Wool Tops Shrinkproofing Line
WPF-MTFSSG
Wool-Top Shrink-Resist Finishing Line · Engineered with the QL Shrink-Resist Lustre System + QL Vacuum-Retention Through-Flow Drying System
The machine, up close
Washing section, squeeze rollers in a row
Line composition
- Creel — wool balls unwound and fed; unwinding tension variable-frequency adjustable; guide rollers smooth and lap-free, delivering a steady sliver supply to the whole line
- Basolan Chemical Pre-Treatment Station [Optional] — positioned between the creel and the chlorination bowls, applying the Basolan shrink-resist process to the tops; QL-built, serving as an optional pre-stage reinforcement to the chlorination line and used in series with the chlorination that follows
- Chlorination Unit — carried by the QL Shrink-Resist Lustre System; bowls and drum shells in PVC, titanium alloy and other strongly corrosion-resistant materials, descaling the fibre with continuous active chlorine at a uniform concentration
- Multi-Stage Chemical Backwashing & Finishing Unit — also carried by the QL Shrink-Resist Lustre System; to the customer’s process, the tops pass in turn through anti-chlorination, neutralisation, rinsing, resin and softening across the successive bowls; each bowl independently temperature-controlled and independently circulated, with bowls and guide rollers in the chlorine-exposed stages in SUS316 / 904 stainless steel
- Through-Flow Drum Drying Unit — carried by the QL Vacuum-Retention Through-Flow Drying System; a micro-vacuum forms inside the perforated suction drums, the tops retained tension-free on the drum surface while heated air passes through the layer and carries moisture away
- Vacuum Cold-Drying Conditioning Unit [Optional] — placed after drying, a built-in humidifying device that conditions, re-moistens and cools the tops, delivering even moisture content and a stable state at delivery
- Delivery Unit — ball winder or top coiler, configured to customer requirement
Fabric results (before / after)
Threading diagrams
QL Proprietary Systems
- QL Shrink-Resist Lustre System
- Chlorination Unit · Continuous Uniform Chlorination — chlorination liquor continuously and precisely replenished at a uniform, controlled concentration, every top uniformly descaled; uniformity is the first gate of shrink-resist lustre quality
- Multiple Bowls · One-Line Finishing — successive bowls in series carry the tops, to the customer’s process, through anti-chlorination, neutralisation, rinsing, resin and softening in turn — shrink resistance, lustre and softness completed on one line in a single pass
- Drum Suction · Forced Through-Flow — an impeller pump inside the drum drives the liquor forcibly through the top layer rather than by static immersion, the liquor permeating every top evenly — the source of processing consistency
- Precise Pick-Up-Controlled Squeezing — light-duty and heavy-duty squeezers in graded configuration; by controlling inter-bowl liquor pick-up they set chemical-metering accuracy, suppress inter-bowl cross-contamination and lower residual moisture at drying entry to save drying energy
- Chlorine-Resistant Upgraded Materials — the strongly corrosive chlorination and anti-chlorination stages use SUS316 / 904 stainless steel and titanium alloy, securing long-term reliability under active-chlorine conditions
- Exhaust Extraction & Scrubbing — exhaust from chlorination, metabisulphite and other stages is fully absorbed through extraction and a scrubber before discharge, safeguarding operator safety and environmental compliance
- QL Vacuum-Retention Through-Flow Drying System
- Perforated Suction Drum + In-Drum Micro-Vacuum — high-power fans extract air from inside the suction drum, generating a micro-vacuum at the drum surface; the tops are retained tension-free on the drum surface — avoiding the re-felting that heat under tension would cause and protecting the shrink resistance already achieved, while supporting through-flow heated-air recirculation and preserving bulk for downstream gilling and combing
- Upper and Lower Dual-Pressure-Chamber Air Recirculation — heated air passes through the tops layer carrying away moisture, then is drawn back into the drum forming a closed circuit; drying efficiency rises several times over parallel ventilation and impingement-jet ventilation
- Multi-Drum Material Reversal Drying — as the tops transfer from one suction drum to the next, the contact surface alternates — uniform two-sided drying
- Thermal Energy Recirculation — exhaust heated air from the preceding drum is recirculated to the following drum — thermal energy utilised in cascade across the drying section, substantially compressing energy consumption per linear metre of tops
- Independent Electronic Drive Synchronisation per Drum — multi-drum line operation precisely synchronised
- Inter-Drum Differential Overfeed — overfeed is generated between adjacent suction drums; tops tension drops and bulk recovers in step
- Antistatic Lap-Free Feeding Conveyor — the feeding conveyor upstream of the suction drums is built from antistatic lap-free material, eliminating static-induced lapping and its impact on drying uniformity
- Automatic Temperature Regulation — temperature uniformity of ±1.5 °C across the full working width, drying consistency precisely assured
Product overview
The WPF-MTFSSG completes the shrink-resist and lustre finishing of wool tops on a single continuous line — controlled active-chlorine descaling, multi-stage chemical finishing and through-flow drying follow in sequence, in one uninterrupted pass. Undyed wool tops and their blends, once processed on this line, gain stable resistance to felting shrinkage, together with the lustre and soft handle of cashmere and silk.
