The trend of performing open width finishing on the knitted fabrics, causes the emergence of new innovative technologies. According to the tubular form of open width knitted fabric finishing, an increase in the quality results in a decline in the losses and production costs. Singeing process, which gives the fabric a smooth and a bright surface appearance, is very important in this increase. Osthoff-Senge offers a new technology for the singeing process, which is carried out in order to eliminate the fibers out of spun yarns. The company that stands out in the field of gaze machine constructions, has developed WWU 11 especially for the open width knitted fabrics.
It is stated that WWU 11, is based on the well proven components of the conventional osthoff singers, as burners, proportional gas: air mixing and pre-selected singeing positions. The machine has been designed in a way that allows 4 singeing positions and to singe the from and back side with one passage or if necessary, to singe the front side twice with one passage. The singeing positions of the machine are as follows; singeing on the water cooled roller, singeing on the free guided fabric, tangential singeing and nip singeing.
Lighter knitted fabrics are singed in position sibgeing on the water cooled roller on tangential singeing. Since heavier fabrics require more thermal energy, it is more suitable for them to be singed in position singeing on the free guided fabric. This position is described to be the strongest singeing position. The nip singeing position is used for the polyester cotton blends.
Osthoff-Senge, founded in 1912 as a family owned company, has designed a special system of fabric guiding and transport especially for running the open width fabrics in perfect conditions. The system is integrated with a selvedge uncurling and a driven spreading and centering device. Through the combination of driven scroll rollers, the open stretched material ensures the best possible opening before the fabric is signed. When the flame gets active, the fabric is protected by a water cooled roller. The singeing roller is designed as a driven one to keep the fabric tension at the lowest level. The distance between the various guiding rollers has been kept very short in order to avoid the selvedges being curl up. The singer allows to singe both sides of the material in one passage or if not required the face side only.
Vacuum Unit Protects the Fabric
The fabric is guided to a vacuum cleaning unit located on top of the singer in order to be cleaned of all kind of residues and impurities that may occur after the singeing process. By this way the front side and back side of the fabric is cleaned. Since the knitted fabrics may be damaged by mechanical energy, the machine has been equipped with a vacuum cleaner system has been developed instead of brush cleaning mechanism. In addition, a fabric drive, which pulls the fabric through the machine, has been installed on the singer.
In order to avoid the knitted fabric from catching fire, it is guided via scroll roller into a steam box. To squeeze out the oxygen and extinguish the glowing effect, the whole area within the box is filled with steam. It is also stated that this process settles and protects the fabric from catching fire. At the end of the process, the fabric is delivered through a plaiter into the box carriages.
In Turkey, İTEKS is the representation company of Osthoff-Senge, which has a long history within the sector.
