Morarjee is one of the leading players in the premium cotton shirting fabric and high fashion printed fabric segments. Morarjee’s subsidiary company, Integra Apparels and Textiles Ltd, specialises in readymade garments. Both companies sell their products globally and are extremely quality conscious.
BackgroundFinished fabrics are washed in a print washer manufactured by Texfab, which carries out a multi-stage washing process. First the fabric passes through a bath of caustic solution, which is alkaline in nature, followed by a bath of acetic acid to neutralise the alkalinity in fabric, and finally into a rinsing bath. The acetic acid bath solution needs to be maintained at a precise pH level for optimum fabric washing and also to prevent damage of the fabric texture.
ChallengeThe critical part of the whole process is maintaining the permissible pH level of the acetic acid washing solution in the bath consistently and accurately based on different fabric characteristics and reactions. The usual practise by the plant operators is to measure the pH value of acetic acid bath manually and then add chemicals to get the desired recipe. It is however very difficult to maintain a consistent pH level by this method. Manual operation also leads to:• Process and production delays • Inaccurate recipes • Improper cleaning of fabric • Extra man-hours • Wastage of expensive chemicals
SolutionAfter a comprehensive study of the system, A.T.E. suggested an integrated solution based on a Walchem “online” pH controller WPH410 with an inline pH sensor which continuously senses and measures the pH levels of the solution in the bath, and a bellows pump, all mounted on a single skid. Accordingly, the controllers operate the dosing pumps to dose the required measure of chemicals proportionately into the bath so as to keep the pH values at the desired level. The total process of measuring and dosing is fully automated.
ResultWith the Walchem automated process, Morarjee Mills has been able to gain following benefits:• Consistency of fabric quality • Accurate online chemical dosing • Maintaining of precise pH value of acetic bath solution recommended for each type of fabric• Saving of expensive chemicals • Increase in productivity • Fully automated operation without any manual intervention
Naturally, Morarjee Mills is fully satisfied with the results after the installation of the Walchem controller, and this also shows the way forward for other mills for ensuring consistent fabric quality.
ContectA.T.E. Enterprises Pvt LtdT: +91 – 20 – 30881140E: flowtech@ateindia.comW: www.ateindia.com
