The Different Types of Looms are :

Hand Loom What is Hand Loom | Hand Loom Weaving

The earliest looms were vertical shaft, with the heddles fixed in place in the shaft. The warp threads pass alternately through a heddle and through a space between the heddles, so that raising the shaft will raise half the threads (those passing through the heddles), and lowering the shaft will lower the same threads the threads passing through the spaces between the heddles remain in place.

Types of Looms - Dobby Loom

A Dobby Loom is a type of floor loom that controls the warp threads using a device called a dobby. Dobby is short for "draw boy" which refers to the weaver's helpers who used to control the warp thread by pulling on draw threads. A dobby loom is an alternative to a treadle loom. Each of them is a floor loom in which every warp thread on the loom is attached to a single shaft using a device called a heddle. A shaft is sometimes known as a harness, but this terminology is becoming obsolete among active weavers. Each shaft controls a set of threads. Raising or lowering several shafts at the same time gives a huge variety of possible sheds through which the shuttle containing the weft thread can be thrown. A manual dobby uses a chain of bars or lags each of which has pegs inserted to select the shafts to be moved. A computer assisted dobby loom uses a set of solenoids or other electronic devices to select the shafts. Activation of these solenoids is under the control of computer program. In either case the selected shafts are raised or lowered by either leg power on a dobby pedal or electric or other power sources. On a treadle loom, each foot-operated treadle is connected by a linkage called a tie-up to one or more shafts. More than one treadle can operate a single shaft. The tie-up consists of cords or similar mechanical linkages tying the treadles to the lams that actual lift or lower the shaft. On treadle operated looms, the number of sheds is limited by the number of treadles available. An eight shaft loom can create 254 different sheds. There are actually 256 possibilities which is 2 to the eight power, but having all threads up or all threads down isn't very useful. However, most eight shaft floor looms have only ten to twelve treadles due to space limitations. This limits the weaver to ten to twelve distinct sheds. It is possible to use both feet to get more sheds., but that is rarely done in practice. It is even possible to change tie-ups in the middle of weaving a cloth but this is a tedious and error prone process so this too is rarely done. With a dobby loom, all 254 possibilities are available at any time. This vastly increases the number of cloth designs available to the weaver. The advantage of a dobby loom becomes even more pronounced on looms with 12 shafts (4094 possible sheds), 16 shafts (65,534 possible sheds), or more. It reaches its peak on a Jacquard loom in which each thread is individually controlled.

Another advantage to a dobby loom is the ability to handle much longer sequences in the pattern. A weaver working on a treadled loom must remember the entire sequence of treadlings that make up the pattern, and must keep track of where they are in the sequence at all times. Getting lost or making a mistake can ruin the cloth being woven. On a manual dobby the sequence that makes up the pattern is represented by the chain of dobby bars. The length of the sequence is limited by the length of the dobby chain. This can easily be several hundred dobby bars, although an average dobby chain will have approximately fifty bars.

Computer Dobby | Electronic Dobby

A computer dobby loom (Computer-Dobby) takes this one step further by replacing the mechanical dobby chain with computer controlled shaft selection. In addition to being able to handle sequences that are virtually unlimited, the construction of the shaft sequences is done on the computer screen rather than by building a mechanical dobby chain. This allows the weaver to load and switch weave drafts in seconds without even getting up from the loom. In addition, the design process performed on the computer provides the weaver with a more intuitive way to design fabricas seeing it on the computer screen is easier than trying to visualize it by looking at the dobby chain. Dobby looms expand a weavers capabilities and remove some of the tedious work involved in designing and producing fabric. Many newer cloth design techniques such as network drafting can only reach their full potential on a dobby loom.

Types of Looms - Jacquard Loom What is Jacquard Loom | What is Jacquard

The Jacquard Loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801, that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with complex patterns such as brocade, damask, and matelasse. The loom is controlled by punchcards with punched holes, each row of which corresponds to one row of the design. Multiple rows of holes are punched on each card and the many cards that compose the design of the textile are strung together in order. It is based on earlier inventions by the Frenchmen Basile Bouchon (1725), Jean Falcon (1728) and Jacques Vaucanson (1740)

Jacquard Loom Cards

Each hole in the card corresponds to a "Bolus" hook, which can either be up or down. The hook raises or lowers the harness, which carries and guides the warp thread so that the weft will either lie above or below it. The sequence of raised and lowered threads is what creates the pattern. Each hook can be connected via the harness to a number of threads, allowing more than one repeat of a pattern. A loom with a 400 hook head might have four threads connected to each hook, resulting in a fabric that is 1600 warp ends wide with four repeats of the weave going across. The term "Jacquard loom" is a misnomer. It is the "Jacquard head" that adapts to a great many dobby looms such as the "Dornier" brand that allow the weaving machine to then create the intricate patterns often seen in Jacquard weaving.

Jacquard looms, whilst relatively common in the textile industry, are not as ubiquitous as dobby looms which are usually faster and much cheaper to operate. However unlike jacquard looms they are not capable of producing so many different weaves from one warp. Modern jacquard looms are controlled by computers in place of the original punched cards, and can have thousands of hooks. The threading of a Jacquard loom is so labor intensive that many looms are threaded only once. Subsequent warps are then tied in to the existing warp with the help of a knotting robot which ties each new thread on individually. Even for a small loom with only a few thousand warp ends the process of re-threading can take days.

Jacquard Computing
The Jacquard loom was the first machine to use punch cards to control a sequence of operations. Although it did no computation based on them, it is considered an important step in the history of computing hardware. The ability to change the pattern of the loom's weave by simply changing cards was an important conceptual precursor to the development of computer programming. Specifically, Charles Babbage planned to use cards to store programs in his Analytical engine.

Jacquard Weaving
Jacquard weaving makes possible in almost any loom the programmed raising of each warp thread independently of the others. This brings much greater versatility to the weaving process, and offers the highest level of warp yarn control. This mechanism is probably one of the most important weaving inventions as Jacquard shedding made possible the automatic production of unlimited varieties of pattern weaving. In former times, the heddles with warp ends to be pulled up were manually selected by a second operator, apart from the weaver. This was known as a drawloom. It was slow and labour intensive, with practical limitations on the complexity of the pattern. The Jacquard process and the necessary loom attachment are named after their inventor, Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752 - 1834). He recognized that although weaving was intricate, it was repetitive, and saw that a mechanism could be developed for the production of sophisticated patterns just as it had been done for the production of simple patterns. (Similar ideas were pursued by others before 1750, but Jacquard perfected and popularized the concept by about 1803.) Jacquard's invention had a deep influence on Charles Babbage. In that respect, he is viewed by some authors as a precursor of modern computing science

Mechanical Jacquard Looms

Originally the Jacquard machines were mechanical, and the fabric design was punched in pattern cards which were joined together to form a continuous chain. The Jacquards often were small and only independently controlled a relatively few warp ends. This required a number of repeats across the loom width. Larger capacity machines, or the

use of multiple machines, allowed greater control, with fewer repeats, and hence larger designs to be woven across the loom width. A factory must choose looms and shedding mechanisms to suit its commercial requirements. As a rule the more warp control required the greater the expense. So it would not be economical to purchase Jacquard machines if one could make do with a dobby mechanism. As well as the capital expense, the Jacquard machines are also more costly to maintain, as they are complex and require higher skilled personnel; also an expensive design system will be required to prepare the designs for the loom, and possibly also a card-cutting machine. Weaving will be more costly as Jacquard mechanisms are more liable to produce faults than dobby or cam shedding. The looms will not run as fast, and down time will increase as it takes time to change the continuous chain of cards when a design changes. Therefore with mechanical Jacquards it is best to weave larger batch sizes.

