A continuous dyeing apparatus and method for open-width pad-steam-dry short process of fiber knitted fabric

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of fiber knitted fabric open width pad stoving short process continuous dyeing equipment and method, continuous dyeing equipment includes from front to back sequentially arranged cloth feeding unit, pad unit, contact type drying unit, saturated steaming fixation unit, open width washing unit, cloth falling unit and full-process digital monitoring system;Continuous dyeing method includes further processing, uniform pad dyeing, contact type drying, steaming fixation, open width washing, cloth falling arrangement full-process open width continuous processing.The present application is developed for cellulose fiber knitted fabric " pad-baking-steaming " (pad dyeing liquid-pre-baking-steaming fixation) short process dyeing process, develop the open width continuous dyeing equipment of fiber knitted fabric suitable for this process, solve the above problems existing in prior art, realize cellulose fiber knitted fabric full-process open width continuous dyeing, and give consideration to dyeing quality, energy saving and water saving, high degree of self-control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of dyeing technology for knitted fiber fabrics, specifically to a short-process continuous dyeing equipment and method for knitted fiber fabrics, including padding, drying, and steaming. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional dyeing of cellulose fiber knitted fabrics often employs an intermittent rope-like processing method, which results in low production efficiency, high energy and water consumption. Furthermore, because the fabric is in a rope-like state during the dyeing process, the dyed fabric is prone to many product quality problems such as wrinkles, streaks, poor dyeing reproducibility, surface wear, and excessive surface fuzz. There are batch-to-batch variations, and dyeing uniformity is difficult to guarantee, which cannot meet the production needs of high-end fabrics.

[0003] Existing manufacturers also use semi-continuous flat-width cold pad-batch dyeing technology, which has improved efficiency, energy consumption and water consumption, but cannot effectively solve the inherent technical problems of flat-width processing of knitted fabrics: First, fiber knitted fabrics are prone to edge curling, and due to their elastic sensitive characteristics, it is difficult to accurately control the tension during flat-width operation, which can easily lead to uneven tension and deviation in fabric flatness. Secondly, its process requires immersion in a fixing solution after the pad dyeing process to fix the color. The product is prone to dye migration problems, which can easily cause color differences in the horizontal left, middle and right sides and in the vertical head and tail. This makes it difficult to guarantee the consistency of dyeing and the quality of finished products. The color fixing efficiency is low, and subsequent washing is difficult, making it difficult to adapt to the needs of large-scale and high-end production. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a short-process continuous dyeing equipment and method for flat-width padding, drying, and steaming of fiber knitted fabrics. It develops a short-process dyeing process for cellulose fiber knitted fabrics, consisting of padding-drying-steaming (padding dye liquor-pre-drying-steaming color fixing), and develops flat-width continuous dyeing equipment adapted to this process. This solves the aforementioned problems in existing technologies, enabling full-process flat-width continuous dyeing of cellulose fiber knitted fabrics while ensuring dyeing quality, energy and water conservation, and a high degree of automation.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a short-process continuous dyeing equipment for knitted fiber fabrics, comprising a fabric feeding unit, a padding unit, a contact drying unit, a saturated steam color fixing unit, a flat-width washing unit, and a fabric unloading unit arranged sequentially from front to back; The fabric feeding unit is used to flatten, center, and continuously output the fiber knitted fabric to the rear. The padding unit is used to uniformly impregnate the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber knitted fabric with dye solution. The contact drying unit includes a drying chamber, and a hot roller contact drying device and a hot air jet drying device installed inside the drying chamber; The hot roller contact drying device includes multiple hot drying cylinders evenly distributed from front to back. The multiple hot drying cylinders are arranged alternately, and the temperature of the multiple hot drying cylinders increases in a stepwise manner from front to back. Each hot drying cylinder is equipped with a flip-able tight cloth guide roller, which is used to press the fibrous knitted fabric tightly against the hot drying cylinder. The hot drying cylinder has a large rotating hub structure. The hot air jet drying device includes a jet box installed inside the drying chamber. The hot air nozzles of the jet box can be adjusted in direction and the distance from the knitted fabric can be adjusted. The jet box adopts a complementary structure with left and right oblique cuts and is equipped with a curved air duct and an internal guide plate to achieve uniform hot air jetting. The jet box is connected to a hot air generation system located on both sides of the drying chamber. The hot air generation system consists of a steam heat exchanger and a circulating fan. The saturated steam fixing unit includes a steam generating system and a steam chamber. The steam chamber is sealed. The steam generating system is used to provide saturated steam into the steam chamber. A heating coil is provided on the inner wall of the top of the steam chamber. Multiple guide rollers are evenly distributed from front to back inside the steam chamber. The multiple guide rollers are arranged alternately. Each guide roller is equipped with a flip-up tensioning guide roller. The tensioning guide roller is used to press the fiber knitted fabric tightly against the guide roller. The guide roller adopts a large rotating hub structure. The flat-width washing unit includes multiple washing tanks connected sequentially from front to back. Each washing tank is equipped with a conveying component for conveying fiber knitted fabric and a spraying component. Behind the conveying component is a dehydration component for dehydrating the washed knitted fabric. The fabric laying unit is used to neatly lay the washed fiber knitted fabric.

