Yarn Count and Evenness Checks before a Cone Lot Ships
Verify conditioned skein count, capacitive CVm evenness, and cone hardness against ISO tolerances to stop defective flax yarn before freight release.
Splice Retention
Joint Strength
The capacity of a yarn joint to withstand the mechanical stress of weaving determines the frequency of loom stoppages and the efficiency of the weaving shed. In linen production, splice retention represents the percentage of yarn strength that is preserved after two yarn ends are joined by pneumatic splicing. High retention is crucial for flax yarns because they are inelastic and prone to break under the sudden tensions of the loom beat-up.
Joints with low strength will fail during weaving, leading to defects in the fabric and reduced loom efficiency.
Splicing Process
Pneumatic splicers use bursts of compressed air to untwist, intermingle, and retwist the fibers of the two yarn ends without creating a bulky knot. The process must be carefully calibrated for linen, as flax fibers are stiff and require higher air pressures and longer splicing cycles than cotton. Water is often introduced into the splicing chamber to soften the flax fibers and improve their cohesion.
Splicer settings are monitored and adjusted based on the measured strength of the resulting joint compared to the parent yarn. The test is performed on a tensile strength tester to confirm the splice is secure.
Weaving Performance
Quality standards in the winding department require a minimum percentage of yarn strength to be retained across all splices. Joints that fail to meet this threshold will trigger a recalibration of the splicing units. High retention rates ensure that the yarn can withstand the rapid shedding and beat-up actions of modern high-speed looms.