Fibre Partitioning
A production metric tracks the proportion of short flax fibres that are removed from the main long fibre stream for secondary processing. Within the spinning mill, the tow fiber divert ratio identifies the efficiency of the hackling stage by measuring how much material becomes tow rather than high-value line flax. This figure is a primary indicator of both the quality of the raw flax and the setup of the combing machinery.
Efficiency Monitoring
Managers use this data to adjust the settings on the hackling frames to optimize the yield of long fibres. If the tow fiber divert ratio is too high, it suggests that the machine pins are being too aggressive or that the flax straw was brittle. Lowering the ratio improves the profitability of the batch since long line yarn commands a higher market price than tow yarn.
Technicians record these ratios for every lot to build a performance history of different flax growers. Digital tracking systems compare these ratios against the moisture levels and strength tests of the incoming material.
Material Planning
The resulting tow is not discarded but is diverted to carding machines for the production of coarser yarns. Knowledge of the tow fiber divert ratio allows the mill to schedule the production of different yarn types based on the byproducts of the main line. This ensures that every part of the flax plant is utilized.
