A continuous crabbing and drying line joins continuous crabbing setting to cylinder drying in a single open-width line. Crabbing sets dimensional stability; tiered cylinder drying removes the glazed face and harsh handle that contact drying can leave on wool fabric. QL's WPF-LXZH is built this way, with a crabbing section and a drying section positioned back-to-back in the wet-finishing stage of worsted and woollen lines.
Where this machine sits in the line, and what comes before and after
WPF-LXZH consists of separate continuous crabbing and continuous drying sections, each complete and available for combined or independent use. The crabbing section and WPF-ZN are alternatives at the crabbing station. The drying section receives dewatered or squeezed fabric and is an alternative to the mill’s existing drying equipment at that station.
The distinction matters on woollen routes: wet fabric from continuous crabbing → WPF-SSMDX wet brushing → WPF-CG teasel raising → squeezing → the continuous drying section or another dryer. Worsted crabbing position depends on the quality and dyeing arrangement; crabbing must not automatically be treated as delivery of dry fabric.
What it changes in the fabric, top or yarn: handle, dimensional stability, lustre, cleanliness
What the crabbing section changes is dimensional stability. The fabric stays fully immersed in hot liquor and is roller-pressed bath by bath, its tension synchronised, before passing through a cold-water bath; that cooling sets the new cross-links formed during crabbing, leaving less distortion, cockling and running marks. The drying section brings tiered temperature control, PTFE-coated cylinders and alternate-face contact together to eliminate the glazed face and harsh handle that conventional cylinder drying can leave on wool. Suction air-cooling before plaiting brings the fabric down in temperature first, reducing stacking creases. With the optional double-face brushing unit and stainless-steel fibre filter, loose fibre and debris are brushed from both faces as well.
Why this machine is necessary: what happens without it, or with another method
WPF-LXZH provides separately selectable continuous crabbing and drying sections, allowing stations to be added to an existing line. Multi-bath treatment, roller pressing and tension tracking serve crabbing; tiered temperature control, alternating-face cylinder contact, PTFE surfaces and delivery cooling serve wool-fabric drying.
Choose WPF-ZN batch or WPF-LXZH continuous crabbing for the quality, production volume and adjacent operations. On woollen routes, preserve wet brushing, teasel raising and squeezing between crabbing and drying rather than bypassing them to connect the two sections.
Setting the parameters: temperature, tension, speed, time
Line speed runs 5–25 m/min at a working width of 1,600 mm. Five crabbing baths as standard, with the number configured to order; direct steam heating is standard, with indirect heating available as an option. The line divides into several baths rather than one large tank because each bath can be charged with its own liquor for the quality and process, and the fabric is roller-pressed flat bath by bath while remaining in hot liquor throughout. The drying section carries eight cylinders across four tiers, two cylinders to a temperature zone, each tier set independently, with air-cooling before plaiting. Tension is tracked automatically by the vertical dancer and position sensor across the crabbing baths, and is not quoted as a standalone figure; dwell time depends on bath length and line speed, and bath length is not yet published — ask QL for the process sheet. Crabbing temperature and the setting for each drying tier are decided by trial on the actual quality — ask QL for the process sheet.
The questions customers ask most
- Should I choose batch crabbing (single-bath WPF-ZN) or continuous crabbing (WPF-LXZH's continuous crabbing section) — and is continuous crabbing deep enough?
- Can wool be dried on the cylinders of the line's own drying section? Won't the face glaze and the handle turn harsh?
- Do the continuous crabbing section and the continuous drying section have to be bought and run together?
- Why does the continuous crabbing line use five baths rather than one large one?
Which process routes it appears on
Read WPF-LXZH in the context of these routes: worsted top-dyed, worsted piece-dyed, woollen stock-dyed, woollen piece-dyed. Follow each branch to understand the equipment choice; a required process does not mean every quality uses the same model.
Give QL the fabric or top sample, existing upstream and downstream stations, and target finish to review configuration and process connections together.