s desire to‟

expand its business on high value products and distribution channels as

part of its overall risk free strategy.

Company has also entered into the domestic market with the brand name

Spaces, offering holistic home textile solution. ’Spaces’ has a retail

presence in over 800 stores.

Location : The Anjar unit is located in the important vicinity of Kandla port.

Fiber type :-The main fiber spun in this unit is cotton and its blends along

with some other special fibers which include polyester, modal, bamboo,

static, etc. The cotton is mainly blended with polyester in the ratio of 3:2

depending on the end use and requirement.

Fabric type :-The unit many produces woven terry towels i.e. uncut pile

weaving.

Process flow for the dyeing process

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GREY FOLDING DEPARTMENT

The Main purpose of the Grey Folding Department is to inspect the grey

fabric for weaving defects and to generate quality reports of the fabric

inspected. It also prepares the fabric for delivery to the processing

department as per the present requirement or demand. It stores the grey

goods in the roll form, until they are issued to the processing. It also mends

all the repairable defects prior to rolling & storage.

Grey fabric inspection machine

The 100% grey fabric inspection is done in the Almac woven fabric

inspection machine with the following features:

⇒ Inspection table is laminated with adequate number of tube-lights

provided beneath and above the glass with variable lighting arrangement.

⇒ Push button controls are given on the drive box on the right hand

side.

⇒ Cloth can run in FORWARD as well as in REVERSE direction

instantaneously.

⇒ Fabric runs face in/face out

⇒ Special jogging or inching device is provided to stop the machine at

the right location of the defect.

⇒ Soft start and instantaneous stoppage of fabric.

⇒ Automatic stop arrangement to stop the machine at the end of the

fabric piece.

⇒ Bow bar has been provided in the batching device to open out the

creases in the fabric.

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⇒ Perfectly aligned straight edges in tunes of ± 1 to 2mm in our model

with automatic edge guiding system.

⇒ The device comes with an electronically operated motorized screw

type arrangement, thus doing away with requirements such as

compressed air etc.

⇒ Perfect tension during the flow of the fabric is provided using guide

roll assembly, thus no hassles of nip rolls.

⇒ Meter Counter is installed in front on platform top for easy reading.

Fabric inspection

⇒ There are two such machines which are used for the inspection of

the grey fabric. After the inspection has been done the grey fabric is

now wound on to A-frames from doff rolls by the help of the batching

machines.done for easy transportation of the fabric roll in the

processing unit.

⇒ There are three batching machines in the grey folding department.

The fabric roll on the A-frame is then passed on to the processing

unit.

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Weaving Defects

The grey fabric inspection takes place mainly to check the following

weaving defects:

Crack

Appearance – too few picks per inch in few areas

Cause –

a) Bad start up procedure by weaver

b) Let off or take up, worn or broken

c) Improper tension on warp

d) Weft feeler problem

Responsibility of weaver –

a) More care required while pick finding

b) Stop loom, call supervisor

Float

Appearance – distortion in weft direction generally accompanies with

warp break

Cause –

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a) Fluff or knot behind reed

b) Spare end weaving in

c) Knot with long tails

d) Warp stop motion not working

Responsibility of weaver – remove the cause

Wrong drawing

Appearance – irregular pattern warp way in the cloth

Cause – weaver incorrectly drawing in the healds

Responsibility of weaver – correct the draw

Leno problem

Appearance – leno end not holding correctly

Cause –

a) Wrong drawing ion leno device

b) Build up of dirt or fly

c) Wrong tension or ends

d) Faulty leno device

Responsibility of weaver –

a) Correct the draw

b) Clean off

c) Adjust tension

d) Call mechanic

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Missing end

Appearance – warp line; thin gap in warp direction

Cause –

a) Fluff in drop wires

b) Warp stop motion not working

c) Missing drop wire

d) Electrical fault

e) Incorrect settings of warp stop motion

Responsibility of weaver –

a) Blow air regularly

b) Inform mechanic

c) Replace it

d) Inform supervisor

Design mistake

Appearance – incorrect design

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Cause – wrong design put in microprocessor

