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    How Carpet Is Made ...

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    How Carpet Is Made ...

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    How Carpet is Made ...

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    How carpet is made Carpet is made using two processes — weaving or tufting. But the process is complicated by the many different ways of preparing fibre and applying colour, design and texture aking carpet sounds simple fice yarn and backing ‘materials are fed into a machire at one end, carpet comes out of the other. But there are many different processes used in preparing fire forthe pil, in ‘methods of applying colour, design and texture and in the manufacturing process itself Production methods differentiate the two types of carpet. ‘These are woven ~ that is Axminster and Wilton carpet and tufted carpet. The main difference between thems that in woven «atpet the traditional carpet manufacturing process dates back to the Industrial Revolution in Britain ~the pile andthe backing are made atthe same time. With tufted carpet yam is fed into a primary backing, an anchor coat of adhesive is applied to hold the tufts in place, and then a secondary hacking is added to give stability. This secondary backing can actas a builtin underlay. “The production method has implicatons for cost and. the ultimate price ofthe carpet, Woven manufacture is labour intensive, and because the looms run comparatively slowly, the end producti usually in the middleto top end of the market. Tufted production is capital intensive and automated. ‘Theaim is high speed, high volume production, lowering the square metre price. Production method also correlates toprice as ~in the broadest terms the majority of woven carpet is made in 80/20 blends of wool and nylon or in 1¢0 percent wool while the bulk ‘of tufted product is made with synthetic fibres. But the edges are increasingly blurted. For example, there is ‘an increasing number of low priced Wilton carpet macle from polypropylene, and there isan abundance of good quality tufted ‘arpet on the market made in 80/20 wool/nyion blends. Other mixtures, such as 50/50 wool/polyprop, are used in both woven and tufted carpet. ‘A further distinction that affects price is that, fora woven carpet to perfom well, it will need a pile weight oft least 15009 sq m. Tufteds, on the other hand, can and are -made with much lower pile weight. ‘The pile weight, tft o ple density lus ple height are all variables that affect the performance of carpe. “Tull density relates tothe numberof tufts per square metre of ‘carpet. Iti governed by the number of tufts across the width ‘multiplied by the number of tft in the length. Generally, ‘carpet of higher tuft density that is, more tufts per square metre —will perform bes. ‘The weight ofthe pile and density of the tufts are sometimes considered tobe the same thing, but they are not. Surface pile ‘weight isa measurement ofthe amount of yar per square metre Ceres [EUUUEETEREEEREC REET Both these carpets have the same ple weight but eitferent density Production me’ ‘Axminster ~ the surface yarn is inserted into and woven simultaneously with the backing and then cutoff to form aU" tuf. Wilton ~ the surface yam is inserted into and woven simultaneously with the backing, and is carried through the backing when itis not being used to create tufts ‘Tufting- the surface yar is inserted into a backing cloth which is made separately. of carpet — itis pile height that makes the difference to weight For example, ifthe pile height of one carpet is cm and another is 1cm, and the yarn and the pile weight ae identical, then the density of the second carpet i twice that of the first Effective pile height is the thickness ofthe wear layer, excluding the backing. Although the term pile weight is widely used, it is not an accurate system for making comparisons. ‘A.common problem for manufacturers isa phenomenon known as pile reversal. An area of tuts begin to lay ina different direction from the remainder ofthe pile, creating unsightly ‘marks, The alteration in the uniformity ofthe tufts isa resuk ‘of the pile being walked on in a certain way, for example, a ‘traffic lane’ can be created that appears to bea different colour from the remainder ofthe carpet, as the pile has been crushed. As carpet manufacturing technology moves forward, ‘manufacturers and fibre producers are endeavourng to There are two types of woven carpets — Axminster and Wilton — each with their own method of weaving Axminster nn Axminster carpet, the tufts