Weaving is the process of interlacing of two sets of yarns which in turn to produce the fabric.

The fabric is manufactured by this process is called woven fabric. The two sets of yarn used
in producing fabric are perpendicular to each other. The set of yarns present in woven fabric
in horizontal position is warp yarn (briefly ends) and other one is weft or filling yarn (briefly
picks).
Yarn is basic building ingredients in weaving which in turn to weave through the process into
fabric. The condition of yarn produced on spinning process in good enough to weave directly.
Package size, yarn surface characteristics, and other factors make it necessary for both filling
yarn and warp yarn to be further processed for efficient fabric formation. These preparatory
process are called weaving preparation. During weaving, in practice, warp and weft or filling
yarns are subjected to different condition and requirements. Therefore the processes of the
warp yarns and weft yarns preparations are subject to different. The warp yarns used during
are subjected to higher stresses which in turn needed additional preparation (warping &
sizing) and the filling yarns are subject to relatively less stresses. The following figure shows
the preparation procedure:

Figure: Weaving Flow Chart1

Winding
1

https://uttutextiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/1.jpg

The process of transformation of yarns from one package to another one in order to strengthen
is called winding. It produces a yarn package suitable for further processes. Ring spinning
produces small package of yarn (bobbin) which would be depleted relatively quick during
filling insertion or warping. That is why the amount of yarns is needed to combine by splicing
into single package2. The winding process also minimizes yarn defects, thin and thick places,
slubs, neps or loose fibers etc.

Figure: Basic diagram of winding machine3

Warping
Warping is defined as the process transferring many yarns from a creel of single end package
to a parallel sheet of yarns wound onto a beam called warp beam. It is aimed to prepare the
weavers beam with a certain number of yarns with a certain length at a certain density to be
set up on the weaving machine.
Warping has the following operations:

A certain number of warp yarns are wound at a desired length.

Arrange the warp yarns according to the required design and colours.

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.1Winding. Page 36

http://textilelearner.blogspot.de/2011/06/winding-objects-of-windingimportance_4568.html

Produce the weavers beam with the needed density, length, arrangement and number.

The weaver beam might contain thousands of yarns, which is always higher than the capacity
of the creel, thus the beam cannot be wound directly from the creels to the weavers beam in a
single operation. For this warping process has two phases; phase 1, when the yarns are
unwound from the cones to an intermediate carrier till the required number is achieved. Phase
2 takes place to rewind all the yarns simultaneously from the carrier to the weavers beam.
All warping machines have the same parts, creels, headstock and control devices.

Figure: Main Parts of Warping Machine4

Depending on the intermediate carrier there are two different types of warping.
Direct Warping
Sectional Warping

Direct Warping: In the direct warping, the yarns are withdrawn from the single-end
yarn package on creel and directly wound onto the warp beam.
Direct warping is used in two ways:
a) Direct warping can be used to directly produce the weavers beam in a single
operation. This is especially suitable for strong yarns that do not require sizing such as
continuous filaments or monofilaments and when the number of warp ends on the wrap beam
is relatively small. This is also called direct beaming.

https://uttutextiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/2.jpg

Figure: Schematic top view of wrapping process (V-creel)5

b) Direct warping is used to make smaller, intermediate beams called wrap beams. These
smaller beams are combined later at the slashing stage to produce the weavers beam. Theis
process is called beaming. Therefore, for example, if the weavers beam contains 8000 wrap
ends, then there would be produced 8 warp beam each containing 1000 warp ends. If the
weavers beam were to be made at one stage, the creel would have to have 8000 yarns
package, which is hardly possible to accommodate on the creel, because of density of ends in
the beam in the time of slashing.6

Figure: Direct warping7

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.2Warp Preparation.

Direct Warping. Page 50
6

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.2Warp Preparation.

Direct Warping. Page 49-50
7

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.2Warp Preparation.