Responsibility of weaver – stop loom and inform supervisor

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Wrong weft

Appearance – incorrect weft

Cause – incorrect count or colour of weft

Responsibility of weaver – to ensure correct use of weft and always

check weft as per loom card

Slough off

Appearance – loose coils of weft in the fabric

Cause – bad cones or incorrect tension

Responsibility of weaver – to replace the cone or inform

supervisor

Pull terry

Appearance – pile ends are pulled / cut across the fabric width

Cause – if foreign bodies cones are in contact with needle, needle

could be damaged or take up motion problem

Responsibility of weaver – inform supervisor, mechanic

Reverse terry

Appearance - pile formation in plain portion of the cloth

Cause – pile / ground beam tension problem

Responsibility of weaver – inform supervisor / mechanic

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Starting mark

Appearance – thick or thin places at the start of the loom

Cause – incorrect loom setting

Responsibility of weaver – call mechanic / inform supervisor

Defective selvedge

Appearance – no fringes from cutters, cloth may be cut

Cause – wrong position of selvedge cutters

Responsibility of weaver – replace the end until the end is clean

Defective border

Appearance – warp line

Cause – reed dents bent or damaged

Responsibility of weaver – flag fixer

Oil stain

Appearance – warp line corresponding to the temple

Cause – weaver incorrectly drawing in selvedge ends

Responsibility of weaver – flag fixer

Shade variation

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Appearance – selvedge ends weaving incorrectly

Cause – weaver incorrectly drawing in selvedge ends

Responsibility of weaver – stop loom and correct

Dobby heald problem

Appearance – heavy line warp way

Cause – two ends in the same heald

Responsibility of weaver – remove extra end

Reed mark

Appearance – visible line warp way in the cloth

Cause –

a) Weaver error

b) Portion of yarn with incorrect twist

c) Fault in warping or drawing in.

Responsibility of weaver –

a) Weaver s fault ‟

b) Remove and unmark the end

c) Flag fixer

Uneven pile height

Appearance – visible line filling way in the cloth

Cause –

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a) Broken filling not completely removed

b) Pick finding incorrect

c) Faulty filling detector

Responsibility of weaver –

a) Weaver s fault ‟

b) Flag fixer

Emery mark

Appearance – thick line across cloth

Cause –

a) Incorrect pick finding

b) Reverse cone caught and running in

Responsibility of weaver –

a) Weaver s fault ‟

Damaged terry

Appearance – filling bar

Cause –

a) Wrong cone creeled

b) Mixed yarn in spinning or winding

Responsibility of weaver –

a) Weaver s fault ‟

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b) Stop loom, flag supervisor

CASE 3

GREY ROOM

OPERATIONS

AT

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ALPS

INDUSTRIES

ALPS INDUSTRIES

Alps Industries Imited, established in 1962 and one the leading

manufacturers of Yarns, Home Furnishings, Natural Dyes, and Fashion

Accessories which is well appreciated all across the globe. It also offers a

whole range of Architectural products under the brand name "Vista" having

the highest brand recall in its category and Fashion Accessories under the

brand name "Le-Pashmina" in the domestic market with a wide Distribution

network. Their strength lies in their infrastructure as they have 7

production facilities, which operate on state-of the-art production

technology and mantain Environment Management Systems.

Mission

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• To achieve a leading position in environment friendly textile

products.

• To create top-of-the-mind brand recall for its products.

• To pursue innovation of new products

• To strengthen market reach in both the domestic and international

markets so as to fully capture emerging opportunities.

• To reach the customers directly for improved responsiveness to

changing customer preferences.

• To introduce own brands for home furnishing products in the

international market.

• Position, both in the domestic as well as the international market.

Fiber type:- Fibers mainly produced and processed are cotton and

polyester

Fabric type:-

the main type of

fabric that

undergoes

treatments are f

poly cott

PROCESS

FLOW

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Grey room operations at Alps

international

In case the woven gray fabric contains any defects, the

loom which has produced the fabric is identified and the fabric is mended.

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The fabric is placed on grey checking table having a glass plate in wooden

frame, with 4 tube lights behind it for good illumination, which contains a

meter and the fabric is pulled beneath the meter automatically by machine

and the length checked is recorded. White paper is stuck at the back of the

glass to improve visibility. The faults are marked by tying a red thread at

the selvage of the place of defect so that it can be easily identified while

mending. Also, all defects are noted in detail, in a register.

DEFECTS

Fabric defects can be classified into two groups:

• Avoidable and unavoidable – major and minor

• Mendable and unmendable

Common fabric defects and their causes:

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• Pick bar: A band running across the full width of the cloth due to

difference in appearance from its adjacent surface due to difference

in pick spacing. Principal causes are mechanical faults in the loom

such as faulty geating in the take-up motion, beam collars are loose,

cracked, broken or bentbeam gudgeons.

