Weaving heald frame is one of the most important components of a loom. It aids in the processing of yarn in the weaving loom with the help of a Heald Wire mechanism.
Most of the modern-day looms have heald frame accessories that separate and raise some warp yarns above others. This process of segregation or separation is known as shedding and enables a shuttle to pass through the weave shed along with the weft thread. The motion of the shuttle is always in a perpendicular direction to the warp yarns so that wefts can be easily interlaced into these threads and fabric can be woven fast. However, the position of warp yarns and weft yarns are altered after the movement of the shuttle every time.
When it comes to the structure, the heald frame is rectangular and supported well by a set of thin wires known as healds or heddles. These heddles remain attached to the heddle frame in a vertical manner and threads move through their eye holes to start weaving fabric. The weaving style or pattern decides which frame will control how many threads and in which section. Moreover, the number and function of heald frames or harnesses depend on the complexity or simplicity of the weaving process. Two widely used methods of moving the heald frame are 7 order polynomial and simple harmonic. However, the first one is a better choice than the second one for the movement of heddle frames in speedy weaving looms.
Heddle frames are now available in metal finish and can be used for weaving in Airjet looms, rapier looms, shuttle looms, waterjet looms, shuttleless looms and projectile looms. Their length varies from 100 to 800 mm and gauges from 16 to 32. They are also available in various shapes including inserted, twisted, twisted, and inserted with all eye hole size options. In addition to this, the heald frame is reinforced with nickel or tin plating to provide strong support to demanding weaving tasks. It is made of lightweight materials and ensures durability all the time.