PROCESS FLOW IN THE WEAVING UNIT

The warp beams are received from the warping department, which is situated inside the main plant. The transportation between the warping and weaving department is accomplished by the means of warp beam trolleys and trucks. Once the warp beams reach the loom shed, individual warp threads are needled through the heald eyes manually (drawing), hence preparing a beam for loading on to a loom. All the warp threads have to be threaded through the heald eyelet and its gap in the reed prior to weaving. The warp threads are passed through eyelets on the heald. Two operators sit facing each other, across the frame and the operator facing the reed passes a hooked needle through the heald eyes and drop wires. The needle hook is then exposed to the second operator on the other side of the frame; who selects the correct yarn in its proper order and puts it on the hook so that when the needle is pulled, the yarn is threaded through the two loom parts. This process is carried out in an area right behind the main loom shed. The yarns are then threaded through the reed dents as required by the reed plan (denting). The reed is like a comb and its purpose is to control the separation of the warp threads. Once the denting is complete, the beam is loaded as per the requirement. Once the already loaded warp beam is exhausted, the new one can be tied on to it by the means of manual knotting. After this the process of weaving can be resumed in about 2 hours.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOOMS AT THE ARVIND TECHNO PARK WEAVING UNIT

The Arvind Techno Park weaving unit at Santej houses 48 weaving looms, evenly distributed between two makes, i.e. 24 of each, Toyota E Shed and Picanol Gammax. Both the looms can be bifurcated further on the basis of the number of heald frames and/or colored wefts which they can accommodate. Listed below in table 1 and table 2 is the information regarding the looms on the basis of their types and sub-types. No of Looms Type Lessor Name 24 Toyota E Shed Lalbhai Industries 24 Picanol Gammax Serendipity Apparels Table 1: Types of looms at the Arvind Techno Park weaving unit Number of Colored Number of Heald Weft Frames 6 6 16 Toyota E Shed (Airjet Loom) 18 4 16 8 8 24 Picanol Gammax (Rapier Loom) 16 6 20 Table 2: Sub-types of looms at the Arvind Techno Park weaving unit Loom Type Number of Looms

Figure 1: Toyota E Shed (JAT 710) As the production begins, the pre winder is released which is responsible for the release of the filling yarn in the main nozzle. On the other end, a catch cord catches the weft. The yarn is detached from the pre winder but the end from the pre winder is held at the machine end for the next insertion. This is followed by the beat-up motion, after which shedding and picking take place for the next pick.

Figure 2: Picanol Gammax Picanol GamMax is a double rapier loom. It is equipped with a weft presenter. The color and weave pattern are controlled by a microprocessor. A light weight gripper carries the weft yarn from one selvedge to another using free flight system. The loom makes use of electronic selvedge system.

Listed below are the specifications of both the looms against the respective parameters. Toyota E Shed 1,250 2,650 m/min 6500m/day 87% For easier designs Dobby 1900mm Gammax 550 1160 m/min 4000m/day 85% For complex designs Dobby 2200 mm

RPM(for the main shaft) WIR Production Efficiency(targeted) Usage Attachments Machine Width

MAINTENANCE OF MACHINES:
TOYOTA E SHED (JAT-710) The beating section and the let-off are lubricated on a regular basis to ensure the reliability of components and maintain fabric quality. To achieve stable weft insertion, the reed is cleaned regularly. Allowing oil solutions or sizing materials to build up in the reed dents degrades the consistency of weft insertions severely.

PICANOL GAMMAX

ATTACHMENTS USED
Both the machines used electronic dobby as an attachment to raise or lower several shafts at the same time giving a huge variety of possible sheds (gaps) through which the shuttle containing the weft thread can be thrown. The dobby used at the Arvind Techno Park weaving unit is STAUBLI TYP-2800. Advantage of using a dobby loom is the ability to handle much longer sequences in the pattern. A weaver working without a dobby, must remember the entire sequence of shedding 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. Using a dobby ensures that as high as 65,000 shedding patterns (subjective to the number of heald shafts) arent confused with each other and expands the possibilities while reducing the time taken to explore the same.

Figure 3: Staubli TYP-2800

STOP MOTION
Stop motion for Picanol Gammax Rapier looms Warp stop motion o 6 bar electrical 30 mm pitch o 8 bar electrical 16 mm pitch Automatic pickfinding In case of a broken pick the machine stops and only the harness frames are brought in motion automatically so as to free the broken pick, without the reed touching the beat-up line.

Stop motion for Toyota E Shed JAT 710 Electronic warp stop motion Leno-selvage & waste-selvage break stop motion Reflecting type weft detector (double feeler) LED signal lamp Light Colour Yellow light blinking Yellow and red light blinking Red light Red light blinking when machine is working Blue light blinking Implication Weft thread breakage Shut down via emergency switch Mechanical fault Electronic projectile detector or weft detector is switched off Warp thread breakage

FABRIC DESIGNING
Arvind handles weaving consignments from most of the leading brands in the country and its in-house brands. The Arvind Techno Park weaving unit produces Shirting fabric in various contemporary designs such as solids, stripes and plaid. The designing of the fabric for in-house brands is carried out by the Textile Design Department. Henceforth, all the fabrics follow a common route namely, Pre Production Planning. Objectives of Pre Production Planning Production Method: The selection of the production method is dictated by the Pre Production Committee, keeping in mind the feasibility of the design and efficiency and ability of the machines available. Determination of Details: Assessment of the fabric in question to establish necessary constants of the weave plan such as Ends per Inch, Picks per Inch, pegplan, drawing, warping section, weave etc.

SAFETY MEASURES
Ear plugs: A loom shed is bound to have extremely high levels of noise due to the constant beat-up motion, clanking of the heald shafts, shuttle (for shuttle looms) etc. Hence, it is absolutely mandatory for the operator to be equipped with ear plugs to prevent permanent damage to his health. Shoes: To move around in the loom shed, it is absolutely imperative to cover ones feet thereby ensuring physical safety. Half sleeve clothes: Working with a loom involves a lot of activity near the weft presenters warp thread, machine parts etc. Therefore it is advisable to wear half sleeved clothes and avoid any sort of entanglements and accidents, in extension. Cover moving machine parts: As far as possible, it is ensured that all the moving machine parts are covered. Such as protection guard over take-up rollers in case of a Picanol Gammax loom.

PRODUCT DEFECTS
Broken pattern: Instances of wrong drawing of thread in a colour pattern or wrong picking lead to non-continuity of a weave/design/pattern. Double end: Taking more ends in the heald eye leads to weaving of two or more ends as one. Float: Improper shedding, slack heald shafts etc. lead to improper interlacement of warp and weft threads over a certain area. Gout: Foreign matter (such as lint or waste) accidentally gets woven into the fabric. Hole, Cut or Tear: These occur for a variety of reason and end up rupturing the fabric. Missing ends: Despite being equipped with warp stop motions, this defect is observed due to reasons such as dirty electro bars and operators inattentiveness.

PROBLEM
Inside the unit, where the actual weaving takes place, relative humidity has a great impact on the performance of the looms. The optimal level of temperature and humidity over the machines, i.e. the warp, is generally not reached, because the sources of heat lie within the weaving machine, which in extension disturbs the climatic condition. Numerous yarn breaks are caused by the dust, lint and fiber accumulation.

LAYOUT OF THE WEAVING UNIT

Figure 4: Layout of the weaving plant