Electronic Jacquard
Looms Bonas Machine Company Ltd. launched the first electronic Jacquard at ITMA, Milan in 1983 . Although the machines were initially small, modern technology has allowed Jacquard machine capacity to increase significantly, and single end warp control can extend to more than 10,000 warp ends. This avoids the need for repeats and symmetrical designs and allows almost infinite versatility. The computer-controlled machines significantly reduce the down time associated with changing punched paper designs, thus allowing smaller batch sizes. However, electronic Jacquards are costly and may not be required in a factory weaving large batch sizes, and smaller designs. The larger machines allowing single end warp control are very expensive, and can only be justified where great versatility is required, or very specialized design requirements need to be met. For example, they are an ideal tool to increase the ability and stretch the versatility of the niche linen Jacquard weavers who remain active in Europe and the West, while most of the large batch commodity weaving has moved to low cost areas. Linen products associated with Jacquard weaving are linen damask napery, Jacquard apparel fabrics and damask bed linen. Jacquard weaving of course uses all sorts of fibers and blends of fibers, and it is used in the production of fabrics for many end uses. Research is under way to develop layered and shaped items as reinforcing components for structures made from composite materials. The term "Jacquard" is not specific or limited to any particular loom, but rather refers to the added control mechanism that automates the patterning.

Types of Looms - Lancashire Loom

The Lancashire Loom was a semi automatic power loom invented by James Bullough and William Kenworthy in 1842. Although it is self-acting, it has to be stopped to recharge empty shuttles.It was the mainstay of the Lancashire cotton industry for a century. The principal advantage of the Lancashire loom was that it was semi automatic, when a warp thread broke the weaver was notified. When the shuttle ran out of thread, the machine stopped. An operative thus could work 4 or

more looms whereas previously they could only a single loom. Indeed the term A Four Loom Weaver was used to describe the operatives. Labour cost was quartered. In some mills an operative would operate 6 or even 8 looms. . Though this was governed by the thread being used. By 1900, the loom was challenged by the Northrop Loom which was fully automatic and could be worked in larger numbers. The Northrop was suitable for coarse thread but for fine cotton, the Lancashire loom was still prefered. By 1914, Northop looms made up 40% of looms in American mills but in the United Kingdom, labour costs were not as significant and they only supplied 2% of the British market.

Types of Looms - Northrop Loom

Northrop had worked as a mechanic and foreman, he invented spooler guide while employed by Draper. He unsuccessfully tried to be a chicken farmer. And it was there he worked on his shuttle-charger for Mr Otis Draper,who saw a model of the device on March 5, 1889. Draper was also developing the Rhoades shuttle-charger. Northrop was given a loom to test his idea. By May 20 he had concluded that his first idea was not practical, and had thought of another idea, On July 5, the completed loom was running, and as it seemed to have more advantages than the Rhoades loom. The Northrop device was given a mill trial in October 1889 at the Seaconnett Mills in Fall River. More looms were constructed. Meanwhile he invented a self-threading shuttle and shuttle spring jaws to hold a bobbin by means of rings on the butt. This paved the way to his filling-changing battery of 1891, the basic feature of the Northrop loom. Other members of the Draper organization had developed a workable warp stop motion which was also included. The first Northrop looms were marketed in 1894.

Northrop Automatic Loom

The principal advantage of the Northrop loom was that it was fully automatic; when a warp thread broke the loom stopped until it was fixed. When the shuttle ran out of thread, Northrop's mechanism, ejected the depleted pirn, and loaded a new full one without stopping. An operative thus could work 16 or more looms whereas previously they could only operate 8. Thus the labour cost was halved. Mill owners had to decide whether the labour saving was worth the capital investment in a new loom. By 1900, Draper had sold over 60,000 Northrop looms, They were shipping 1500 a month, were employing 2500 men and enlarging their works to increase that output. In all 700,000 looms were sold. By 1914, Northop looms made up 40% of American looms. However in the United Kingdom, labour costs were not as significant and they only supplied 2% of the British market. Northrops were especially suitable for coarse cottons, but it was said not particular suitable for fines, thus the financial advantage in their introduction into Lancashire was not as great as it had been in the States. Henry Philip Greg imported some of the first Northrops into Britain in 1902, for his Albert Mill in Reddish, and encouraged his brother Robert Alexander Greg to introduce Northrops into Quarry Bank Mill in 1909. The output increased from 2.31 lbs/manhour in 1900, to 2.94 lbs/manhour in 1914. Labour costs decreased from 0.9d per pound to 0.3d per lb.

Types of Looms - Projectile Loom (Gripper Shuttle Loom)

The multi gripper projectile weaving machine,introduced by sulzer brothers in 1953,was the first system to begin shuttle weaving.The company and its successors have remained the sole suppliers of projectile weaving machinery.

Pick lengths of weft yarn are drawn from large cones by a weft accumulator.The free end is held in the jaws of a weft carrier gripper(projectile),88mm long weighing 40kg and the accumulated yarn is threaded to a sophisticated tensioning and braking system.The Projectile is lifted to the picking position and is propelled across the warp shed by a torsion bar system.At the other side of the loom,the projectile is recieved,the yarn is released and the projectile is ejected for eventual return to the picking side.The weft is cut at the picking side and is held at both sides by a selvedge grippers during beat up and shed change.During the next machine cycle,tucking needles draw the outer ends of weft yarn into fabric to form selvedges.Usually 10-12 projectiles are associated with a single-width loom. picking rates are typically 380-420ppm for worsted yarns and 250-300 ppm for woolen yarns. It offers the following advantages

Low power consuption Reduced waste of filling material due to unique clean ,tucked-in selvedges Quick warp and style change Mechanical and operatonal reliability and ease of use Low spare parts requirement and easy maintaince Long machine life

Types of Looms - Rapier Loom

Rapier Weaving is offered by many loom manufacturers and consequently is in widespread use in the worsted and woolen industry. In this type of weaving a flexible or rigid solid element called rapier, is used to insert the filling yarn and carries it through thr shed .after reaching the destination, the rapier head returns empty to pick up the next filling yarn,which completes a cycle.a rapier performs a reciprocating motion.