Direct Warping. Page 50

 Sectional Warping: In the sectional warping, a section beam is produced according to

the pattern wise in order to provide the desire drafting and lifting plan in the time of weaving.
Generally the warp yarns ends are wound on the beam in sections, starting with the tapered
end of the beam. Each section has multiple ends that are traversed together slowly during
winding along the length of the section to form the angle. Due to the geometry of the yarn
sections, the last section on the will have a layer on the beam contain the same number of
yarns. The same length of yarn is wound on each section which is measured by a measuring
roller. The warping speed can be adjusted in the range of 20 to 800m/min; however, residual
elongation will be reduced at high speed8

Figure: Schematic of yarn section on tapered section beam

After winding all the sections on the beam completely, the yarn on the beam is transferred
onto a regular beam with flanges, before slashing. The process is called beaming.

Figure: Sectional Warping9

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.2Warp Preparation.

Indirect Warping. Page 50-51
9

http://www.summerindia.com/secti_warp.html

Modern computerized sectional warping system is available now-a-days. After entering the
basic style information in the system, the system calculates automatically the number of
section and its width which is required. It also monitor following:

Identify the starting point of each section and the spread of the carrier lateral
movement automatically.
Automatic stop for leasing and end breakage
Calculation of the correct feed speeds irrespective of the material and warp density.

Ball Warping: The ball warping is different type of warping which is used in denim
industry. In the ball warping system, the yarn package ends are wound in the ball or rope form
onto beam, which is called ball beam. The ball beam is more compact than the others. The
ball beam is fed in the rope dyeing machine in order to dyeing the ends. After the dyeing the
ball is collected in a drum in a relax stage in order to feed smoothing to long chain beaming
process. In the long chain beaming process, the balls separated and wound onto warp beam
which is in turn feed into the slashing process.

Figure: Schematic view of ball warping

Figure: Ball Warping10

Figure: Long Chain Beam11

In this system the yarns are passed through a comb like device (called hack or reed), which
keep each warp yarn separated and parallel to its neighboring ends. The interval of every 1000
or 2000 yard or meter, a lease string is placed across the sheet of warp yarns at aid yarn
separation for the re-beaming or long chain beaming operation. The yarns then go through a
funnel-shaped device called trumpet or condenser, which collapses and condenses the yarn
sheet of yarn in the rope or ball form. The device is located at the base of the warper head and
traverses back and forth, guiding the newly formed rope of yarn a log. The rope must be
wound at a constant tension to keep yarns from tangling.
10

http://www.morrisontexmach.com/mds-rebeamer.cfm

11

http://www.indiamart.com/ateenterprises/weaving.html

Slashing / Sizing
Slashing or sizing is the most important and proactive process for weaving. After winding and
warping, sizing warp yarn ends is done during the weavers beam preparation. Slashing is the
process of inserting or coating different type of size material on the surface of warp yarns in
order to strengthen the yarns. In this process, the applying of proactive adhesive coating is
done upon the yarn surface. The main objective of sizing is to maximize the weaving
efficiency. That is why slashing or sizing is called the heart of weaving.
The main purpose of slashing or sizing is:

Increasing the strength of warp yarn ends

Reducing the yarn hairiness

Increasing the resistance of abrasion

The ultimate target of the sizing process is to reduce the rate of breakage of warp ends during
weaving. Warp ends are broken during weaving due to either high tension or low strength.
High tension are caused by large shed openings, lack of proper tension compensation, high
beat-up force, inadequate let-off, knots, yarns entanglement and high friction also cause
tension buildup.12 The properties of warp yarns which are achieved during sizing listed below:

Higher elasticity

Higher yarn strength

Lower flexibility

Lower extension or elongation

Lower frictional resistance

Increased smoothness

Less weakness

Insensible to over dyeing

Less hairiness

There have been spectacular developments in the materials used in the sizing process. Starch
based formulae on sago, maize or potato, with varying degree of modification and with the
addition of about 5% of the adhesive weight of a wax or softener, are still used for pure cotton
sizing, but synthetics and synthetic/cotton blends, which are making rapid penetration into
product areas formerly dominated by cotton cant be effectively woven without synthetics
sizes. In some cases, where high speed multi-width weaving machine is used for weaving in
those cases sometimes synthetics sizes required for ensuing better weaving efficiency but
price of the size ingredients and cost of desizing after weaving is needed to take in account.
Some of these are highly effective size formulae, similar results can often be more
12

