Compacting and Knit Stabilisation Machines
topic
Compacting machines for knitted fabrics pass tubular or open-width knit through a steam-relaxation zone followed by an overfeed compaction unit where fabric is fed faster than it is delivered, mechanically compacting the fabric in the machine direction to pre-shrink it to stable dimensions, achieving residual shrinkage below 3 percent for cotton single jersey compared to 8 to 12 percent for uncompacted fabric.
Role
Addresses the dimensional stability challenge of cotton knitted fabrics that have substantially higher shrinkage potential than woven fabrics from the loop structure extensibility, providing garment makers with reliably dimensioned fabric that enables consistent pattern cutting without unpredictable dimensional change during consumer laundering that would otherwise make sized garment production from knitted fabrics unreliable.