Single Rapier Machines

A single,rigid rapier is used in these machines.the rigid rapier is a metal or composite bar usually with a circular cross section.the rapier enters the shed from one side and pases it across the weaving machine while retracting .therefore a single rapier carries the yarn in one way only and half of the rapier movement is wasted.also there is no yarn transfer since there is only one rapier.the single rapiers length is equal to the width of the weaving machine; this requires relatively high mass and rigidity of the rapier head.for these reasons,single rapier machines are not popular.however since there is no yarn transfer to rapier tp rapier,they are suitable for filling yarns that are difficult control.

Double Rapier Machines

Two rapiers are used in these machines.one rapier ,called the giver takes the filling yarn from the accumulator on one side of the weaving machine, brings it to the center of the machine and transfers it to the decond rapier which is called taker.the taker retracts and brings the filling yarn to the other side.similar to the single rapier machines,only half of the rapier movements is used for filling insertion. Rapier machines are known for their reliability and performance.since 1972,the rapier weaving machine has evolved into successfull ,versatile and flexible weaving machine. A very wide range of fabrics with 20 g/m2 to heavy fabrics with around 850 gm2 rapier machines are widely used for household textiles and industrial fabrics.Designed for universal use,the rapier weaving machine can weave not only the classic wool,cotton and manmade fibers,but also the most technicaly demanding filament yarns,finest silk and fancy yarns.

Types of Looms - Air Jet Loom

Air jet loom, as one of the shuttleless looms, transports a yarn into warps using viscosity and kinetic energy of an air jet. Performance of this picking system depends on the ability of instantaneous inhalation/exhaust, configuration of nozzle, operation characteristics of a check valve, etc. Air-jet weaving is an advanced weaving method with high efficiency and productivity

In air-jet looms, the weft is introduced into the shed opening by air flow. The energy resulting from air pressure is converted into kinetic energy in the nozzle. The air leaving from the nozzle transfers its pulse to stationary air and slows down. To this end, in order to achieve a larger rib width, a confuser is developed, which maintains air velocity in the shooting line.

The confuser drop wires are profiles narrowing in the direction of shoot, and they are of nearly circular cross section open at the top.

These drop wires are fitted one behind the other as densely as possible. Therefore, they prevent in the shooting line the dispersion of air jet generated by the nozzle.

Types of Looms - Water Jet Loom

A water jet is more coherant than an air jet.it does not break up easily, and the propulsive zone is elongated,making it much more effective.it is effective in terms of energy requirements ,it is quite and when the jet does break up, it goes into droplets which create very little turbulence to disturb the filling. The droplets spread in such a way as to wet much of the warp; thus a sized warp containing a water soluble adhesive can be adversely affected.because of this ,water jet weaving is usually restricted to filament yarn,but there is some hope that it might become economically feasible to weave staple yarns on these looms.

Two main reasons for the efficiency of the water-jet loom are that there are no varying lateral forces to cause the filling to contract and the moving element is more massive because it is wet.thus there is less chance of fault due to contact with the warp. The range of jet, and thus the width of the loom ,depends on the water pressure and the diameter odf the jet.water is virtually incompressible and a simple jerk pump can be used to give adequate pressure with difficulty. A firmans hose has a tremendous range but the jet is several cm in diameter;large volumes of water and considerable pumping powers have to be used .in weaving , a much more modest jet is used; in fact , it is possible to reduce the diameter of the jet to some 0.1 cm, and the amount of water used per pick is commonly less than 2c.c. even with these small jets , it is possible to weave at upto 2 meters in width with small power consuptions.it is also possible to weave at upto 1000 picks/min on narrower looms .several forms of water-jet loom have now become established.

Type of Looms - Circular Loom

The circular weaving machine proposed by the invention is designed for the manufacture of tubular fabrics and has an annular frame with an upper ring plate and a lower ring plate Vertically moving laces are fitted to direct the warp ends and are mounted at constant intervals round at least one circular trackway . The two ring plates have bores in them for mounting and directing the laces . The lower ends of the laces have follower rollers which operate in conjunction with a cam plate.

History of Weaving
The weaving is a process of formation of fabric with interlacement of two or more sets of yarns using a stable machine called loom. Human beings have started using the woven fabrics since the drawn of history. If we exclude the stone age period, we may conveniently say the history of civilization is also, to some extent, the history of weaving. Aitken says there is evidence that the Egyptians made woven fabrics over 6000 years ago. Though primitive civilizations used coarser threads to make fabrics which were crude and coarse, there are references of fine fabrics made from filament of silk in China. Silk was one of the most important product in China 4000 years ago. In India too, there existed some of the finest hand woven fabrics.

Warp Yarn
In weaving, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns through which the weft is woven. Each individual warp thread in a fabric is called a warp end. Warp means "that which is thrown across" . When weaving with a loom, the warp yarns are fully attached before weaving begins. Warp is spun fibre. The spin of the fiber can be in either an "s" twist or a "z" twist. These twist directions make yarn that is similar to hands; each the reverse of the other. . These fibres provided a strong enough thread to be held under tension as the warp. With the improvements in spinning technology during the Industrial Revolution, it became possible to make cotton yarn of sufficient strength to be used as the warp. Later, artificial or man-made fibres such as nylon or rayon were employed. The weft is the yarn that is woven back and forth through the warp to make cloth.

Weft Yarn
In weaving, weft or woof is the yarn which is drawn under and over parallel warp yarns to create a fabric.. The weft is a thread or yarn of spun fibre. The original fibre was wool, flax or cotton. Nowadays, many synthetic fibers are used in weaving. Because the weft does not have to be stretched in the way that the warp is, it can generally be less strong.The weft is threaded through the warp using a shuttle. Hand looms were the original weaver's tool, with the shuttle being threaded through alternately raised warps by hand. Inventions during the 18th century spurred the Industrial Revolution, and the hand loom became the more robust spinning frame with the flying shuttle speeding up production of cloth, and then the water frame using water power to automate the weaving process. The power loom followed in the 19th century, when steam power was harnessed.

Handloom industry
It is still not certain when the weaving process was introduced to human society. It is clear from many historical records that weaving originated long before the time of Jesus Christ. Except few activities else where, the major developments in textile took place in England. In England the major shift from agriculture to woolen industry came in the 14th century. During all these years and a few hundred years after 14th century, the cloth was produced on handlooms which were not equipped with fly shuttle. Prior to Industrial Revolution, woven fabrics was produced by atleast two people employed on loom. In 1733, John Kay invented the fly shuttle which enabled weft to be inserted more rapidly. John Kay, a weaver, further incorporated a mechanism with which, a weaver could sit at the centre of the loom and merely pull the handle to make the shuttle move from one end of the fabric to insert a weft thread. As a result of increased weaving speed, the hand spinning method of yarn production could not meet the requirement of fly shuttle looms and subsequently the mechanical spinning also developed rapidly in Britain with Hargreave's spinning Jenny (1770), Ark Writh's spinning machine (1769) and cromption spinning mule (1779). The development of the mechanical spinning system induced further developments in the loom. Edmund Cart Wright, an English clergy man, invented a so called powerloom which could be operated from a single point by two strong man.

