Inventory should be controlled on a first in/first out basis. All equipment should be properly maintained and periodically checked. In spinning and knitting before beginning full-scale production, sample dyeings can be done to check for barré. Knit machine operators should be trained to look for barré as it occurs in the greige. If spotted, the machine should be stopped until the cause is eliminated.
Salvaging a fabric lot with a barré problem may be possible through careful dye selection. Color differences can be masked by using shades with very low light reflectance (navy blue, black) or high light reflectance (light yellow, orange, or finished white). Dye suppliers should be able to offer assistance in this area. Also, if the cause of the barré is an uneven distribution of oil or wax, a more thorough preparation of the fabric before dyeing may result in more uniform dye coverage.
With close cooperation between production and quality control personnel, barré problems can be successfully analyzed and solved. Recommendations to minimize barré include:
! Knit an entire dye lot from the same knitting machine.
! Use only yarn from the same spinning lot.
! Use only from the same shipment date if possible.
! If yarn shipment dates must be mixed, then use consecutive shipment dates.
! Determine through laboratory analysis and experience if the preparation procedures are sufficient or can they be modified to eliminate the problem.
! Determine if some shades and dyestuffs are less susceptible to showing barré, and apply those to problem fabrics.
! Make use of yarn/fabric analysis systems such as CYROS®.
! Identify those rolls within a dye lot that have mixed yarn shipment dates so that it is known when the fabrics go through the dyehouse.
! Identify dye lots that have rolls from different yarn shipments before dyeing.
