Suppose you own a garment factory to produce fine quality clothes. Suddenly your designer came with a very exclusive design that dreams you enough profit as well. Your experienced team provides beautiful garment cloth but you got disappointed. The fine beautiful clothes with an exclusive design got distorted and It’s looking horrible. What will you do?
Yes, you need a stenter Machine to fix the problem. A stenter machine is a Multipurpose machine that works to keep the width, weight, and proper texture of the fabric as per the requirement of customers. The origin of the fabric mainly manipulates the specifications of a stenter machine.
What is Stenter Machine?
A Stenter machine is an electrical machine in the textile industry for stretching or stentering thin fabrics. For example, the Cotton fabric shrinks width-wise & weft, and the bleaching & dyeing process distorts the fabric as well.
So, a stenter machine is a complete set-up in a Textile industry that maintains chemical, heating, and mechanical operation on fabric to ensure the predetermined dimension of the fabric according to the client's demand.
Functions of a Stenter Machine
Accordingly, we mentioned Stenter Machine as a Multipurpose Machine in the textile industry. So, it needs to perform multiple tasks at a time. The main functions of a Stenter Machine are here,
- Stenter Machine controls the deformation of the width of the fabric.
- A Stenter Machine saves the fabric from shrinkage.
- Stenter Machine does some kind of heat setting for some specific goods like synthetic fabric, lycra fabric, and blended fabric.
- A Stenter Machine has to be able to make a Proper finishing of chemical treatment it performed itself.
- The machine also controls the knit of the fabric.
- The moisture remains in the proper ratio in a Stenter Machine.
- Stenter Machine controls the spirituality too.
- GSM remains in the desired ratio in this machine operation.
- Stenter Machine can dry the fabric as well.
- Stenter Machine performs some curing treatment for resin and water repellent in fabric.
Parts of Stenter Machine
According to the discussion above we came to know that a Stenter Machine in the Textile industry, consists of some multiple components. Here they are,
- Padres
- Cooling Drums
- Burners
- Circulator fan
- Exhaust fan
- Heat recovery unit
- Weft Stretcher
- Pins or clips
- Winder
- Rollers of Attraction
Working Principle of Stenter Machine
Accordingly, a Stenter Machine in a Multipurpose operation chain, it is a compact set up of some units. Firstly, it comes to a chemical mixing tank, that contains chemical mixtures and varies from its use. Usually, the chemical mixing tank has a chemical solution. The solution contains water at half of tank capacity. Depending on the requirement, the fabric stays here five to seven minutes during the operation. Then the operation experts check 1 meter of fabric for further operation.
Secondly, the mechanical operation comes to the plot and performs skewing and bowing in the Bianco unit. Then a stretching unit helps to maintain the required dimension afterward.
Finally, the heat treatment unit including heating and cooling operate for finishing purpose. Usually, the heater heats the fabric 130°C to 180°C that varies for the fabric's origin. Then cooler unit, consists of a couple of stainless-steel rollers that have cooled water flowing inside performs as cooler to reduce the temperature with proper finishing. Now the Stenter Machine operation comes to an end and the fabric is ready for the next operation.
Operation Procedure of Stenter Machine
Here we are going to discuss the operation chain to the Stenter Machine following the working chain.
- Fabric Inlet: Firstly, we need to put in the fabric for the Stenter Machining process after the mercerizing and dying process or sometimes after bleaching and peaching as well. The fabric enters into the chemical treatment throughout some rollers and guiders into the fabric roll.
- J box: J box is another popular mechanism to guide the fabric throughout the Stenter Machine for the required operation. Generally, it's a netter shaped stainless steel chute that has a capacity of handling enough amount of fabric.
- Chemical Tank: Chemical tanks contain required chemicals for proper treatment. The chemical tank has a three-bowl padding system depending on squeezing. The chemical changes on the required finishing on the fabric. The finishing can be
- Soft Finish
- Water Repellent Finish
- Teflon Finish
- Bianco: Skewing and bowing controlled unit (Bianco) operates both skewing and bowing using the mechanical application. The unit is nothing but a set-up for some rollers.
Bend rollers are bowing roller and they are three in number. They can move vertical directions. When the bowing is in a downward direction then the rollers move upward so that they can make a balance.
There is also some function of three rollers. That is skewing. The amount is settled in the control panel. But here the rollers move horizontally.
To measure the scale of bowing and skewing the modern Stenter Machine has some sensors too. The sensor provides the data to the control panel so that the control panel takes the initiative depending on the data automatically or manually.
- Gripping Chain: After competing for chemical treatment the fabric needs to ensure its initial dimensions indeed. So, the chain gripping mechanism stands for this operation. Accordingly, the fabric comes from the Bianco unit and needs to regain the dimensions.
So there exist some wheel brushes for brushing to ensure proper gripping in case of the Stenter gripping unit is the pin type. Or the gripper is clip type then it grips automatically. A typical unit has ten grippers, nine spindle rollers, and sixteen blowers. The gripper chain has two options here,
- Over Feed: Here, the width of the fabric reaches higher than the required dimension. So, the chain width has to be lower than the fabric width.
- Under Feed: Here, the width of the fabric remains lower than the required dimension. So, the chain width has to be higher than the fabric width.
- Dry Chamber: After stretching the fabric needs to heat for better finishing. The temperature varies from the types of fabric. Such as Teflon finish need 180°C, the soft finish needs around 130°C to 150°C. Usually, this unit contains burners to produce heat and blowers to distribute it.
- Cooling roller: The cooling roller is another mechanism as a part of heat treatment. Here the Stenter Machine can have a couple of stainless-steel rollers that contain cold water flow in it that performs as cooler.
- Fabric Outlet: Finally, the fabric exits from the Stenter Machine and got rolled in the storage unit. Intact it's ready for the next step.
Therefore, Stenter Machine can fix your problem in the textile industry as your fabric was getting incorporeal. You can purchase a Stenter Machines by $35K to $200K. Finally, we hope you find your solution and we wish your good luck in business well.