[0006] The supporting equipment in this solution adopts a modular design to adapt to the short-process "padding-drying-steaming" (padding with dye liquor - pre-drying - steam fixing) process. The core function of the fabric feeding unit is to smoothly feed the knitted fabric to be dyed into the subsequent units in a flat, wrinkle-free, and curl-free state, laying the foundation for uniform padding. The padding unit is the core unit for achieving uniform padding with dye liquor. By precisely controlling the padding pressure and dye liquor concentration, it ensures uniform padding of the knitted fabric, providing a stable foundation for subsequent drying and fixing. The contact drying unit removes free moisture from the fabric surface after padding with dye liquor, while preventing dye migration and ensuring dyeing consistency, laying the foundation for subsequent steam fixing. This unit uses a combined hot air jet drying method combining hot drying cylinder contact and hot air jet drying, which ensures uniform removal of free moisture from the knitted fabric surface and improves drying uniformity. The saturated steam fixing unit provides a stable temperature and humidity environment for the bonding of dyes and cellulose fibers, ensuring thorough dye fixation, uniform dyeing, and a significantly improved fixation rate. To prevent steam from condensing into water droplets at the top, multiple coils are installed at the top of the steam chamber for heating. The core function of the flat-width washing unit is to remove loose dye from the surface of the knitted fabric, ensuring uniform and durable color, while also achieving water recycling and reducing water consumption. As the final stage of the dyeing process, the fabric dropping unit's core function is to ensure the smooth and neat dropping of the knitted fabric, preventing fabric deformation and wrinkling, and guaranteeing the appearance quality of the finished dyed product.

[0007] As an optimization, the fabric feeding unit, roller unit, contact drying unit, saturated steam color fixing unit, flat-width washing unit, and fabric unloading unit are connected in series to form a closed dyeing channel. This optimized fiber knitted fabric operates in a completely closed process, without contact with outside air, further ensuring dyeing quality.

[0008] As an optimization, the fabric feeding unit includes an input box, within which, arranged sequentially from front to back, are a first threaded expansion roller for flattening the knitted fabric, a slat translation centering machine for centering the knitted fabric, and an elastic tension adjusting roller for automatically adjusting the fabric feeding tension. The slat translation centering machine has a full-width infrared photoelectric detector for real-time detection of the knitted fabric's lateral deviation. This optimized first threaded expansion roller flattens the fabric, ensuring that the knitted fabric is free from tangling and wrinkles. The slat translation centering machine centers the knitted fabric in real time, ensuring accurate conveying direction and preventing deviation. The elastic tension adjusting roller automatically and flexibly adjusts the fabric feeding tension, ensuring the fabric unfolds flat and avoiding fabric elongation and deformation due to excessive tension, or wrinkles and curling due to insufficient tension.