Felting in wool originates in the scale layer on the fibre surface — the scales are unidirectionally arrayed, giving rise to the “directional friction effect”. This line applies controlled active chlorine to descale the fibre continuously and uniformly, weakening the directional friction — felting is thereby suppressed at source; with the scales refined to a smoother surface, lustre and a soft handle emerge. The line is carried by two QL proprietary systems: the QL Shrink-Resist Lustre System governs chlorination and the multi-stage chemical finishing that follows, and the QL Vacuum-Retention Through-Flow Drying System governs drying.
The success of shrink-resist lustre finishing rests first on the uniformity of chlorination. This line treats every top with continuously and precisely replenished liquor at a uniform, controlled concentration, avoiding the uneven chlorination and marked batch-to-batch variation of traditional batch processes. Whiteness and handle remain essentially unchanged before and after treatment, with minimal mass loss; and because initial dye uptake is lowered, downstream dyeing is more level and more sparing of dye — process-grade assurance for downstream spinning and dyeing-finishing.
Applications
Key specifications
| Working width | 1,200 mm |
|---|---|
| Number of ends | 42–48 |
| Operating speed | 2–12 m/min (typically 8–10 m/min) |
| Temperature uniformity | ±1.5 °C |
| Heating medium | Indirect saturated steam |
| Delivery form | Ball winder / top coiler (configured to customer requirement) |
| Key materials | SUS316 / 904 stainless steel · titanium-alloy drum shells in chlorine-exposed stages |
| Control system | Touchscreen + PLC, automated process control with parameter storage |
The full technical file and selection advice — put together for your line and sent straight to you.
Request the full technical fileAll technical parameters stated in this document are measured under ideal operating conditions; actual performance may vary with fibre characteristics, process settings and on-site conditions. The manufacturer reserves the right to introduce technical improvements without prior notice.
Common problems in tops processing
Real questions from the mill floor — and how we answer them.
What is superwash wool?
Superwash wool (also called shrink-resist wool; the Chinese trade sometimes borrows the term "mercerized wool" for it, though that's a different, unrelated cotton process) is wool tops treated with continuous…
How is superwash (machine-washable) wool actually made?
The industry-standard Chlorine-Hercosett process runs six steps: cold acid chlorination with sodium hypochlorite (roughly pH 1.3–1.7) to weaken the fibre scales; neutralisation with sodium carbonate and…
What is wool-tops processing equipment, and what is it used for?
Wool-tops processing equipment covers the machines that treat combed wool tops between dyeing/finishing and spinning — backwashing (washing off dyeing residues and drying), shrink-resist treatment (giving wool a…
Why does wool shrink in the wash when other fibres do not?
Felting originates in the scale layer on the wool fibre surface — the scales are unidirectionally arrayed, giving rise to the "directional friction effect".
Is the Basolan process different from chlorine-Hercosett, and what's the point of adding a Basolan station?
Yes — Basolan and Chlorine-Hercosett are two separate, parallel shrink-resist chemistries, not two steps of the same process.
How do I choose between the backwashing line and the shrinkproofing line — can I just buy one?
The two lines solve different problems, so it isn't a straight either-or.
Why does batch shrink-resist treatment give shade and whiteness differences between batches?
It comes down to the uniformity of chlorination — traditional batch processes chlorinate unevenly, and variation between batches is marked.
Is superwash wool less warm than regular wool, and is the process bad for the environment?
No — warmth is not lost. Wool's insulation comes from the fibre's crimp and its ability to trap air, and shrink-resist treatment only weakens the directional friction from surface scales; it doesn't touch that structure.
What can the WPF-MTFSSG do for your line?
Tell us your fabric, weight and output — we will come back with a process proposal and a quotation.