Powerlooms
Earlier version of powerloom were run by two man. Fortunately steam power was available by 1765. Soon powerlooms were driven by steam and most of the wooden parts were replaced with iron. After the steam engine and cast iron in early 1800, great attention was paid to increasing productivity of the machine. To help achieve the increase in productivity, William Radeliffe patented a dressing frame in 1803 for sizing and drying the warp threads prior to winding on to a weavers beam. Fast development in the loom took place and by 1821 there were over 50,000 looms in operation in some 32 mills in the north of England. In just over 10 years from that date, the number had increased to some 1,00,000 and the basic loom had almost developed to the machine we know today. Also between 1819 and 1842 the average speed of the powerloom had increased from 60 to 140 picks per minute with the rise on productivity, as a result England became world's richest industrial power.

Automatic Looms

Traditional looms then were stopped every few minutes in order to replace the empty weft pirns or cop in the shuttle and this limited the number of looms, a weaver could operate to about four. James Northrop, an English man who emigrated to America and worked for the Draper Corporation, completed an automatic weft transfer system which replaced the weft pirn in the shuttle without slowing or stopping the loom in 1889. This mechanism enabled the weaver to tend 16 looms. The Northrop Automatic looms quickly came to use in America, so that by 1930, 90% of the American looms were automatic compared with only 5% in Britain. Similar developments took place elsewhere also, Ruti, a major loom maker of Switzerland manufactured automatic bobbin changing Northrop loom in 1898. In Japan also, Toyoda, Sakamoto, Tsudakoma, etc also developed shuttle looms with automatic weft transfer. After World War II, more productivity and efficiency were essential to overcome increasing labour costs in Western countries. It was also realised that more productivity is the key to reducing manufacturing costs of the loom. All attempts were concentrated to studying various factors affecting speed of the loom and the loom with higher speed were made available.

Limitations of Shuttle Looms

Despite the relatively high speed and efficiencies in loom with conventional picking, productivity of these machines will continue to be limited as long as their fundamental constructions involved the use of a shuttle propulsion. Vincent has shown that the power required for picking is proportional to the cube of the loom speed. If the loom speed is increased from 200 to 300 picks per minute, the power requirement would increase by a factor of (3/2)3 i.e. 3.4 times approximately. This results in following disadvantages

Greater strain imposed on the picking mechanism, thus rendering it liable to frequent failure. Greater amount of noise and vibration. Because of superior energy in shuttle, greater strain is again imposed on the checking mechanism. The movement of shuttle will be more difficult to control and there will be a greater possibility of its ejection from the loom.

The dynamic problems created by the picking and checking mechanism and the inherent process of pirn winding for shuttle looms had encouraged the loom makers to develop alternative means of weft insertion in which heavy shuttle is not projected forwards and backwards across the width of the loom. It is customary to refer these looms as shuttleless looms. The various shuttleless loom that have been developed over a period of about 50 years can be classified into various groups.

Projectile Looms Rapier Looms Fluid Jet Looms Multiphase Looms

Parts of a Loom | Loom Components | Looms and Weaving | Looming

The Major Loom Components are the warp beam, heddles, harnesses, shuttle, reed and takeup roll. In the loom, yarn processing includes shedding, picking, battening and taking-up operations

Weaving Shedding | Shedding | What is Shedding

Shedding is the raising of the warp yarns to form a shed through which the filling yarn, carried by the shuttle, can be inserted. The shed is the vertical space between the raised and unraised warp yarns. On the modern loom, simple and intricate shedding operations are performed automatically by the heddle or heald frame, also known as a harness. This is a rectangular frame to which a series of wires, called heddles or healds, are attached. The yarns are passed through the eye holes of the heddles, which hang vertically from the shedding harnesses. The weave pattern determines which harness controls which warp yarns, and the number of shedding harnesses used depends on the complexity of the weave. Two common methods of controlling the heddles are dobbies and a Jacquard Head.

Picking
As the shedding harnesses raise the heddles or healds, which raise the warp yarns, the shed is created. The filling yarn in inserted through the shed by a small carrier device called a shuttle. The shuttle is normally pointed at each end to allow passage through the shed. In a traditional shuttle loom, the filling yarn is wound onto a quill, which in turn is mounted in the shuttle. The filling yarn emerges through a hole in the shuttle as it moves across the loom. A single crossing of the shuttle from one side of the loom to the other is known as a pick. As the shuttle moves back and forth across the shed, it weaves an edge, or selvage, on each side of the fabric to prevent the fabric from raveling.

Battening
As the shuttle moves across the loom laying down the fill yarn, it also passes through openings in another frame called a reed (which resembles a comb). With each picking operation, the reed presses or battens each filling yarn against the portion of the fabric that has already been formed. The point where the fabric is formed is called the fell. Conventional shuttle looms can operate at speeds of about 150 to 160 picks per minute. With each weaving operation, the newly constructed fabric must be wound on a cloth beam. This process is called taking up. At the same time, the warp yarns must be let off or released from the warp beams. To become fully automatic, a loom needs a filling stop motion which will brake the loom, if the weft thread breaks For all this to happen, the yarn has to be prepared. The weft, or filling must be wound tightly on the correct size pirns, quills or bobbins. Weaving happens at great speed so the yarn must be at the correct tension when it leaves the shuttle. The warp passes through the heddles which stretch it at each pick, and through the reeds which are abrasive. The warp is thus sized, that is coated with a mixture that can include china clay and flour, to give it extra strength and to act as a lubricant. It is dressed or wetted while passing through the loom. The warp, hundreds of ends of yarn

rolled in parallel, comes on a wooden beam. Before weaving can commence each end must be passed through the heddles and and reeds, a process known as looming.

Chilkat weaving
Chilkat weaving is a traditional form of weaving practiced by Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and other Northwest coastal tribes of Alaska and British Columbia. Chilkat blankets are worn by high-ranking tribal members on civic or ceremonial occasions, including dances.

Background of Chilkat Weaving

The name derives from the Chilkat tribe in Klukwan, Alaska on the Chilkat River. The Tsimshian might have invented the technique. Chilkat weaving can be applied to blankets, robes, dance tunics, aprons, leggings, shirts, vests, bags, hats, and wall-hangings. Chilkat clothing features long wool fringe that sways when the wearer dances. Traditionally chiefs would wear Chilkat blankets during potlatch ceremonies. Chilkat weaving is one of the most complex weaving techniques in the world. It is unique in that the artist can create curvilinear and circular forms within the weave itself. A Chilkat blanket can take a year to weave. Traditionally mountain goat wool, dog fur, and yellow cedar bark are used in Chilkat weaving. Today sheep wool might be used. The designs used Northwest Coast formlines, a traditional aesthetic language made up of ovoid, U-form, and S-form elements to created highly stylized, but representational, clan crests and figures from oral history - often animals and especially their facial features. Yellow and black are dominant colors in the weavings, as is the natural buff color of the undyed wool. Blue can be an secondary color. Looms used in Chilkat weaving only have a top frame and vertical supports, with no bottom frame, so the warp threads hang freely. The weaver works in vertical sections, as opposed to moving horizontally from end to end.