[0009] As an optimization, the rolling mill unit includes a rolling mill box, in which horizontally arranged double-rubber rollers are provided. The double-rubber rollers have a rolling gap for the fiber knitted fabric to pass through. The size of the rolling gap is adjusted by a cylinder. The inside of the double-rubber rollers is filled with hydraulic oil to ensure uniform pressure throughout the rolling point. A dyeing bath is provided below the double-rubber rollers. The dyeing bath can be raised, lowered, and tilted. A second threaded expansion roller is provided in front of the rolling point of the double-rubber rollers and in front of the dyeing bath.

[0010] This optimization employs a double-roller design to simultaneously and evenly impregnate the upper and lower surfaces of the knitted fabric, ensuring uniform impregnation and preventing insufficient or excessive impregnation on one side. The double-roller design uses a cylinder to adjust the gap, maintaining uniform pressure at the contact line of the impregnation point. The impregnation pressure can be flexibly adjusted according to the thickness, weight, and material characteristics of the knitted fabric, ensuring uniform impregnation results for fabrics of different specifications and preventing uneven dyeing depth caused by uneven pressure. Simultaneously, second threaded expansion rollers are installed before the impregnation point and before the dye bath. This double-fiber separation design further separates the knitted fabric fibers, removing wrinkles from the fabric surface and ensuring sufficient and uniform contact with the dye liquor during impregnation, improving the impregnation effect and reducing uneven dyeing problems. As an optimization, the rolling mill unit also includes an online automatic replenishment system for real-time replenishment of dye liquor into the dye bath. The online automatic replenishment system includes a chemical mixing cylinder, a level control valve, a buffer tank, a metering pump, and a uniform feed pipe. The outlet of the chemical mixing cylinder is connected to the buffer tank. The level control valve is installed on the connecting pipe between the chemical mixing cylinder and the buffer tank. The outlet of the buffer tank is connected to the metering pump. The output end of the metering pump is connected to the uniform feed pipe, which is positioned above the dye bath and extends axially along the dye bath. This optimized online automatic replenishment system replenishes the dye bath in real time, maintaining a stable dye liquor concentration and avoiding problems such as color differences between the beginning and end of the dye bath, and color differences between the left, middle, and right sides caused by fluctuations in dye liquor concentration. The system can preset replenishment parameters according to production speed, fabric specifications, and dyeing process to achieve automated replenishment, reduce manual intervention, and improve the stability of dyeing quality.

[0011] As an optimization, the top of the steam chamber has a triangular structure, and the inner wall of the top is coated with Teflon. This optimized triangular top design allows water droplets to slide outwards and disperse, preventing condensation from accumulating and dripping onto knitted fabrics. Furthermore, the Teflon coating on the top steel plate provides hydrophobicity, allowing water droplets to quickly slide outwards and improving dispersion.

[0012] As an optimization, the conveying assembly includes a perforated roller rotatably mounted inside the washing tank, and two multi-hole traction rollers located below the perforated roller, symmetrically distributed on both radial sides of the perforated roller. The spraying assembly is positioned above the perforated roller; the dewatering assembly is a double-roller press. This optimization ensures smooth operation of the knitted fabric through the conveying assembly, while preventing scratches on the fabric surface. The perforated roller allows the knitted fabric to run under low tension, ensuring thorough washing and removal of surface dye. The perforations in the perforated roller and multi-hole traction rollers filter out moisture, achieving a certain dewatering effect. The dewatering assembly further dehydrates the washed knitted fabric, reducing the moisture content of the subsequent fabric handling and facilitating subsequent finishing processes.

[0013] As an optimization, the continuous dyeing equipment also includes a full-process digital monitoring system. This system includes a central controller, temperature sensors for monitoring the internal temperatures of the contact drying unit, saturated steam fixing unit, and flat-width washing unit, tension sensors for collecting the tension of the knitted fabric fibers in each of the fabric feeding, contact drying, washing, and unloading units, pressure sensors for collecting the padding pressure in the padding unit and the pressure inside the saturated steam fixing unit, and a level sensor for monitoring the dye bath level. All temperature, tension, pressure, and level sensors are electrically connected to the central controller. This optimized full-process digital monitoring system enables real-time acquisition, automatic adjustment, and data traceability of process parameters for each unit, ensuring stable dyeing quality, achieving full-process digital and automated control, facilitating production data traceability and process optimization, reducing manual intervention, and improving dyeing quality stability and production efficiency.