• Broken pattern: This defect may be due to wrong drawing of

threads, inserting a pick in the wrong shed, incorrect lifting of warp

threads.

• Broken pick: A pick missing from a portion of the width of the fabric.

A frequent cause is rough shuttle-eyes which snag the weft. Poor

winding may cause the yarn to slough and catch, or a pin inserted in

the shuttle improperly may cause the yarn to snag and break. Rough

shuttles may cut the yarn, especially if the side of the shuttle has

been worn. Rough shuttle box sides also may snag the weft yarn.

Sharp weft fork prongs often cut the weft yarn.

• Cracks: A narrow streak running parallel to the weft due to the

pronounced opening between two adjacent yarns. Any loom

condition that permits erratic operation of the sley or any of its parts

will create cracks in the fabric. For example, worn or loose crank

shaft or crank arm bearings will cause the sley to operate erratically,

as will also a loose crank arm. A loosed reed, that is, one that has

excess freedom in the sley, will also cause this defect.

• Cut weft: This defect is caused by the use of weak weft with a

strong warp. It shows as a pin hole in the finished fabric. Sharp

reeds and tight selvedges are also responsible for these short

lengths of yarn that extend from the selvedge.

• Curled selvedge: Rolling or turning over selvedge due to incorrect

balance of cloth structure between body and the selvedge or

excessive weft tension.

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• Missing ends/ ends out: A most common fault, it is characterized

by a gap of one or more warp ends in the fabrics.

• Reed marks: A ready cloth shows irregular spacing between groups

of warp yarns across the width of the fabric. This defect may be

caused by a damaged or defective reed or too late shedding.

• Shuttle marks: Widthwise marks due to abrasion of warp yarns by

the shuttle. Caused by sheds not adjusted properly by being too

high or too low this causing the shuttle to be thrown in a crooked

manner. Shuttles not timed properly, this entering the shed too early

or too late, may also cause shuttle marks.

• Floats stitches: A place in the fabric where warp and weft escape

the required interlacement. Main causes: entanglement of warp

threads due to broken end or breakage of wire healds on running

loom.

• Stains: Majority of the stains occur at loom shed only, due to oil,

grease, rust, dirt, soil, carbon particles in air, sweat, crayon stains,

box mark etc. they can be accounted to poor material handling and

cleaning practices. Certain stains can be removed by solvents, but it

involves additional cost.

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MENDING & FOLDING

Mending helps in removing minor defects. The defects are mended

manually by workers called menders. The operator mends the faults

according to their nature. The major defects are sent for cutting and the

fabric roll is re prepared as per requirement, before sending to the packing

department. There are 5 long tables with 2 operators on each. There are 3

tube lights overhead each table for good visibility.

GREY FOLDING

After mending the fabric is folded again into rolls to make commercial

packages and sometimes for further processing. Three grey folding

machines are used in Alps for this purpose. ALMAC Vadodara folding

inspection machine is used, 1mx4m dimension.

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Classification of major and minor defects

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CONCLUSION

Grey room operations are the primay stage for the wet

processing in the textile industry.

This is an important stage at which proper inspection should

be carried out.

A wrong decision at this stage can be disastrous, as any

amount of intervention later cannot solve the problem.

These inspections help in obtaining the desired properties in

the later stages of the wet processing.

The grey room checking should be done at minute levels with

high precision so as to avoid any glitches or missing of any

faults or defects.

Grey room operations also help in the mending of various

defects so as to avoid losses

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

• TEXTILE INTERNSHIP REPORT AT WELSPUN INDIA

LIMITED, ANJAR ,GUJRAT by Mr Pawan Department of

Fashion Technology, Batch-2005-2009.

• TEXTILE INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP AT SANGHI GROUP OF

INDUSTRIES, SANGHINAGAR , HYDERABAD AND

MARUTI COTTEX LIMITED, NALGONDA DISTRICT,

HYDERABAD by Mr Ankit Ranjan, Mr Mohit Sachan and

Mr Zarraf Hussain, Department of Fashion Technology,

Batch-2005-2009.

• TEXTILE INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP AT ALPS INDUSTRIES

by Ms.Radhika agarwal, Ms shagufta ismat, Ms. Gitika

Singh,Mr Rohit khare.

• Textiles by Corbmann

WEBSITES

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• www.springsamsolutions.com

search engines

• www.google.com

• www.wikipedia.com

•

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