that crete the carpet ple are inserted during the weaving ofthe backing. The backing generally consists of ute weft threads running across the ‘carpet and warp threads (running along the length) made of jute, coon, viscose or polypropylene. Each tufts in the form Ur and is held in place bythe we "Axminster carpet ofen hasa back coating of atx or another soft, elastic substance, which helps to anchor the ofa ‘engineer ways to stop shading and pile reversal, In early carpet manufacture, looms were strictly limited in ‘width —they were ‘narrow. The term ‘body carpet’ was coined, based on.a gin measure. As carpet production became more sophisticated, looms and tufting machines could produce wider ‘carpets, and a new description was coined ~ broadloor ‘The basic measurement adopted throughout the industry was "aft, with some at 1st. Metric measurement is now common and. slowly replacing al imperial measures. Four metre is now the most common width sold, and there are increasing numbers of products avaiable in five metre widths. Some woven carpet is still produced only in raft widths. In-between sizes - 36 inches, and one, wo and three metre ~ are cut down from standard roll sizes to help reduce ‘wastage. A number of suppliers offer an ‘any width facility to try to eliminate off cuts altogether. “The capet pattems transferred ‘ ‘rom squared paper tothe spool, ‘One square = one turf ‘eG Ut Gulag Ss ete Re sehiow ere tufts, provides an anti-fray finish, and improves weat. This type of carpet invariably has a velvet surface andi is possible to produce tin plain styles. Most Axminster ranges are patterned, however, s the looms were developed to produce patterned carpet. ‘The degree of design achieved depends on the type of loom. In spool Axminster up to 3o colours can be sed, wile in sripper the maximum is usually eight. Spool Axminster is 0 called because for each row of tuts, the pile yams are wound — ina specific order that corresponds with the colour pattern — across the width of the carpet onto wide spools. This process is known as spool seting “The free ends ofthe pile yarns are left threaded through tubes side by side in a frame mounted on the spool. For weaving breadloom, the required mu bers of spools for ‘each design are mounted alongside each other. ach row ‘of spools is attached berween two endless chains in the order in which the corresponding rows of tufts will appear in the repeat design, Gripper Axminster process avoids the need for spool setting and so is more economical. Instead, the pile yarns are fed from bobbins into carriers~one for each lengthwise course of tufts Each cartier, consisting ofa thin metal strip, has up tocight holes through which the ends ofthe individual colour yams project. ‘The carriers are moved up and down by a jacquard punched Wilton he same raw materials are generally used in Wilton 3s in ‘Awminster production, but instead of being in shor 'U' Pieces, the pileyarn is one continuous thread which is ‘arred through the backing when itis not being used to form a tu. This yarn buried in the backing is sid tobe ‘dead’. Itadds tothe weight and strength of the Wilton ‘Wilton carpet is usually plain or contains ro more than five colours although more colours may be ‘planted, substituting ‘one colour for another in certain parts ofthe design. ‘Asin Axminster, jacquards are used for patteming, The colours in Wilton are referred to as frame’ because eachis ‘mounted on a separate frame during manufacture Wilton may have loop as wellas act pile, and sculptured effects can be achieved by varying the pile height Brussels weave is similar to Wilton construction ~a loop pile carpet woven over unbladed flat wires ‘An alternative method of producing Wilton ison face-to-face looms. This method increases productivity as wo carpets ae produced simultaneously. The pile yarn weaves alternately through top and bottom backing fabrics. A bade is drawnacross the centre ofthe carpet to cut the ‘sandwich in two. In the pas, Wilton carpet sold in the UK was largely British made. Ithas always been expensive because ofthe ‘dead pile, card system so that al the yarns fora particular row of tufts are brought tothe same level at the same time Moder looms, which are substantially faster than their predecessors, use computerised systems to contol the colour selection process. Here the yearns are seized by ‘grippers. cut to length, inserted through the warp and secured ‘A further loom exists which combines both production processes, aptly named the spool gripper. Tis combines the use of multiple colours from the spool proces with the speed of