Interlacing Process
Mechanical interlacing of unsized or sized flax warp yarns with linen weft yarns on industrial looms produces unbleached, untreated fabric direct from the loom state. Production operations during greige fabric weaving set structural parameters such as ends per inch, picks per inch, weave architecture, and total fabric width. The output fabric retains natural flax color, residual pectin, and spinning oils prior to wet finishing or bleaching treatments.
This mechanical phase applies strictly to loom-state fabric formation and excludes desizing, scouring, dyeing, or chemical finishing operations.
Mechanical Execution
Loom setup requires precise tension control across the warp sheet because flax fibers exhibit low elongation compared to cotton or synthetic yarns. Excessive warp tension causes immediate end breaks, while insufficient tension creates shed sagging and mispicks across the fabric width. Modern rapier or air-jet looms insert weft threads at high speeds, requiring automated yarn feeders to prevent tension spikes.
Weavers monitor warp beam let-off rates and fabric take-up motions to maintain consistent thread density throughout multi-hundred-meter production rolls.
Quality Specification
Physical fabric inspections at loom off-take flag defects such as slubs, broken ends, reed marks, and double picks. Output from greige fabric weaving undergoes immediate grading against industrial point systems before rolls move to wet processing houses. Unfinished greige specifications establish baseline fabric weight, nominal width, and construction density for commercial sales contracts.
