Pin Plate or Clip Which Stenter Rail Suits Your Fabric

The Trade Is Tension Against Marks

A tenter or stenter carries fabric from one point to another continuously in open width with precise width control. There are two ways of holding the cloth onto the chains, and the difference between them is the single biggest decision on a finishing floor.

Pin stenters use pins about 5 mm long in two rows at 3 to 4 pins per cm along the base plate. The pins are thicker near the base so the fabric never touches the hot base plate. Clip stenters close a knife onto the selvedge instead. Clip stenters leave no pin marks in the selvedges, but customers will generally accept the pinholes a pin stenter leaves.

Why Pins Let You Run Faster

The advantage of a pin plate is that it increases the tension on the fabric. The cloth runs faster as a result, up to 100 m/min on a rail in good condition.

The mechanism is simple. The pin plate contacts the pin plate holder, the holder contacts the chain, and the press wheel pushes the fabric onto the pins so the fabric stays held. More pins gripping more firmly means more tension can be carried, and more tension means more speed.

Why Clips Leave a Better Edge

The advantage of using a clip is that the edges of the cloth are relatively flat, which suits thicker fabrics. A clip starts open; when the cloth enters, the knife of the clip closes and holds the cloth tightly; at the end of the machine the clip reopens.

The limit is that a clip stenter requires a specific edge to grip, preferably a selvedge, which is why clip rails are usually confined to woven fabrics. Knitted fabric with a rolling edge gives a clip nothing firm to close on.

How to Decide

Ask two questions. Does the selvedge stay in the finished goods, or is it trimmed? And does the fabric have a firm edge at all?

If the selvedge is trimmed and the fabric is knitted, pins are the obvious answer. If the selvedge stays visible in the product and the fabric is a heavier woven, clips are worth the slower running. If your order book contains both, you are the mill a double use clip was designed for.

When You Need Both on One Machine

A clip and pin double use clip works as both a clip and a pin holder on the same rail. One machine then covers woven and knitted work without reconfiguring the whole rail between orders.

It is heavier than a standard clip, 0.76 kg against 0.65 kg, which is the cost of carrying both functions. For a contract finisher taking mixed work that weight is a good trade.