Woollen mill · Stock-dyed route: three workshops on one map
Loose stock is dyed before spinning and weaving: stock dyeing → weaving (with yarn steaming) → wet and dry finishing, with no dyeing step in the finishing chain.
Stock-dyed route — full process route map
On a phone the full map is small by nature — pinch to zoom in, or read the same decisions written out below.
Where the route branches
The decision points on the map above, written out — each branch and where it leads.
Scouring and milling set-up / Choose one of three (milling is the core step for woollens)
- Separate: mill, then scour → Milling WPF-1S / Moist heat + mechanical action · felted, full face covers the weave
- Combined: scour and mill in one machine → Combined scouring and milling WPF-4XS / Scouring and milling in one machine · multiple parallel channels
- Mill first → open-width spreading → open-width washing → Milling WPF-1S / Moist heat + mechanical action · felted, full face covers the weave
- Process explained: Scour–mill set-up, one of three: separate, combined, or mill then open-width wash
For wool greige fabric — woven or knitted — should scouring and milling run as separate machines or one combined machine?
Either arrangement works — the choice comes down to how mixed each batch is. When a batch routinely mixes different colours and weights that must run at the same time without cross-contamination, a combined scouring-and-milling machine with independently set channels suits better; when batches are uniform and run in steady volume, separate machines — a milling machine followed by a scouring machine — work just as well and let each stage run at its own pace. It is one path or the other, chosen by how the batches are structured, not both together. QL covers both routes: the four-channel WPF-4XS for one machine, or the WPF-1S wool milling machine with the WPF-XN scouring machine — tell us your batch mix and we'll help you choose.
How should scouring and milling be arranged — separate machines (mill then scour), a combined scour-and-mill machine, or mill then open-width scour?
All three set-ups are valid, and the choice depends on the process goal. Separate machines — a rope wool-milling machine followed by a rope scouring machine — keep the flow simple for steady, uniform batches. A combined scouring-and-milling machine handles both steps on one platform, with each channel set independently, suiting batches that mix different colours and weights. Milling followed by scutching and open-width washing opens the milled fabric out of rope form and washes the soap liquor out in open width, avoiding the creases of going back into rope form — well suited to crease-prone fabrics. These are three alternatives at the same point in the line, not a sequence. QL's line-up spans the WPF-1S, WPF-XN, WPF-4XS and WPF-JXPX — contact us to match your fabric.
Crabbing method / Choose one of two
- Batch → Batch crabbing WPF-ZN / One bath, back and forth · head and tail set alike
- Continuous → Continuous crabbing and drying line WPF-LXZH / Continuous crabbing section
Drying method / Choose one of two
- Conventional → Drying
- Roller cylinder → Continuous crabbing and drying line WPF-LXZH / Continuous drying section (roller dryer)
For drying, should I use conventional drying equipment or WPF-LXZH's continuous drying section (cylinder-type)?
Both work — it's a choice between adding QL's WPF-LXZH drying section or keeping the drying equipment you already run, not one replacing the other by default. The WPF-LXZH continuous drying section is a contact-cylinder tower built to address wool's usual risk with cylinder drying — glazing and a stiffer hand — with PTFE-coated cylinders, tier-by-tier temperature zones, an expander on every tier, alternating double-face contact, and cold-air cooling before plaiting. It suits a fully continuous line off QL's crabbing section. If your workshop already has adequate drying equipment, keeping it is just as valid — the two sections are designed to run separately.
Bright lustrous face needed?
- Yes → Polishing WPF-TG / Heated-cylinder ironing · produces a bright lustrous face
- Conventional → Steaming-shrinking method: choose one of two / (determines weft straightening position)
Do I need a polishing step if the cloth needs a bright, lustrous face?
Yes, polishing is what gives that bright, directional lustre. It works by first combing the disordered, raised pile into one direction, then heat-pressing it to fix that direction — pressing without combing only flattens the fabric, without the directional sheen. QL's WPF-TG synchronises combing and heat-pressing 1:1 in the roller design, completing both actions in a single pass.
Steaming-shrinking method: choose one of two / (determines weft straightening position)
- Pin-chain: selvedge-held conveying / weft straightening before entry → Weft straightening WPF-ZW · pin-wheel type / Corrects weft skew · prevents leg twist after garment washing
- Belt-type: tension-free conveying / weft straightening after shrinking → Belt-type steaming-shrinking WPF-WDYS / Removes residual shrinkage
Steam shrinking and decatizing: neighbours on the line, not rivals
Steam pre-shrinking and decatizing are not rivals — they are neighbouring steps on the same line. Pre-shrinking is about dimension: it releases the fabric's latent residual shrinkage and locks the width before the fabric leaves the mill. Decatizing is about surface and handle: it fixes the temporary lustre and flatness from earlier steps into a set that survives garment making. A quality line runs both, pre-shrinking first, decatizing after. QL covers both stages: pre-shrinking with the WPF-LTYS or WPF-WDYS, decatizing across the WPF-JXZN-MAX, WPF-LXZN and WPF-LXZN-P range.
