Intermediate Material
Continuous strand of long-staple flax fibres that have undergone combing and drafting. The hackled line roving represents a critical transitional state between the hackling machine and the spinning frame. It consists of parallelized fibres held together by a light twist to provide enough strength for winding onto bobbins.
High-quality wet-spun yarns used in premium garment fabrics rely on this material.
Production Sequence
Formation of this strand involves multiple stages of doubling and drafting to ensure weight uniformity. After the hackling process removes short fibres and impurities, the remaining long line flax enters the drawing frames. The hackled line roving is produced on a roving frame, which applies the first permanent twist to the assembly.
This twist must be sufficient to prevent breakage during unwinding yet loose enough to allow the final draft at the spinning frame. Twist factors are determined by the average fibre length and the target yarn fineness.
Quality Inspection
Inspection of the roving bobbins focuses on the regularity of the linear density and the absence of slubs. Uneven hackled line roving leads directly to yarn faults that cannot be corrected later in the weaving process. Operators check the roving for neps and vegetable matter that may have survived the combing stage.
Proper storage conditions are necessary to maintain the moisture content required for smooth processing. Variations in roving quality are recorded in the mill’s batch tracking system to allow for adjustments in the downstream spinning parameters.