production. High-speed electronic gripper looms which do not need jacquards, are one ofthe more recent developments and because it was usually made from wool or wool blends. ‘When Belgian producers began to export synthetic pile ranges, they found a ready market since these were far cheaper. “The imported products are generally produced on modern, hhigh speed computerised face-to-face looms using polypropylene pre-dyed yarns. Product development has been rapid, the latest introductions being ranges that use many more colours. ‘Wall-to-wall fitted carpets took over from carpet squares, which frequently featured patterned borders, in the 1960s. But the concept ofa bordered product has remained popular. Until comparatively recently, having borders ited around the perimeter of room with broadloom in the centre was too expensive for many consumers. Estimating was complex, hand-sewing was usually involved and installation required skilled craftspeople. AS a result, borderwork was more or ess confined to contrac installations. ‘The situation has now changed - installation systems based on heat seaming and direct stick down have enabled. ‘more fitters to tackle the job confidently. Manufacturers responding by introducing many more border patterns in woven carpet which can be used in conjunction with either pattern or plain carpet. Tufted carpet Most carpet sold in the UK today is tufted, a technology developed in the 20th century ufted carpet is manufactured by inserting lengths of yarn intoa primary backing fabric with rows of needles, each ‘of which holds a separate end, These needles are pushed through the primary backing and a hook or looper caiches the loop as the needle retracts ‘The pile height depends on the distance ofthe looper from the backing, The pile weight is dictated by the distance between the needles, and the number of insertions they make per inch oF centimetre along the length ofthe carpet “The tufts are anchored into the primary backing with a layer of rubber latex, anda secondary backing is added togive the carpet extra body and to improve the handle. The secondary backing may be made of jute, hessian, synthetic yarn, foam oF fel. The term secondary backing is sometimes used in the narrower sense, implying fabric as opposed to foam backing ‘The surface pile ofa tufted carpet can be cut, loop, ora ‘combination ofthe two: cut and loop. The pile he varied, and this governs the style of tufted carpet, f velvet, saxony or shag. Om uaenecenmeee as Tn tufting machines the needlebar can be moved from side to side and this enables the creation ofa staggered diagonal pattern effect developed with the use of Graphics and Hydrashift control systems. (see pattern on page 21) Most carpet manufacturers have Graphics and Hydrashit capability. But there are other tufting technologies that also produce different effets. Individual Needle Control was one of the first new generatont ‘The ICN technique tufts and dyes a plain carpet, then re-introduces it tothe ICN machine where pre-oloured yarns are overtufed. Any gauge and construction can be used, and any form of patterning. Velva Weve from Tuftco isa complex machine which can create ‘woven-ype pattems by using the ‘buried end technique. Ithas ‘wo needlebars: one is capable of producing a high or low loop pile pattern effect: the ther, which aso shifts, can produce high or low cut pile patterning, “Multi Tuft rom Tufico was developed to compete with overtufting, producing similar styles with a single pass ofa tufing machine, Itis extremely flexible and can produce high and low cut pile; high and low loop pile: high cut pie with low loops, or high loops with low cut pile, Itcan also be used purely fr plain tuting. Cut-over-Cut from Card-Monroe Corporation (CMC) creates a dense solid cut ile patterned surface, and can make the design, created by a second yarn system, in up to s8in widthewise pattern repeats. Cutover Loop, also from CMC, places a.cut pile design on loop pile. iin Ur In co-operation witha Japanese carpet manufacturer, Cobble ‘Tufting Machine Company in America developed a tufing rmachine which can produce patterned broadloom carpe or area ‘rugs the former using up to sixcolours with a pattern repeat up to4m wide and many metres in length The system is based on a 5/jand gauge Individual Controlled Needle machine. The needles, which are computer-contolled, can be moved in a lateral direction which makes the operation similar toa shifting needlebar ICN ‘Tapistron, a 4.4m wide machine, known originally asthe CYP loom, is now also being used. ‘Tapistron International, which acquired the patents