Hank dyeing machines
Yarn is wound into loose skeins called hanks and hung on sticks. The sticks sit in a vat, and liquor circulates through them or the hanks are sprayed. The yarn is not compressed, so it stays soft and bulky.
It is slow and costs more per kilogram than package dyeing. Mills use it for premium wool, cotton and acrylic yarn and for hand-knitting and carpet yarn.
Beam dyeing machines
Warp yarn, or in some cases thin fabric, is wound in parallel on a perforated beam. A pump pushes the liquor through the beam. The result is an evenly dyed warp ready for weaving.
Beam dyeing suits woven mills that dye warp yarn in colors, and mills that make denim, shirting and similar cloth.
Rope dyeing ranges for denim
In a rope dyeing range, warp yarns are twisted into ropes. The ropes pass through indigo baths and then through air so that the indigo oxidizes. Several dips build the shade. Then the ropes are washed and opened into single warps for slashing.
Indigo stays on the surface of the yarn (ring dyeing). That is why denim fades on washing. The range is a full production line, not a single machine, and its size is quoted per project.
The three compared
| Item | Hank dyeing | Beam dyeing | Rope dyeing range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Yarn in loose hanks | Warp yarn on a beam | Warp yarn twisted into ropes |
| Result | Soft, bulky yarn | Even warp for weaving | Ring-dyed indigo warp |
| Speed | Slow, batch | Batch | Continuous |
| Typical use | Premium wool, cotton, acrylic, carpet yarn | Woven mills, shirting, denim warp | Indigo denim |
| Scale | Small to medium | Medium | Large production line |
A comparison of the three types. Dimensions, capacity and number of baths are set per project.
How to choose
Start with the yarn: what fiber, what count, and in what form it reaches you. Then the daily output in kilograms or meters.
For denim, tell us the number of ropes, the number of indigo baths, the oxidation length and whether the line includes slashing. Slasher dyeing is a different design: it dyes the warp flat and applies size in the same line. It is cheaper to run, and it can raise warp breaks.
For beam dyeing, send the beam dimensions and the yarn weight per beam.
Frequently asked questions
Do you supply a complete denim rope dyeing line?
We quote complete lines on request. Send daily output, number of ropes and baths, and whether slashing is included.
Is beam dyeing the same as package dyeing?
No. Package dyeing winds yarn on cones. Beam dyeing winds many parallel yarns on a beam.
What do I send for a quote?
Yarn type and count, form, output per day, dye class, heat source, and destination country.