[0014] A continuous dyeing method for a short-process continuous dyeing equipment for the above-mentioned fiber knitted fabrics includes the following steps: S1. Fabric Input: The fiber knitted fabric to be dyed is placed into the fabric input unit. First, it is flattened by the first threaded expansion roller. The wrap angle of the first threaded expansion roller is adjusted to ensure that the fiber knitted fabric is free from tangling and wrinkling. Then, the full-width infrared photoelectric detection device equipped with the slat translation centering machine detects the left and right deviation of the fiber knitted fabric in real time and adjusts the fabric position in real time according to the deviation to ensure accurate centering of the fiber knitted fabric. After the expansion and centering treatment, the knitted fabric is smoothly conveyed to the padding unit to prepare for subsequent uniform padding and dyeing. S2. Uniform padding: After the fiber knitted fabric enters the padding unit, it is dipped and treated by the padding points of the horizontally arranged double rubber rollers. According to the thickness, weight and material characteristics of the knitted fabric, the padding gap of the double rubber rollers is adjusted by the cylinder to maintain the pressure of the padding point contact line and ensure that the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber knitted fabric can be uniformly dipped in the dye solution. S3. Contact Drying: After being impregnated with dye liquor, the knitted fabric is conveyed to the contact drying unit. The knitted fabric is wrapped around and attached to each hot drying cylinder from front to back for contact drying. The free moisture on the surface of the knitted fabric is gradually removed by the step-by-step heating of each hot drying cylinder. At the same time, the hot air jet drying device blows hot air evenly into the drying chamber to improve the drying uniformity until the free moisture on the surface of the knitted fabric is completely removed, thus avoiding dye migration. S4. Steam Fixing: The dried fiber knitted fabric is conveyed to the saturated steam fixing unit. The steam generation system creates a saturated steam environment in the steam chamber and controls the steam temperature to the saturated steam temperature. Driven by the guide rollers, the fiber knitted fabric moves with low tension in the steam chamber, making full contact with the saturated steam, so that the dye and cellulose fibers can be fully combined to achieve dye fixing. After fixing, the knitted fabric is directly conveyed to the flat washing unit through the fabric outlet. S5, Flat-width washing: After color fixing, the knitted fabric passes through each washing tank from front to back. The perforated rollers drive the knitted fabric to move under low tension. Hot water is sprayed onto the knitted fabric through the spray assembly to achieve all-round rinsing of the surface color of the knitted fabric. The dehydration assembly dehydrates the knitted fabric after washing. After multiple rounds of washing and dehydration, the knitted fabric ensures that the surface color is completely removed. S6. Fabric Drop Output: The washed and dehydrated knitted fabric is transported to the fabric drop unit for finishing, so that the knitted fabric is dropped smoothly and neatly, completing the entire flat-width padding, steaming, and continuous dyeing process.

[0015] The key continuous dyeing process developed in this method is the "pad-dry-steam" (pad dye liquor - pre-drying - steam fixation) short-process technology. After the knitted fabric is immersed in the dye liquor, it is first dried by contact drying in a hot drying cylinder with hot air jet to remove free moisture, effectively preventing dye migration. After the free moisture is removed, the fabric immediately enters a saturated steam oven for fixation treatment. Finally, the floating color is removed by washing, completing the entire dyeing process. This effectively solves problems such as edge curling, low tension, dye migration, and color difference between the beginning and end of the knitted fabric. The process time is significantly shortened, and the production efficiency is greatly improved.