fr the process, redesigned the basic operational concept. In adeition to ‘making the machine more computer controlled and ‘user friendly. the primary backing can now be moved in very precise gauge steps across the width ofthe machine. ‘This was a significant change from the original patent which involved moving the needles laterally aeross the machine Width, The Tapistron can produce a carpet in sx colours with 4.4m wide pattern repeat across the width. And, depending, on stitch rate, a pattern repeat of around 2om in the length direction is feasible. ‘Thisis the type of pattem flexibility which was previously only available on looms. ‘Colortc isa tufting machine manufactured by Cobble “Tufting Machine of America capable of producing patterned Gone Rows of tuts tien Intuftd carpet manufacture the pile yarns inserted ito a primary Docking materia the backing i not produce atthe sare time asin ‘woven manufacture ‘carpets from individual predyed yarns. It can tuft toa maximum, ‘of sm wide in the most intricate designs using up to six different coloured pile yarn Colortecis available in wo gauges: 6.4 and 7 needies/inch ‘operating om sliding needlebar. Each needle and, therefore, ‘each individual yarn end is computer controlled for stitch placement and colour selection. Unlike other types oftufting machine, the primary backing, ‘on Colortec (usually polyprop) hasan intermittent feed to allow cach row ofthe design to be completed before moving on to the next row. The fewer the number of colours in the design, the ‘greater the production speed. “The word gauge and to lesser extent pitch and shot the former is normally associated with tufted carpet, the latter with woven carpet-stitch and row areall terms associated with the quality of earpet. Gauge or pitch are relevant to tuft density. These terms denote the number of needle insertions or ts per unit width, So 1/8th gauge has eight pile ends per inch across the width The stitch rates the number af tufts per inch or centimetre ofthe carpet. “Tull density, which can be a good, quick guide tothe quality ofthe carpe, isthe numberof tf per square ine, or per ioems, ands calculated by multiplying the gauge by the stitch rate. Normally given th samestitcla ate, the higher the figure the more durable the carpet, because the tufts are closer together and the cover is therefore greater. ‘Woven pitch or shot is comparatively uncomplicated, She most sual bing ser sven for Auster ae i for Wilton. Tufted gatges vary enormously as tufted manufacturers select gauge for reasons of aesthetics and performance. For example, 5/j2nd gauge using a heavier yam count can Jook good when used in the home, but low level 100 percent nylon lop pile 1/roth gauge is more suited to offices, ‘The majority of residential tufted carpet sol is Sth gauge wih Yith gauge and 5/32 ge aso commonly available. Other production processes Although most carpet is made by weaving or tufting, there are other production processes — needlepunch, bonded and carpet tiles Needlepunch or fibrebonded carpet Needlepunch carpet [Needlepunch carpet s also commonly referred toas needlefel. Layers or batts of loose fibres, often made up of various fibre types, are passed under rows of fast-moving needles with barbed points. “These layers catch the fibres and punch them into backing fabric to forma densely compressed felted or flat textured material, “The carpets either heat-treated or impregnated with resin or latex to complete the bonding. Needed fabrics can be embossed, printed and laminated to a cushioned backing material. In bonded carpet, the pile is secured into backing with a bonding material, usually 2 heat sensitive product. Pile fibres are electrically charged and dropped into an electrostatic field where they align themselves and are shot vertically into a binder film. The carpet i finished with a back layer offoar. Flocked carpet isa type of bonded product. “The main characteristic ofa locked carpets a dense upright pile. ‘Another type of bonded carpet involves the pleating of yams into a ‘sandwich of carpet ‘thats split into two to give two carpets with act pile finish, “The advantage ofthis type of manufacture is thatits fastand economical and, since the pile is adhered tothe backing, tuftretention is good and fraying reduced. Carpet tile ‘Carpet tiles are largely used inthe commercial office sector, but they also have apace inthe ‘domestic sector and ae often sold as diy product. Carpet tiles are available in tufted, ‘woven, needlepunch or fbre-bonded «constructions. Tough backings ensure

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