Finger Weaving | How to Finger Weave

Fingerweaving is a Native American art form used mostly to create belts, sashes, straps, and other similar items through a non-loom weaving process. Unlike loom-based weaving, there is no separation between weft and warp strands, with all strands playing both roles

Finger Weaving History

North and Central American Finger weaving
Some patterns and color combinations were originally restricted to certain societies or clans, while others were available for general use by all. Belts, sashes, leg bands, capes, gun straps, even dresses, shirts, and pants were created by the sometimes intricate patterns and methods. Often beads or feathers were interwoven into the patterns of the articles. The French Voyagers (fur traders in the northern US and southern Canada) adapted the finger weaving patterns to create belts and sashes which showed which company they belonged to. The belts were the original weight belts, as they added extra support to their stomachs when they were lifting heavy canoes or packets of beaver pelts, which

sometimes weighed up to 600 lbs. The Spanish conquistadors used fingerwoven sashes to proclaim which command they were in, as well as to record their conquests over the Native Americans.

South American Finger weaving

Although South American styles shared much in common with those from North America, some differences are reliably observable. In addition to many of the specific weaves from the north, additional atyles were created by using multiple weft strands at a time.

Basic Weaves
The most basic weave is called a diagonal weave, as it creates a series of parallel lines running down the length of the weave at a diagonal. Whether one weaves from left to right or from right to left does not matter, as the pattern is the same, however, the direction must stay the same or the pattern will change. As with loom weaving, one starts with an even number of warp strands, but with no weft strand. Divide the warp strands into two groups, a top and bottom row. Take the top left (or top right) strand, and run it between the top and bottom rows, turning it into a weft. Reverse the position of each warp strand (from top to bottom or bottom to top), making sure to keep all strands in the same order and placement to form a single interlocked row. For the second row, take the new top left (or top right) warp strand, and tuck it between the top and bottom, forming a new weft strand. Again, interlink the top and bottom rows, making sure to use the old weft strand from row #1. Continue this process until the desired length is completed. Other common, but more difficult patterns include those of lightning bolts, arrowheads, and chevrons. By making slight changes to the weaving process, a wide variety of unique patterns can be created.

Inkle weaving
Inkle weaving is a type of warp-faced weaving where the shed is created by manually raising or lowering the warp yarns, some of which are held in place by fixed heddles on a loom known as an inkle loom. Though inkle weaving was brought to the United States of America (US) in the 1930s, the inkle itself seems to predate this by several centuries, being referred to in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. Inkle weaving is commonly used for narrow work such as trims, straps and belts.

Inkle Looms
Inkle looms are constructed in both floor and table-top models. Either model is characterized by a wooden framework upon which dowels have been fastened. These dowels will hold the warp threads when the loom has been dressed. One of the dowels is constructed so that its position can be adjusted. This tensioning device will be taken in as weaving commences and the warp threads become shorter. Additional equipment includes yarn of the weaver's

choice, yarn or thread for forming heddles and a shuttle to hold the weft. A notebook is also handy for charting weaving diagrams.

Process of Inkle Weaving

The inkle loom is threaded with warp threads according to the weaver's design, alternating between yarn that that can be raised and lowered and yarn that is secured in place through the use of the heddles. The raising and lowering of these warp threads creates the shed through which the weft thread will be carried on a shuttle. The weaver should make one pass with the shuttle with each opening of a shed through the raising and lowering of threads. A simple raising and lowering of threads creates a plain-weave band in which warp threads are slightly offset. Weft threads are only visible at the edges of the band and the weaver may wish to take this into account by warping threads that will form the edges in the same color as the weft. As the weaving commences, the warp threads will shorten on the loom and the weaver will need to adjust the tension periodically. As the inkle band progresses, it will also get closer to the heddles. The weaver will also need to advance the warp thread along the bottom of the loom to open up new weaving space. In her book "Inkle Weaving," Helene Bress recommends loosening the tension when you are ready to advance the warp. Once you have done so, tighten the tension again and resume your weaving. There are other more advanced techniques in which, instead of merely allowing warp threads to alternate in their up or down positions, individual threads are brought to the surface to form a brocaded pattern. One side of the band will show the exposed surfaces of warp threads while, on the other side of the pattern, the weft thread will be visible An inkle loom is also useful in the practice of tablet weaving for its added portability. Simply thread the warp onto the loom but use cards instead of alternating between free-hanging and heddle-secured yarn.

Uses of Inkle Weaving

The narrow bands that inkle weaving forms are ideal for using as belts or for decorating the edges of a garment. (This weaver finds a narrow strip of hand-made fabric to be ideal as a strap for use in yoga. The many varieties of color and pattern are limited only by the weaver's imagination.

Tablet weaving
Tablet Weaving (often card weaving in the United States) is a weaving technique where tablets, also called 'cards', are used to create the shed the weft is passed through. The technique is limited to narrow work such as belts, straps, or garment trim. The origins of this technique go back at least to the early Iron age. Examples have been found at Hochdorf, Germany, and Apremont, France. Tablet-woven bands are commonly found in Iron age graves and are presumed to be standard trim for garments among various peoples, including the Vikings. As the materials and tools are relatively cheap and easy-to-obtain, tablet weaving is popular with hobbyist

weavers.

Tools
The tablets used in weaving are typically shaped as regular polygons, with holes near each vertex and possibly at the center, as well. The number of holes in the tablets used is a limiting factor on the complexity of the pattern woven. The corners of the tablets are typically rounded to prevent catching as they are rotated during weaving. In the past, weavers made tablets from bark, wood, bone, horn, stone, leather, or a variety of other materials. Modern cards are frequently made from cardboard. Some weavers even drill holes in a set of playing cards. This is an easy way to get customized tablets or large numbers of inexpensive tablets. The tablets are usually marked with colors or stripes so that their facings and orientations can be easily noticed.