[0016] As an optimization, in step S2, during the uniform padding process, the online automatic liquid replenishment system works continuously. The liquid level sensor detects the liquid level in the dye bath in real time, and the metering pump maintains a stable amount of dye liquor to avoid uneven dyeing caused by fluctuations in the amount of dye liquor, thus ensuring uniform padding of the knitted fabric. In step S3, the tension sensor detects the tension of the fiber knitted fabric in real time, and adjusts the tension of the fiber knitted fabric in real time by adjusting the tensioning guide roller to prevent the fiber knitted fabric from curling. In step S4, the top of the steam box is heated by the heating coil at the top of the steam box to prevent steam from condensing into water droplets at the top of the steam box and to avoid water droplets falling on the surface of the fiber knitted fabric and causing color spots.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. Continuous Process: This method eliminates the dyeing interruptions in the traditional open-width dyeing process, enabling continuous open-width processing of knitted fabrics, including padding, drying, steam fixing, washing, and fabric removal. It allows for continuous dyeing of cellulose fiber knitted fabrics. This process eliminates the batch waiting time of traditional intermittent dyeing, with each unit operating collaboratively, significantly shortening the dyeing cycle. A single production line can achieve continuous, uninterrupted production without intermediate fabric removal or manual intervention, greatly improving industrial production efficiency and reducing production costs.

[0018] 2. Stable Dyeing Quality: Through contact drying, large-drum steam fixing and flat-width washing units, and an online automatic dye replenishment system, problems such as edge curling, low tension, dye migration, and color difference between the beginning and end of the dyeing process are effectively solved. The entire fabric process operates on a flat width with low tension. The drying, fixing, and flat-width washing units adopt large-drum or hot water large-drum structures, effectively preventing fabric deformation and edge curling. The "contact drying drum + hot air pre-drying" drying method effectively prevents dye migration. Saturated steam micro-positive pressure fixing ensures uniform fixing, and segmented washing thoroughly removes floating dye, eliminating quality problems such as creases, inter-dye color difference, migration, and uneven color that occur in existing dyeing processes.

[0019] 3. Green and Energy-Saving: The flat-width washing unit achieves water resource recycling, and the dyeing method is designed as a short-process "pad-dry-steam" (pad dye liquor - pre-drying - steam fixing) process, eliminating the need for prolonged soaking of fabrics and reducing the number of dye liquor cycles and water consumption. The flat-width washing unit is equipped with a wastewater recovery device, which can pre-filter and recycle the washing wastewater. The contact drying adopts a stepped heating method to reduce steam energy consumption. The washing wastewater can be recycled, reducing wastewater discharge and lowering wastewater treatment costs, which is in line with green and environmentally friendly industrial policies. Compared with traditional intermittent or semi-continuous dyeing processes, it can achieve water and energy saving, meeting the national "dual carbon" goals and the green and low-carbon transformation needs of the printing and dyeing industry.

[0020] 4. Wide range of applications: It can meet the needs of various specifications and weights of tension-sensitive cellulose fiber knitted fabrics, such as lightweight (e.g., knitted jersey, rib knit) and medium-weight (e.g., knitted sweatshirt fabric, terry cloth). It is compatible with various dye types such as reactive dyes and vat dyes, and can be widely used in the high-end fabric production process of the textile printing and dyeing industry to meet the production needs of different enterprises. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the equipment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rolling mill unit structure; Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the dye bath and the matching online automatic dye replenishment system of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the contact drying unit structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the saturated vapor color-fixing unit structure of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the flat-width water washing unit structure of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a short process flow diagram of the dyeing method of the present invention; As shown in the figure: 1. Fabric feeding unit; 2. Rolling mill unit; 21. Rolling mill box; 22. Double-rubber roll; 23. Dye liquor tank; 25. Second thread expansion roll; 26. Online automatic liquid replenishment system; 261. Chemical cylinder; 262. Liquid level control valve; 263. Buffer tank; 264. Metering pump; 265. Uniform feed pipe; 27. Rotary roller. 3. Contact drying unit; 31. Drying box; 32. Hot drying cylinder; 33. Tight cloth guide roller; 34. Air spray box; 35. Hot air generation system; 36. Exhaust fan; 4. Saturated steam color fixing unit; 41. Steam box; 42. Guide roller; 43. Tensioning guide roller; 44. Heating coil; 45. Steam generation system. 5. Flat-width washing unit; 51. Washing tank; 52. Perforated roller; 53. Multi-hole traction roller; 54. Double rubber roller rolling mill; 55. Electric threaded expansion roller. 6. Fabric placement unit. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, the following detailed implementation method will be used to describe the solution.

