Process Efficiency
Combing efficiency calculations determine the percentage ratio of long line fibre recovered from raw scutched bast straw. Within Chinese flax spinning mills, the hackling yield metric measures the proportion of parallel combed stricks obtained relative to total input weight entering the hackling machine. Mechanical pins comb out short fibres and tangled tow during consecutive passage steps.
High percentage values reflect superior raw straw strength and minimal mechanical breakage during processing.
Combing Performance
Yield calculations govern raw material costing and machinery pin configuration across prep departments. When raw flax exhibits weak fiber-to-fiber cohesion or poor retting, the hackling yield metric declines sharply as valuable line fibre snaps into short tow. Mill managers monitor machine comb speeds and pin densities to optimize long fibre output against tow generation.
Processing high-grade French flax yields higher long line ratios than lower-grade domestic straw, offsetting initial raw material purchase costs. Yield data recorded on daily shift logs determines batch profitability before roving and wet spinning operations begin.
Economic Limit
Mechanical yield assessments evaluate raw fibre mechanical resilience during primary combing. The percentage metric ceases to apply once long line stricks transition to draw frames, where sliver uniformity replaces raw mass recovery as the primary quality indicator.
