tentering

Tentering is an industrial process in textile finishing that aims to set the dimensions of woven fabrics. It involves stretching the fabric's width under tension using a tenter frame, which has chains with pins or clips to hold the selvages. As the fabric moves through a heated chamber, creases are removed, the weave is straightened, and the fabric is dried to its final size. This process is crucial for ensuring fabrics meet their intended dimensions and appearance before further treatments or consumer use. When applied to wet wool, it's called crabbing, and for synthetic fibers, it can be referred to as heat-setting.1234