[0023] like Figures 1-7 As shown, a short-process continuous dyeing equipment for knitted fabrics includes, from front to back, a fabric feeding unit 1, a padding unit 2, a contact drying unit 3, a saturated steam fixing unit 4, a flat-width washing unit 5, and a fabric dropping unit 6. The "front to back" refers to the conveying direction of the knitted fabric, with the fabric input from the front and output from the rear.

[0024] The feeding unit 1 is used to flatten, center, and continuously output the knitted fabric. Its core function is to smoothly feed the knitted fabric to be dyed into the subsequent unit in a flat, wrinkle-free, and curl-free state, laying the foundation for subsequent uniform pad dyeing.

[0025] Specifically, the fabric feeding unit 1 includes an input box, inside which, arranged sequentially from front to back, are a first threaded expansion roller for flattening the knitted fabric, a slat translation centering machine for centering the knitted fabric, and an elastic tension adjusting roller for automatically adjusting the fabric feeding tension. The slat translation centering machine has a full-width infrared photoelectric detector for real-time detection of the left-right deviation of the knitted fabric.

[0026] In this embodiment, the input box has an input port and an output port at its front and rear ends, respectively. The input port of the input box is equipped with a sealing curtain to seal the input end of the continuous dyeing equipment and reduce the entry of cold air from the outside. After the knitted fabric enters the input box through the input port, it is initially flattened by a first threaded expansion roller. This first threaded expansion roller can be manually adjusted to ensure that the knitted fabric is free from tangling and wrinkling. Then, the fabric position is quickly adjusted by a slat translation centering machine to center the knitted fabric in real time, ensuring accurate conveying direction and preventing deviation. Finally, the elastic tension adjusting roller automatically adapts to the fabric feeding tension to ensure that the fabric is spread out flat, avoiding fabric elongation and deformation due to excessive tension, or wrinkling and curling due to insufficient tension. The fabric feeding unit 1 is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0027] The padding unit 2 is used to uniformly immerse the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber knitted fabric in dye liquor. By precisely controlling the padding pressure and dye liquor concentration, it ensures that the knitted fabric is evenly immersed, providing a stable foundation for subsequent drying and color fixing.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, specifically, the rolling mill unit 2 includes a rolling mill box 21, inside which are horizontally arranged double-rubber rollers 22. The double-rubber rollers 22 have a rolling gap for the fiber knitted fabric to pass through. The size of the rolling gap is adjusted by a cylinder. A dye bath 23 is provided below the double-rubber rollers 22. The dye bath 23 is adjustable in height and can be tilted. A second threaded expansion roller 25 is provided before the rolling point of the double-rubber rollers 22 and before the dye bath 23.

[0029] In this embodiment, the front and rear ends of the rolling mill box 21 are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet for easy entry and exit of knitted fabric. The two rollers of the double-rubber roller 22 are arranged horizontally. One roller is fixed inside the rolling mill box 21 by a fixing frame, while the other roller is horizontally slidably mounted inside the rolling mill box 21 via a slide. The telescopic rod of the cylinder is fixed to the slide, thereby pushing the roller to slide horizontally, causing the two rollers to move closer or further apart, thus adjusting the fabric gap and adapting to different production speed requirements.

[0030] The double-roller 22 is filled with hydraulic oil, which can ensure uniform pressure throughout the rolling point. The dyeing pressure can be flexibly adjusted according to the thickness, weight and material characteristics of the knitted fabric to ensure that fabrics of different specifications can obtain a uniform dyeing effect and avoid uneven dyeing depth caused by uneven pressure.

[0031] The double rubber roller 22 can be replaced by a combination of rubber rollers and metal rollers, as long as uniform rolling liquid can be achieved; the rolling and dyeing pressure can be adjusted by hydraulic drive instead of cylinder drive, thereby improving the pressure adjustment accuracy.