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.3Slashing. Page 71

economically achieved using a three component formulae based on PVA, modified starch and
a suitable lubricants. Sizing auxiliaries have proliferated at an even greater rate than adhesives
Defoamers are sometimes necessary to eliminate undesirable foaming in the size box. For an
example a mill producing woven fabric by 40Ne polyester cotton yarn at a warp setting of 45
ends/cm in Sulzer weaving machines requires a dry pick-up or percentage applied of 14% of
PVA/modified starch in the proportion 30/70. Allowing for the 14% moisture in the modified
starch and 2% for box dilution of the mixing from condensate, the adhesive concentration will
be 3.5% PVA79.2% modified starch, or 12.7%. Normally the softener would be wax or tallow
at the 5% level. The mixing would be 500 liters water, 46 Kg modified starch, 17Kg PVA, 2
Kg wax lubricant.13
Process flow chart of Sizing:
Creeling
Yarn feeding
Sizing (in Size box)
Drying
Leasing
Empty beam feeding
Machine running
Ends cutting
Doffing

Figure: Sizing Process14

Drawing in and Tying in:
13

Allan Ormerod & Walter S. Sondhelm. Weaving Technology and Operationas. Sizing.
3.4Sizing Materials
14

http://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/textile-news/2000/05/weaving-speeds-up/

After slashing the weavers beam is prepared to feed in the weaving to weave fabric, but that
it is necessary to prepare draw frame according to the design of the fabric and reed to control
the ends density among the fabric. Drawing in is the process of prepared draw frame which is
feed in the weaving machine. In this process, the wrap yarns from the weavers beam are
entering into the weaving elements of a weaving machine, namely drop wires, heddles and
reed.

Figure: Schematic of drawing-in (courtesy of West Point Foundry and Machine Company) 15

Weaving:
Weaving is a process of producing fabric by interlacing two distinct set of yarns at right angle.
The longitudinal set of yarns is called the warp and the lateral set of yarns is the weft or
filling. The process is done through few motions. Those are:
Primary Motion: Shedding, Picking, Beat-up.
Secondary Motion: Warp let-off, Fabric take-up.
Tertiary Motion: Warp ends breakage indication, Weft picks breakage indication.
Shedding: Shedding is the movement of some warp yarns up and some down to make angled
opening for the weft yarn to be inserted through. The opening is called shed. 16 After
inserting weft yarn the shed has to be closed and a new shed has to be open according to the
pattern to continue the fabric formation.
Picking: The motion of inserting weft yarns though the shed is called picking.
Beat-up: After picking the inserted weft yarn has to be moved to the fell of the cloth. During
beat-up the filling has to be pushed to the fell of the cloth by reed.
15

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Preparation. 4.4 Drawing-in and

Tying-in. Page 101
16

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Fundamentals. 5.1.2 Warp

Shedding. Page: 110

Figure: Schematic of Weaving (courtesy of Johnston Industries)

Warp let-off: This is the mechanism of releasing warp yarns form the bean to the area, where
the warp yarns are woven into the fabric.
Fabric Take-up: This is the mechanism of winding produced fabric from the fell of the cloth to
the fabric roller.
Wrap yarn breakage indication: This is the process of indicating and identifying the wrap yarn
breakage. This is identified by the dropper.
Weft yarn breakage indication: This is the mechanism of indicating filling yarn breakage. It is
identify by weft accumulator, because it is the primary storage of weft yarn from the yarn
package, when the filling broken, it indicates that.

17

Sabit Adanur,Ph.D. Handbook of Weaving. Weaving Fundamentals. Page: 110