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Carpets are only as good as the raw materials from which they are made, and the expertise with which they are constructed.
All carpets are made with raw fibre and this is normally spun into a yarn which is then woven or tufted into a fabric that you see in the shops.
Spinning the yarn itself is a skilled job and one which has created its own specialist companies.
Stages in Yarn Spinning:
Manufacturers use raw wool from the best sources, including British and New Zealand fleeces. This is blended together in precise proportions according to the `character' and `handle' of the yarn required. The blend is scoured, pulled and teased (the technical term is `carded') until it is straighter, whiter and free of natural burrs and foreign bodies.
The fibre is systematically opened up and layered and then cross layered and eventually, this web or bat is split into slubbings which are then pulled and twisted on a spinning frame which adds strength to the single strand of yarn.
Two or more of these strands are then twisted together, or `doubled', and this results in a yarn with a high tensile strength capable of being woven or tufted by the latest high tech machinery with the maximum efficiency and at the lower production cost, thereby providing the optimum combination of quality raw materials, exceptional yarns and most economical prices.
Colour is introduced either at the raw fibre stage or when the yarn is spun into the thickness weight and length for the particular carpet. Manufacturers are continually investing in state-of-the-art machinery and their success is founded upon a continuous programme of research and development, designed to anticipate technical, performance and aesthetic requirements demanded by the market. The results of this investment, new yarn trends, process innovation and carpet product development are regularly introduced to the carpet market.
Woolbond incorporates a small amount (up to 10%) of `low melt' polyester, which, under normal dying temperatures, fuses with the other components to create a web like structure throughout the yarn. This improves the performance of the resultant carpet. It inhibits shedding of loose fluff, contributes to better tuft definition, resilience and resistance to crushing.
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