[0032] In this embodiment, the dye bath 23 is height-adjustable and tiltable, facilitating dye bath replacement, replenishment, and equipment cleaning. This is existing technology and will not be elaborated further. During use, as follows... Figure 2 As shown, the dye bath 23 has a rotating roller 27 inside. The knitted fabric entering the padding box 21 first passes around the front second threaded expansion roller 25 into the dye bath 23, then passes around the rotating roller 27 inside the dye bath 23 to immerse the knitted fabric in the dye bath, and finally passes around the rear second threaded expansion roller 25 before entering the double-rubber padding roller 22 for padding. This allows for uniform padding of the upper and lower surfaces of the knitted fabric simultaneously, avoiding insufficient or excessive padding on one side. By setting the second threaded expansion roller 25 before the padding point and before the dye bath 23, the knitted fabric is kept flat. The double fiber separation design further separates the knitted fabric fibers, removes wrinkles on the fabric surface, and ensures that the fabric can fully and evenly contact the dye bath during padding, improving the padding effect and reducing the problem of uneven dyeing.

[0033] The rolling mill unit 2 also includes an online automatic replenishment system 26 for real-time replenishment of dye liquor into the dye bath 23. The online automatic replenishment system 26 includes a chemical cylinder 261, a level control valve 262, a buffer tank 263, a metering pump 264, and a uniform feed pipe 265. The outlet of the chemical cylinder 261 is connected to the buffer tank 263. The level control valve 262 is installed on the connecting pipe between the chemical cylinder 261 and the buffer tank 263. The outlet of the buffer tank 263 is connected to the metering pump 264. The output end of the metering pump 264 is connected to the uniform feed pipe 265, which is positioned above the dye bath 23 and extends axially along the dye bath 23. The level control valve 262 controls the discharge rate of the chemical cylinder 261, and the metering pump 264 precisely replenishes the dye, maintaining a stable dye liquor concentration in real time and avoiding problems such as color differences at the beginning and end, and left, middle, and right sides caused by fluctuations in dye liquor concentration.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the online automatic dye replenishment system 26 typically has two dyeing tanks, one large and one small. The choice of tank depends on the amount of dye used. This online automatic dye replenishment system 26 can pre-set replenishment parameters based on production speed, fabric specifications, and dyeing process, achieving automated replenishment, reducing manual intervention, and improving the stability of dyeing quality.

[0035] The contact drying unit 3 includes a drying chamber 31, and a hot roller contact drying device and a hot air jet drying device disposed within the drying chamber 31. The front and rear ends of the roller bed 21 are respectively provided with inlet and outlet ports for easy entry and exit of knitted fabrics. The core function of this unit is to remove free moisture from the surface of the fabric after padding with dye liquor, preventing dye migration and laying the foundation for subsequent steam fixing. This unit adopts a combined drying method of hot roller contact and hot air jet drying, which can achieve uniform removal of free moisture from the surface of the knitted fabric and prevent dye migration. The contact drying unit 3 uses a combined drying mode of "hot roller contact + hot air pre-drying," effectively inhibiting dye migration and ensuring dyeing uniformity.

[0036] like Figure 4 As shown, specifically, the hot roller contact drying device includes multiple hot drying cylinders 32 evenly distributed from front to back. The multiple hot drying cylinders 32 are arranged alternately, and the temperature of the multiple hot drying cylinders 32 increases in a stepwise manner from front to back. Each hot drying cylinder 32 is provided with two flip-able tight fabric guide rollers 33. The tight fabric guide rollers 33 are used to press the fibrous knitted fabric tightly against the hot drying cylinder 32. The hot drying cylinder has a large rotating hub structure.

[0037] Multiple drying cylinders 32 are arranged in two rows, upper and lower, with the rows staggered. Tensioning guide rollers 33 are located between the upper and lower rows of drying cylinders 32. Two tensioning guide rollers 33 are located at the bottom of the upper row of drying cylinders 32, and two tensioning guide rollers 33 are located at the top of the lower row of drying cylinders 32. The upper and lower rows of drying cylinders 32 are arranged with a large diameter and small spacing, reducing the free travel of tension-sensitive cotton knitted fabrics during fabric transport within the drying chamber 31. In this embodiment, the diameter of the drying cylinders 32 is between 700 and 900 mm, forming the large rotating hub structure. Hot water is circulated inside the multiple sets of drying cylinders 32, with a stepped heating from front to back, ensuring that the knitted fabric is fully dried and avoiding dye migration problems caused by insufficient drying. The water circulation method of the drying cylinders 32 is existing technology and will not be described further here.

