Process Control
Fabric handling settings determine the ratio between the speed of the entry rollers and the speed of the transport chain in a drying machine. During the finishing stage, stenter overfeed allows the fabric to be pinned onto the chain with a deliberate amount of slack that is later taken up as the material shrinks under heat.
Control Logic
Operators adjust the percentage of extra fabric fed into the machine to match the relaxation characteristics of the specific weave. If the overfeed is too low the fabric will be dried under tension and will suffer from high residual shrinkage. A higher overfeed percentage results in a heavier fabric with better dimensional stability.
The pins on the stenter chain hold the fabric at a fixed width while the length is allowed to adjust. Modern stenters use electronic sensors to monitor the fabric tension and automatically adjust the overfeed to maintain consistency.
Yield Outcome
Production logs track these settings to ensure that every batch of a specific grade is processed identically. When the overfeed is correctly calibrated the finished linen will meet both the weight per square meter and the shrinkage requirements. This precision is necessary for fulfilling high volume orders for global clothing brands.