Tablet Weaving Loom

The fundamental principle is to turn the tablets to lift selected sets of threads in the warp. The tablets may be turned in one direction continually as a pack, turned individually to create patterns, or turned some number of times "forward" and the same number "back". Twisting the tablets in only one direction can create a ribbon that curls in the direction of the twist, though there are ways to thread the tablets that mitigate this issue. Traditionally, one end of the warp was tucked into, or wrapped around the weaver's belt, and the other is looped over a toe, or tied to a pole or furniture. Some traditional weavers weave between two poles, and wrap the weft around the poles. Commercial "tablet weaving looms" adapt this idea, and are convenient because they make it easy to put the work down. Some modern weavers thread each card individually, but this is time consuming. The traditional threading method is to put all the threads through the holes of an entire deck. Then, starting at the pair of cards farthest from the bobbins, the threads are pulled from between each pair of cards out to the length of the warp, and hooked or tied on each end. If the cards remain "paired", so that alternate cards twist in opposite directions, continuous turning does not twist the ribbon. Some weavers in some patterns flip alternate cards, "unpairing" them. This makes it easier to turn individual cards. A shuttle about twice as wide as the ribbon is placed in the shed to beat the previous weft, then carry the next weft into the shed. Shuttles made for tablet weaving have sharp edges to beat down the weft. The best shuttles have plates to cover the bobbin, and keep it from catching the warp. Simple flat wooden or plastic shuttles work well for weaving with large yarns, but weaving with finer threads goes more quickly with a tablet-weaving shuttle. Patterns are made by placing different-colored yarns in different holes, then turning individual cards until the desired colors of the weft are on top. After that, a simple pattern, like a stripe, small diamond or check, can be repeated just by turning the deck of tablets. Tablet weaving is especially freeing, because any pattern can be created by turning individual tablets. This is in contrast to normal looms, in which the complexity of the pattern is limited by the number of shafts available to lift threads, and the threading of the heddles.

Tablet weaving can also be used to weave tubes or double weave. The tablets are made to have four levels in the warp, and then two sheds are beat and wefted, one in the top pair of warps, and the other in the bottom pair, before turning the deck. Since groups of tablets can be turned separately, the length, width and joining of the tubes can be controlled by the weaver

Taniko Weaving | Taniko

Taniko (or taaniko), is a traditional weaving technique of the Mori of New Zealand related to twining. Taniko Weaving may also refer to the resulting bands of weaving, or to the traditional designs. The Taniko technique does not require a loom, although one can be used. Traditionally free hanging warps were suspended between two weaving pegs and the process involved twining downward. The traditional weaving material is "muka", fibre prepared from the New Zealand flax . The muka fibre was dyed using natural dyes

Tapestry Weaving | Tapestry

Tapestry is a form of textile art, woven on a vertical loom. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length (called the warp) and those parallel to the width (called the weft); the warp threads are set up under tension on a loom, and the weft thread is passed back and forth across part or all of the warps. Tapestry weaving is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike cloth weaving where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible. In tapestry weaving, weft yarns are typically discontinuous; the artisan interlaces each colored weft back and forth in its own small pattern area. It is a plain weft-faced weave having weft threads of different colours worked over portions of the warp to form the design. Most weavers use a naturally based warp thread such as linen or cotton. The weft threads are usually wool or cotton, but may include silk, gold, silver, or other alternatives. Both craftsmen and artists have produced tapestries. The 'blueprints' on cardboard (also known as 'tapestry cartoons') were made by artists of repute, while the tapestries themselves were produced by craftsmen The emphasis on weaving productivity and weaving quality has developed the weaving technology very much and as a result the working hours required to weave fabric from loom have been reduced from about 20 to 0.25 during the last 125 years, and in the last 50 years there has been a reduction of 95% in operative hours per standard unit produced. Majority of the developments are taking place on the shuttleless looms in the following directions :

To increase productivity of the loom. To make the looms more flexible for different kinds of fabric. To reduce the down time for changing style, etc. Application of electronic control mechanisms to increase automation Development of accessories such as dobby, jacquards, etc.

In addition to these, the newer looms are simple in design, the motions are more reliable, consumes less energy and have lower maintenance cost.

Productivity of Looms
The Production rates of the various types of looms are presented for comparison in Table Loom type Available width in cms Speed in rpm Weft insertion rates(ppm) Projectile Sulzer Ruti P7100 Sulzer Ruti P7200 STB Russia Rigid Rapier SACM Dornier Gunne Flexible Rapier Somet Vamatex Sulzer Ruti Nuovo Pignone Water Jet Metor SPA Nisson Tsudakoma Air Jet Sulzer Ruti Picanol Omni Picanol Delta Toyoda Tsudakoma Lakshmi Ruti Dornier Linear Multiphase Elitex about 190 1100-1600 2000-3000 upto 300 190-380 190 150-330 152-340 190 430 750 800 1110 850 1000 500 600 1600 1800 2000 2000 2200 1200 2520 230 150-210 150-210 1000 1000 1000 1600 2000 2000 165-410 160-380 110-280 220-420 550 510 325 440 1300 1300 1200 1000 150 150-400 230 550 460 330 1110 1000 1200 190-540 190-540 180-330 320 430 300 1100-1200 1500 750

Drum type Multiphase

Sulzer M8300

190

3230

6088

Out of these single phase looms, Air jet loom is having maximum speed and maximum weft insertion rate. Because of the very high quality of yarn required, the yarn must be of very high standard, otherwise the loom stoppages due to warp breaks and weft breaks will be high. The efficiency achieved will be in the order of 93 to 95%. Other looms like projectile and repair will give an efficiency of about 90 to 95%. The cover of the fabric in air jet will not be as good as projectile and rapier looms. Efficiency in multiphase loom is in the order of 90 to 95% These are the speeds obtained by the weavers at commercial level. The main reason for targeting higher productivity is to reduce the cost of production, especially labour cost. The increase in speed is being achieved the improvement in all major functional parts of the modern looms Today the market particularly demands wide variety as much as possible at the lowest possible cost. These machines provide the feature such as :

The possibility of weaving more difficult products in terms of yarn employed and also in combinations Application potential in all weaving sectors.

Sulzer Ruti 6300 rapier loom will weave not only fashion, fabrics with us many as 8 weft colours but also furnishing fabrics, simple print base fabrics and denims as efficiently as light to heavy weight industrial fabrics. The terry plus airjet terry weaving machines of Gunne not only permit greater pile height and heavier fabrics, it also offers greater flexibility in operation with the ability to change the fabric width and pile height. On the machine the drawing width can be changed using the same reed, simply by shifting the weft stop motion and the weft cutter. The pile height is programmable within the same fabric. Special fabric constructions with different pile heights on front and back are also possible. For Sulzer P7300 projectile looms a variety of back rest roller and cloth take up systems are available to suit the density and the type of fabric woven.

Minimum Down Time of Weaving Machine

Many of the weaving machine manufacturers offer quick style change (QSC) system. The basic idea of these developments is to prepare module outside the weave room and keep them ready for a switch over with empty module in the weaving machine. Dornier demonstrated quick style changes from a fine worsted fabric to a pure cashmere fabrics in less than 30 minutes. Similarly, almost all major weaving machine makers offer their own version of QSC. Dornier offers Fast Dobby Change (FDC) which allows a mill exchange a dobby shedding for a cam drive when a basic style is being woven and higher shedding machine speeds are possible. The exchange times is not more than 1.5 hours per occurrence.