Which should come first, steam pre-shrinking or decatizing?
Steam pre-shrinking comes first, decatizing follows. Pre-shrinking releases the fabric's latent residual shrinkage and locks the width before further processing; decatizing then fixes the temporary lustre and flatness from earlier finishing into a set that holds through garment making. The two serve different purposes and sit in a fixed order on the line — pre-shrinking is not swapped with or skipped in favour of decatizing. QL covers pre-shrinking with WPF-LTYS/WPF-WDYS and decatizing with the WPF-JXZN-MAX/WPF-LXZN/WPF-LXZN-P range.
How do preshrinking and decatizing relate to each other — can I do just one and skip the other?
Pre-shrinking and decatizing are two sequential steps on the line, not an either-or choice. Pre-shrinking solves a dimensional problem — releasing latent residual shrinkage and locking the width; decatizing solves a surface-and-handle problem — fixing the temporary lustre and flatness from earlier steps into a lasting set. Skip pre-shrinking and shrinkage resurfaces later; skip decatizing and lustre and flatness relax back. A quality line runs both. QL's pre-shrinking machines line up with the WPF-LXZN decatizing range to cover both steps — tell us your fabric and width and we can help you configure the line.
Width drifts on belt-type shrinking — how do I choose between pin-chain and belt-type?
Width control is the dividing line between the two. On the WPF-LTYS, the chain frame holds the fabric on pin clamps from infeed all the way to delivery, so width stays locked to the process-defined value and dimensional drift is eliminated across the whole steaming-and-cooling cycle. Free-belt machines cannot replicate that process-grade width-locking, which is why WPF-LTYS is the safer choice once width drift becomes a recurring problem.
Which preshrinking machine should be used for knit fabric — is the pin-chain type (WPF-LTYS) only for woven fabric, or can it handle knits too?
For knit fabric, the net-belt type (WPF-WDYS) is the preferred choice; the pin-chain type (WPF-LTYS) can also process knits, but that is not its primary use. The difference is in transport: the pin-chain machine clamps the fabric on pins throughout and locks the width, suiting woven fabrics where width tolerance matters. Knits generally need to relax freely at open width, which the net-belt design allows since it does not clamp the width. The choice comes down to whether width-locking is required.
Decatizing method / Choose one of four
- Batch → Batch decatizing WPF-JXZN-MAX / Even steam · set on one drum
- Continuous → Continuous decatizing WPF-LXZN / Continuous decatizing · balanced in three directions
- Continuous pressure → Continuous pressure decatizing WPF-LXZN-P / Pressurised continuous steam · autoclave-grade set
- Autoclave → Autoclave decatizing machine / Pre-owned available · enquire for details
How do I choose among the four decatizing methods — discontinuous, continuous, continuous-pressure, or autoclave (KD)?
Choose a decatizing method by throughput and set depth. Discontinuous, the WPF-JXZN-MAX, is batch-loaded with long steam contact for a deep, thorough set. Continuous, the WPF-LXZN, runs non-stop for higher throughput, with set depth tuned by steam-rise travel and an optional humidifying unit. Continuous-pressure, the WPF-LXZN-P, adds 0–3 bar on top of continuous travel to combine high throughput with a deeper set. For kier (autoclave) decatizing, QL sources and configures a refurbished European machine for you. Tell QL your throughput and set-depth targets and we'll help you pick.
How does the throughput of continuous decatizing compare with discontinuous (large-drum) decatizing, and how should I choose?
Choose by fabric and finish first, then by line pace. The continuous decatizing machine WPF-LXZN runs non-stop and covers worsted, woollen, silk, man-made blends, woven and knitted on one machine. Fringed scarves and shawls can only be decatized continuously, since batch decatizing cannot handle them. It also serves as pre-treatment before batch decatizing and as final finishing after it, taking down excess lustre for a softer, fuller handle, and it can be linked with a QL pre-shrinking machine into one continuous finishing line. The batch decatizing machine WPF-JXZN-MAX, with its Ø2000 cylinder, micro-pressure uniform steaming chamber and inside-outside steam injection, gives the deepest, fullest set, loading 500–1,000 m per batch, for premium worsted and woollen finishing. Both are built by QL and work together well: the continuous machine for bulk pace and special categories, the batch machine for depth of set. Bring your fabrics and throughput to QL: WhatsApp +1 380 900 2442, or +86 189 2110 8080.
