Carpet Yarn Heatsetting

Heat setting with Power-Heat-Set

Carpet made from nylon fibers is a popular floor covering for both residential and commercial use. Such carpet is relatively inexpensive and offers a desirable combination of qualities, such as durability, aesthetics, comfort, safety, warmth and quietness. Also, it is available in a wide variety of attractive colours, patterns and textures. However, nylon fibers are severely and permanently stained by certain artificial and natural colorants present in common household items, e.g. like fruit juices and other soft drink beverages, and thus carpet made from nylon fibers will retain permanent stains, after spilling of such beverages. 

To avoid such staining the nylon fibers are coated, preferably during the spin finish process, with chemical compounds, to provide fibers having a stain resistance. 

Such fibers are particularly useful for providing stain resistant carpets. Such carpets can withstand exposure to massive spills of substances containing acid dye colorants, such as red wines and soft drinks, for long periods of time without staining.

Partial loss of the stain resistance characteristics of the nylon fibers coated with the “stain blocking” compound can occur during normal processing of the fibers into dyed carpet. For example, conventional heat setting of carpet yarns made from fibers of this invention utilizing conditions of predominantly wet heat (saturated steam) opens up the structure of the fibers and causes the fibers to be less stain resistant than corresponding fibers which are heat set utilizing conditions of predominantly dry heat such as is used with “Power-Heat-Set” heat setting equipment.

Therefore, heat setting your nylon carpet yarn coated with “stain blocking” compounds with Power-Heat-Set heat setting equipment will result in excellent quality of your stain resistant carpets.

You also achieve excellent quality for carpets made out of polyproplylene. Carpets with this seal are: colourfast, stain resistant, anti-microbial, anti-allergenic and are not normally affected by insects, mould or mildew. An equal mixture of clear household bleach and water removes most stains.                      

Advantages with GVA-Heatsetting

Prodcution and efficiency

The Power-Heat-Set GVA supplies 6 work stations. The decisive advantage is that if there is a yarn break it is not necessary to stop the complete production but only one work station. For example if 1 station has a yarn break the other 5 stations will continue production without interruption. The result is a higher efficiency!

In addition to that the Power-Heat-Set GVA generally runs with maximum 8 threads per work station at the same time (6 x 8 ends = 48 ends) Any yarn breaks can be remedied within a short time. The yarn ends can be separated easlily and fast!

Another advantage is that each work station can heatset different colours and effects.

Therefore less manpower is required as handling is easier and you will notice an effect on efficiency!

Quality

The Power-Heat-Set system is an open system working with overheated steam (approximately 200 kg/h).

The yarn does not need to be pressed through a pressure window and can be transported freely through the treatment chamber. This results in a straight, round and completely shrunken yarn which shows a maximum of bulk and does not have any kinks.

There also is the possibility of temperature choice. For example the Power-Heat-Set GVA heatsets polypropylene at approximately 145°C. It is by far more robust than yarn coming of other fixing systems which influences the life time and ensures a good unvarying apperance of the carpet.

With the Power-Heat-Set system for frieze production the yarn will no longer be damaged and allows a wide variation of frieze characters. The advantage is that there no longer are shiny spots and even little twist in the yarn achieves a good frieze effect. There are no differences in dyeing and cost saving with the twisting and cabling process.

Maintenance and spare parts

The Power-Heat-Set system shows an effort for maintenance and costs only a fraction of time and costs compared to other makes.

Mainly the transport ropes for mast machines and conveyor belts for belt machines are considererd as wear and tear parts.

Therefore the costs for spare parts per year are very low. The same applies for maintenance costs as, due to the open system the machine can be cleaned without demounting any locks or components and vice versa. No highly specialized service engineers are required.

Energy demand

When treating PP yarns approximately 100-150 kg/h of steam with 5-6 bar pressure is required. The electric power consumption is approximately 50 kW/h. The air pressure consumption is very low as only the change of bobbins requires air pressure of approximately 6 bar. Cooling water is not required!

Space demand

A GVA 5000 with a winder for 48 ends only takes up about 180 qm (36 m in length and 5 m in width without retaining capacity).

Cost / Performance ratio

Comparing the machine price plus installation and additional charges for a GVA with a winder for 48 ends you obtain a cost/performance ratio which is not achieved by any other system.

Recent developments achieve even higher cost reduction compared to previous GVA equipment.

Domotex Asia Shanghai

Our company is represented on many trade fairs. Our next fair, Domotex Asia Shanghai, takes place from 28 to 30 March.

The organisation of trade fairs is an exciting task: Looking for the suitable fair, applying for a booth, fitting of the booth, shipping the fair articles and machines, online advertising on the trade fair homepage, bookings of flight and hotel and so on.

We have many agencies worldwide for our customers to have a contact person in their own country. Our agency in China is CEO (www.ceobeijing.com) and they support us always with the organisation of the Domotex Asia. I would like to use this occasion to send my thanks to Mr. Zhang Ze and his team.

The arrangements of the Domotex Asia are concluded. Now we wish ourselves a successful fair. I will inform you about it in April.
www.domotexasiachinafloor.com

What is heatsetting?

What is heatsetting?

Heatsetting is the process of stabilization and setting a “memory” of twist in plied yarns.

Below, you’ll find a simplified description. Carpet yarn is mainly made out of thermoplastic fibers, i.e. polypropylen, nylon, etc.,. and before the thermoplastic fibers are ready for tufting / weaving and further processes until you have a finished carpet, there are some pre-processes – see picture of the ideal BCF-process (Pict. 1)

These fibers for the carpet yarn are gained through the so called extrusion process: That is “plastic” chips are being melted and then the liquid mass is squeezed through”sieves”. Thus fine filaments, are formed. These filaments are then spun to a yarn thread and with other processes the thread is twisted and/or cabled (Pict. 2-4).

Now, you will have a yarn, but in order for the yarn to stay as it has been twisted/cabled, you have to fix this state, that is: you have to set the “memory”. And for this you have the heat setting process.

With the heat setting process the molecular pattern of the thermoplastic materials will be rearranged through heat and steam and will form a new pattern after cooling. That is, the state generated through twisting/cabling will be stabilized. And as long as no higher temperature will be applied to the yarn the state generated through the heat setting process will remain and the yarn can be used for making.     

A year of celebration

This year is a special year of our Resch group - it’s a year of celebration:

- Resch celebrates its 50 years birthday
- ViscoTec celebrates its 10 yerars birthday
- Power-Heat-Set celebrates its 5 years birthday

For this reason the management will throw a big party for all employees in June. The preperations are running on full speed.

Our business partner, the company Zimmer Maschinenbau (www.zimmer-austria.com) from Austria, had already a special treat for us: a jubilee-carpet for which we would like especially thank Mr. Kloebl for it.

 We will keep you informed about our jubilee.