Sock production: toe closing on the machine and staged quality control
The stages a sock goes through from yarn to carton: knitting on Lonati GE616FP machines, toe closing on the machine, enzyme washing, Tecnopea steam boarding and quality control to AQL 2.5 at every stage.
In our sock department, knitting, enzyme washing, steam boarding, packing and quality control are all carried out in-house. This article describes the stages a sock goes through from yarn to carton.
Knitting: Lonati GE616FP machines
Socks are knitted on Lonati GE616FP machines with 3¾″ cylinders. Our machines have 132, 144, 156, 168 and 200 needles.
The toe is closed on the machine
On every machine the toe is closed during knitting with the SbyS system. There is no hand linking; the sock leaves the machine with the toe closed.
Enzyme washing and Tecnopea automatic steam boarding
On request, socks go through steam enzyme washing. Boarding is done on a Tecnopea automatic steam boarding machine: socks on forms are steamed, pressed and passed through a heated tunnel, then robotic arms take them off the forms and stack them on a conveyor belt. Both operations take place in-house.
Staged quality control and shipment
Quality is checked to AQL 2.5 at every stage:
- yarn intake
- in-line inspection
- packing
- random carton inspection before shipment
Export documentation is prepared by our in-house customs department.