Electronic Control Mechanism in Weaving

The use of central microprocessor control system and automatic functional with bidirection communication and diagnostic features are the common features of most of these latest weaving machines. Sulzer Ruti P7100 with central microprocessor control, electronically controls progressive weft break, automatic weft feed backup which switches over to a feeder head with intact weft intact weft thread in the event of weft break, at the same time informing the weaver an optical automatic weft break repair and package handling system. In repair machines electronic control weft tensioner reduces the yarn tension specially during insertion. The opening and closing time can be selected according to the material usually at yarn pick up. Automatic package switching device prevents the machine from being stopped in the event of a weft break between the package and the weft feeder. The microprocessor switches over immediately to a reduced number of packages in the circle, so that the machine continues to run. Electronically controlled warp let off and cloth take up units ensure high degree of fabric regularity and prevent all kinds of start and stop marks. Electronic monitoring control system have simplified the communication with the machine and facilitate its easy handling by any one concerned with the operation of the machine e.g. weaver, technical, maintenance, personnel, etc. In airjet weaving machine electronic let-off maintains consistent warp tension from full beam to empty beam. Electronic cloth take up generates a pick density resolution of 0.1 picks/cm and holds it constant, under all operating conditions. In terry plus airjet terry weaving machine of Gunne Web Machinen Fabric GMBH & Co. The microprocessor monitors the entire insertion cycle and keeps all the different elements perfectly synchronized.

Other Developments (A) Tuck-in-Devices

Some of the important development are new tuck in motions based on pneumatic. The principle of pneumatic trucking in is the use of air to hold the filling end and then forcing the filling end to be tucked in, in the next shed, by air. In airjet weaving the automatic weft repairer which repairs the weft break and starts the machine automatically is made simple by using mechano pneumatic device. It is a positive factor in higher weaver allocation and increased efficiency. Dornier exhibited their pneumatic tucker on two airjet weaving machines (LTN F8/J and LWV2/E). Tsudokama demonstrated their ZNT needleless tuck-in on two airjet weaving machine. Somet showed its patented tucking motion on a clipper airjet machine. Elimination of tuck in needle by pneumatic tuck in motion enables the loom run much faster as compared to mechanical devices.

(B) Electronic Jacquard Head

Grosse has introduced its patented UniShed positive electronic jacquard head. The shed formation in the UniShed is achieved by leaf spring. Each leaf spring is connected to a heddle that controls one warp end. The leaf springs which are controlled by actuators control the bottom shed as well as the top shed (positive shed type). The dimensions of the jacquard head and the individual control of each heddle (warp end) allow the heddles to be set vertically. These

settings permit the elimination of harness cords, hooks, magnets, pulleys, pull down springs and more significantly, the gantry. The jacquard head is mounted directly on the side frame of the weaving machine, thus allowing quick style changes.

(C) Jacquard Shedding Mechanism

Staubli's Unival 100 electronic jacquard shedding mechanism offers a new concept. The shed formation is achieved by controlling each individual warp end with a stepping motor. The harness cord / warp end selection is performed electronically and hence fabric design is achieved in the same way as any electronic jacquard system. The design of the Unival 100 permits the elimination of hook and the gantry.

(D) Weft Package Handling

Complete automatic weft package handling, loading the package frame and package changing can be incorporated on Sulzer Ruti projectile weaving machines and Tsudakoma Airjet weaving machines. These include automation equipment for detecting the broken picks with drawing it from the open shed, correcting the cloth fell position and restarting the machine. The entire cycle is completed in about 12 seconds.

(E) A Loom Developed by SITRA

The modern shuttleless looms not only produce faster, but also the cloth produced by these looms possess much better quality as compared to conventional looms. The main problem faced by the decentralized weaver is that imported shuttleless looms are very expensive. In order to overcome this disadvantage to a decentralized sectoer SITRA has developed a low cost rapier shuttleless loom with a likely price tag of around Rs. 3.5 lakhs. The major advantages of this loom as compared to ordinary loom are:

The speed of the machine can be increased by 25%. When the four colour weft is used, the speed increase will be more than 40% compared to drop box loom. Weaving defects in fabric will be considerably reduced. Since rapier machine feed weft yarn from cone, the process of pirn winding is eliminated. 10 to 15% increase in efficiency is possible when compared to ordinary power looms. Higher work assignment is possible. Because of low cost, power loom units can afford to install this machine

(F) Other Attachments

To achieve minimum defects in fabrics, with increase in loom efficiency and to meet the requirements of export quality fabric, the following additional motions may be installed in ordinary power looms.

Electronic Weft Feelers Electro Mechanical Weft Fork Electronic Warp Stop Motion Sudden Brake Motion Positive Let off Motion

These devices will increase the productivity, reduce fabric defects due to double picks, weft cracks, starting marks, broken picks, uneven pick density, etc. The advantage derived like minimum defects, increase in production, improved quality and increase in efficiency will enable the manufacturer to recover the amount invested in a very short period. Moreover the loom allotted to a weaver can also be increased depending on the variety woven. So the improve quality, production, efficiency and to face competition when textiles will be available from other countries also, the manufacturers have to expeditiously modernize and tune up the operational efficiency of their existing loom.

Modern Weaving - Shuttleless Weaving

Modern weaving machines | Shuttleless Weaving Machines stand out as an expensive class compared to conventional machines in terms of capital investment. This basic difference requires certain prerequisites to be considered while planning to venture into modern weaving machines. The quality of yarn used on shuttleless weaving looms is the prime criteria considered for quality weaving. The machine parameters to be controlled for an optimised preparatory operation have been dealt with respect to winding, war ping and sizing operations. Guidelines for machine stoppages corresponding to warp and weft breakages in weaving are considered as important in deciding the efficiency of a shuttless weaving shed.

Introduction to Shuttleless Weaving

For the successful installation of shuttleless looms, it becomes inevitable to go for quality yarn and optimization of the preparatory operations prior to weaving. A better quality yarn leads to a quality warp and sized beam which consequentially gives and efficient weaving operation both qualitatively and quantitatively. The parameters to be checked as regards yarn quality, winding of warp and weft yarns, warping and sizing are dealt with in some detail in the following sections.

Yarn Quality Requirements for Shuttleless Weaving

Tension on the warp on a high speed shuttleless weaving machine is higher than that on conventional loom. On some Repier looms, interference by rapiers, at the initial points of entry and terminal point of shed exit, can cause

bending of the top yarn sheet around the rapier head producing excessive warp strain on the selvedge region of war p. Weft tension on Sulzer Ruti projectile weaving machine, is equally high, where tucked-in selvedge is for med. Consistency of single end strength, C.V. of count and elongation is essential. Quality of yarn should be at least within 25% Uster which means the quality is among the best 25% of the mills in the world. Normally shuttleless weaving machine works three to four times faster and if the quality of war p remains the same, warp breaks will increase three to four times resulting in low production. Yarn should be more even and the following parameters of yarn are to be critically reviewed; C. V. of count, single thread strength, C. V. of single thread strength, imperfections per 1,000 meters such as thick places, thin places, and neps. Hairy yarn will not be suitable in air jet weaving as it will misdirect the weft insertion.

