A saving stitch in time and energy
15 Jan 2000
In a very energy- and labour-intensive operation, thread was previously wound on to a former and left in a pressurised dyeing vessel at 130iC for up to 14 hours. The batch was then centrifuged to remove excess moisture, oven dried for a further 24 hours and the thread wound on to a cone to be steamed for 30 minutes to smooth out its surface. But still the process wasn't finished. A lubricant had then to be applied cold and the thread again dried before being suitable for sale.
The company felt that any improvement was worth pursuing and so asked Norweb's Emtec Centre to investigate alternatives. The technical centre found infra- red drying to be ideal and went on to develop a complete continuous process for dyeing, drying and winding thread ready for delivery.
In a continuous production line, threads now pass through a dyeing bath, followed by a bank of infrared emitters and a high temperature oven to bake on the dye. This is then followed by passage through a lubricant bath and a final bank of infrared emitters.
Previously spread out around the factory, the process is now condensed into one area, saving floor space and time in moving batches around. A 200kg batch can now be produced in only 8 hours and energy costs are down 57 per cent. According to managing director Harvey Newton, `payback time has been less than 12 months.'
