How to Choose and Order a Stenter Pin Plate

Measure the Plate Not the Machine

The single most common ordering mistake is asking for a plate by machine brand. Monforts alone has more than one plate pattern, Bruckner has two, Artos has two, and Krantz uses a plate that is shorter and on tighter centres than any of them.

Three measurements decide everything. Hole to hole distance between the fixing holes. The diameter of those holes. And the overall plate length. Our Krantz plate, for example, is 4 x 12 x 77 mm with hole to hole 57 mm and 3 mm screws, while the common Monforts and Artos pattern is 4 x 130 x 12 mm with 4 mm holes on 76 mm centres. Neither will seat in the other's holder.

Copper Plate With Steel Pins and Why

The standard construction is a copper plate body with carbon steel or stainless steel pins. Copper is there for heat conduction: it spreads chamber heat instead of holding it in one spot, which keeps the pin roots cooler and the pins straighter for longer.

The pins themselves are tapered, thicker at the root, so the fabric is held clear of the hot base plate. Carbon steel is the standard and holds a sharp point well. Specify stainless steel where the finishing chemistry attacks carbon steel.

When Copper Is the Wrong Choice

There is one application where a copper plate is a mistake, and that is polyimide film. A PI film tenter runs far hotter than a textile heat setting range, and copper softens and distorts at those temperatures. A distorted plate pulls the film out of flat.

For film lines the plate is high-strength stainless steel throughout, heat resistant up to 800 degrees and corrosion resistant. That is a different part, not a variant of the fabric plate.

Buy in Matched Sets

Plates bought in small lots from different batches give uneven pin height along the rail, and uneven pin height shows up as uneven selvedge grip across the machine. It is one of the hardest faults to diagnose because nothing is obviously broken.

Order full-rail sets packed from one production batch. If budget forces a partial replacement, replace a whole rail section rather than scattering new plates among old ones.

Check the Holder Before You Blame the Plate

A pin plate can only be as square as the holder underneath it. Grip a fitted plate and try to rock it. Any play at the holder mounting means the holder is worn, and a new plate fitted to a worn holder will tilt exactly as the old one did.

Holders are made in specialised alloys that handle stenter frame temperatures, and they are sized to the chain mounting. Replace them with the chain at an overhaul.