Warp and Weft Preparation for shuttleless weaving

It is absolutely necessary that machine stoppage rate per 10,000 war p ends and 1,00,000 picks should be considerably reduced for successful installation of shuttleless looms. Because of much smaller shed size,reed sweep and abrasion time, the war preparation standards acceptable for automatic looms will lead to less warp breakages if the same yarn is used on high speed looms. Yarn imperfections which would pass into the cloth on an automatic loom fail to do so on a machine like projectile loom because of the following reasons:

The reed is less flexible. The characteristics of beat-up are considered to be more detrimental than those with conventional sley. When the movement of adjacent shed is impeded due to some projection hanging in the form of wild yarn, fluff, scissoring action of the knots, etc, hindrance in the path of the yar n will be chopped off to cause a multiple break.

Number of abrasion cycles is more because of high speed.

Winding
All medium and fine counts and all blended yarns with polyester components should be wound on automatic winding machines like Autoconer, Murata, etc. In choosing optimum clearing settings, indiscrimate removal of thick places is not desirable since removal of each fault is replaced by another fault namely a knot. Knots act as sharp instruments on the adjacent threads, besides being responsible for peak tensions generated during weaving. Tail ends of knots come in the way of clear shed formation and can be a cause of multiple breaks. Hence, each thick place is to be assessed with respect to its length, and only objectionable faults may be removed. This is possible only with electronic yarn clearer in conjuction with Uster Classimat which classifies yar n faults into twenty one categories (reference length & C.S.) The size of the tail ends of knots should be small. The knotter is to be selected based upon the yarn number. A spliced yarn gives good results. It would be desirable that a splicer is provided instead of a knotter on the winding machine to give good results and to get rid of all the disadvantages of knots. A large no. of automatic winding machines are equipped with knot / splice tester which ensures 90-95% prefect joints.

Warping

At warping, the goal should be to avoid missing ends. Number of thread breakages should not exceed seven per 10 million meters. This can be achieved by ensuring a top quality yarn package and by following the warping process parameters mentioned below :

Precise creel alignment Reliable stop motion on creel and on warping drum, so that broken ends are traceable for knotting. Minimum wobbling of warping beams. Uniform selvedge with good flanges. Yarns should by preferably warped on spindle driven machines to avoid thermal damage due to abrasion. Warping machines such as Benninger or Hacoba are preferable. With drum driven warpers such as the BC Warper, the following precautionary measures are to be taken :

A) Frictional drum should be kept in a polished state. B) Brake should be very efficient. C) Aluminium cast flanges should be used to get faulteless selvedges. D) Breakages rate should not exceed 0.3~0.5 breaks per 1000 m / 500 ends. E) For wider width looms, wider war ping machines are preferred.

Sizing
The process of sizing greatly influences the performance of the shuttleless weaving machine. The concept of single end sizing is more ideal for yarn prepared for all shuttleless weaving machines particularly wider width machines with a large number of ends. Single end sizing facilitates proper encapsulation of size on the yarn and reduces hairiness particularly of blended yarns resulting in a ver y clear shed formation which is a must for shuttleless weaving. Double size beams are recommended to avoid over crowding. An optimum number of ends in the size box is given by optimum ends = 0.5 x (width of nip of size box) / dia. of yarn.

Weft Preparation
Weft insertion rate is high and unwinding is intermittent on shuttleless weaving machines. Hence it is necessary to have a hard wound package. It is essential to have anti patterning device to prevent slough-off on the fabrics. For spun yar ns, parallel wound package with core diameter of package of 95 mm and a traverse of 90 mm give a good performance. Smaller core diameter of package increases the unwinding tension and enhances the possibility of high weft breakage. Weft accumulators are to be used on high speed weaving machines when the weft insertion rate is above 1000 m/min.

The parameters and machinery in preparatory for the conventional shuttle looms should be thoroughly assessed and suitably modified or replaced for their performance for the efficient functioning of a shuttleless weaving shed. The above factors play a deciding role in giving quality weaving and better returns thereof.

Loom What is Loom | What is a Loom | Define Loom | Loom Definition | Definition of Loom
Loom is a machine or device for weaving thread or yarn into textiles. Looms can range from very small hand-held frames, to large free-standing hand looms, to huge automatic mechanical devices. The ancient Egyptians and Chinese used looms as early as 4000 BC. In practice, the basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function is the same.

Types of Looms | Types of Weaving Looms Hand Looms | Hand Loom Weaving What is Hand Loom
The first and original hand loom was vertically twist-weighted types, where threads are hung from a wooden piece or branch or affixed to the floor or ground. The weft threads are manually shoved into position or pushed through a rod that also becomes the shuttle. Raising and lowering each warp thread one by one is needed in the beginning. It is done by inserting a piece of rod to create a shack, the gap between warp threads in order for the woof to easily traverse the whole warp right away.

Ground Looms
Horizontal ground looms permit the warp threads to be chained between a couple of rows of dowels. The weaver needs to bend forward to perform the task easily. Thus, pit looms with warp chained over a ditch are invented to let the weaver have his or her legs positioned below and leveled with the loom.

Back Strap Looms

Back Strap Looms are well recognized for their portability. The one end of this loom type is secured around the waist of the weaver and the other end is attached around a fixed thing like door, stake, or tree. Pressure applied can be customized by just bending back.

Frame Looms

Frame looms almost have the similar mechanisms that ground looms hold. Frame Loom was made of rods and panels fastened at the right angles to construct a form similar to a box to make it more handy and manageable. This type of loom is being utilized even until now due to its economy and portability.

Rigid Heddle Looms

Rigid Heddle Loom is the crisscross manifold loom types. The back strap looms and frame looms fall under this type. This one normally features one harness, with its heddles attached in the harness. The yarn or thread goes in an alternate manner all the way through a heddle and in the gap between the heddles. In this way, lifting the harness also lifts half of the threads and letting down the harness also drops the same threads. Strands leading through the gaps between the heddles stay in position.

Foot-treadle Floor Looms

Nowadays, hand weavers are likely to employ looms having no less than 4 harnesses. With every harness featuring a set of heddles wherein wool can be strung, and by lifting the harnesses in diverse arrangements, a multiplicity of designs are created. Looms having a couple of harnesses similar to these are applied for knitting tabby, the unvarying weave textiles.

Haute Lisse and Basse Lisse Looms

These are generally employed for knitting conventional tapestry. Haute lisse has the yarn or thread hung straight up between 2 spools. The basse lisse loom has the warp thread stretched out horizontally between spools.

Shuttle Looms
It is the key component of the loom along with the warp beam, shuttle, harnesses, heddles, reed, and take up roll. In the loom, yarn processing includes detaching, battening, alternative, and taking-up operations.

Shuttleless Looms
Because the shuttle can cause yarns to splinter and catch, several types of shuttleless looms have been developed. These operate at higher speeds and reduced noise levels. Some of the common shuttleless looms include water-jet looms, air-jet looms, rapier looms, and projectile looms.