What types of decatizing machines are there?
Decatizing machines fall into four main types by steam contact and pressure: discontinuous (batch-loaded, long steam contact, deeper set), continuous (non-stop fabric travel, higher output, with set depth tuned by steam-rise travel and an optional humidifying unit), continuous-pressure (continuous travel plus vessel pressure, combining output with a deeper set), and kier/autoclave decatizing (fabric batched into a pressure vessel, the deepest set, batch process). QL's own new machines cover the first three — WPF-JXZN-MAX, WPF-LXZN and WPF-LXZN-P; for kier decatizing, QL sources and configures a refurbished European machine for you.
Are a discontinuous (large-drum) decatizing machine and an autoclave/KD decatizing machine the same thing — can one replace the other?
No, a discontinuous decatizing machine and a kier (autoclave) decatizing machine are not the same, and cannot simply substitute for each other. Discontinuous decatizing is an atmospheric batch process, with fabric and wrapper alternately wound onto a perforated steam cylinder; kier decatizing loads the fabric roll into a pressure vessel, a pressurised batch process that typically sets deeper. The two are often blurred together, but sit as separate process steps in a customer's line. QL's WPF-JXZN-MAX is the atmospheric discontinuous machine; for kier decatizing, QL sources and configures a refurbished European machine for you.
How do I choose between atmospheric continuous decatizing and pressure continuous decatizing (WPF-LXZN-P)?
Choose by fabric and by how deep the set must be. The atmospheric continuous decatizing machine WPF-LXZN handles continuous final decatizing of worsted, woollen, silk and man-made blends; its enlarged steam-rise chamber extends steam dwell, and an optional humidifying unit adds penetration where a fuller set is wanted. The pressure continuous decatizing machine WPF-LXZN-P raises the vessel to 0–3 bar so saturated steam acts on the fabric under pressure, reaching a light-kier grade of set while the fabric keeps moving, with woven-and-knitted tension control that is particularly effective on elastane stretch fabrics. Heavy, high-density or long-hold qualities point to the pressure version; routine qualities and frequent changeovers point to the atmospheric one. Both are QL machines. Bring your fabric list to QL: WhatsApp +1 380 900 2442, or +86 189 2110 8080.
Can I drop the kier decatizing step and let a continuous machine do that work?
Under 0–3 bar, saturated steam acts on the fabric directly, and a single pass attains the dimensional stability that once required a separate kier decatizing stage — light-kier-grade setting depth at continuous throughput. Where the kier stays in the line, the machine also runs as high-speed pre-treatment before it, or as final treatment after it, removing post-kier over-stiffness. How the pressure version WPF-LXZN-P fits your line — as a kier replacement or alongside it — is best worked out with QL: tell us your fibre and existing line layout.
In the four decatizing options, when is the 'continuous' method the right choice?
Continuous decatizing is the right choice in three situations. First, lines that must run non-stop and switch between many qualities on one machine: worsted, woollen, silk, man-made blends, woven and knitted are all covered. Second, fringed scarves, shawls and other categories that can only be decatized continuously, since batch decatizing cannot handle them. Third, as pre-treatment before batch decatizing or final finishing after it, taking down excess lustre for a softer, fuller handle. QL's continuous decatizing machine WPF-LXZN carries QL's own Decatizing Uniformity Technology, removing side-to-side shading and end-to-end variation; set depth is tuned by the enlarged steam-rise travel and an optional humidifying unit, and where a deeper set is wanted QL also builds the pressure version WPF-LXZN-P and the batch WPF-JXZN-MAX. Tell QL your fabrics: WhatsApp +1 380 900 2442, or +86 189 2110 8080.
Handle preference
- Lofty, soft handle required → Handle improvement (optional) / Air-flow softening / Pre-owned available · enquire for details
- Conventional → Final inspection · rolling
Do you need a softer, fuller handle — is an air-flow softening step needed before final inspection?
It depends on the handle you're after — if the order calls for a fuller, cloud-like softness rather than just standard smoothness, an air-flow (tumble) softening step before final inspection is worth adding. It works by tumbling the fabric in warm or ambient air, opening the fibre structure mechanically rather than with chemical softeners, commonly used as a final step for knitwear and fleece-type fabrics. If the order just needs a normal, flat handle with no loft requirement, this step can be skipped. Send QL your line details and we'll help work out the right configuration for this step.
QL machines on this route
All of these are QL-built new machines. Click one to open its machine page.
Not sure which line is yours?
Tell us what you run and what you make — we will match the stations and the machines.