[0038] The tensioning guide roller 33 can be rotated manually or automatically to facilitate fabric feeding and pressing, ensuring that the fabric is in close contact with the hot drying cylinder 32 and improving drying uniformity. This is existing technology, and its rotation structure will not be described in detail here.

[0039] Specifically, the hot air jet drying device includes a jet box 34 disposed inside the drying chamber 31. The hot air nozzles of the jet box 34 are adjustable in direction and distance from the knitted fabric. The jet box 34 adopts a complementary left-right oblique cut structure and is equipped with a curved air duct and an internal guide plate to achieve uniform hot air jetting and avoid dye migration caused by excessively strong or weak local hot air. The jet box 34 is connected to a hot air generation system 35 located on both sides of the drying chamber 31, and the hot air generation system 35 is used to provide hot air to the jet box 34.

[0040] The hot air generation system 35 described in this embodiment consists of a steam heat exchanger and a circulating fan. The circulating fan provides airflow, which is heated by the steam heat exchanger to form hot air. The nozzle direction of the air spray box 34 is adjustable, allowing for adjustment of the spray direction and distance to the knitted fabric, ensuring uniform evaporation of the dyed fabric during the drying process. Furthermore, the air spray box 34 employs a curved duct and internal guide plate design to ensure uniform airflow and low airflow resistance, further improving drying uniformity. The air spray box is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] like Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, eight hot air cylinders 32 are arranged alternately inside the drying chamber, and each hot air cylinder 32 corresponds to one air spray box. Four sets of hot air generation systems 35 are provided at the bottom of the drying chamber, each system supplying hot air to two air spray boxes. An exhaust fan 36 is also provided at the top of the drying chamber in this embodiment to exhaust hot air and moisture, ensuring stable internal pressure.

[0042] The saturated steam fixing unit 4 provides a stable temperature and humidity environment for the bonding of dye and cellulose fibers. Its core function is to achieve full dye fixation, ensuring uniform dyeing and high fixation rate. like Figure 5 As shown, the saturated steam fixing unit 4 includes a steam generating system 45 and a steam chamber 41. The steam chamber 41 is sealed, and the steam generating system 45 provides saturated steam to the steam chamber 41. A heating coil 44 is provided on the inner wall of the top of the steam chamber 41. Multiple guide rollers 42 are evenly distributed from front to back inside the steam chamber 41, and the multiple guide rollers 42 are staggered vertically. Each guide roller 42 is provided with two flip-up tensioning guide rollers 43, which are used to press the fibrous knitted fabric tightly against the guide roller 42.

[0043] In this embodiment, the steam chamber 41 has an inlet and an outlet at its front and rear ends, respectively, to facilitate the entry and exit of knitted fabrics. Both the inlet and outlet of the steam chamber 41 are equipped with sealing curtains to prevent rapid steam leakage and the entry of cold air, thereby maintaining a stable steam concentration inside the chamber and ensuring effective color fixing.

[0044] The multiple guide rollers 42 are divided into upper and lower rows, which are staggered. Tensioning guide rollers 43 are located between the upper and lower rows of guide rollers 42. Two tensioning guide rollers 43 are correspondingly located at the bottom of the upper row of guide rollers 42, and two tensioning guide rollers 43 are correspondingly located at the top of the lower row of guide rollers 42. The upper and lower rows of guide rollers 42 are arranged with a large diameter and small spacing, reducing the free travel of tension-sensitive cotton knitted fabrics during fabric transport within the steam chamber 41, ensuring a smooth transition of low tension in the fabric, and achieving sufficient dye fixation. The guide rollers 42 adopt a large hub structure; in this embodiment, the diameter of the guide rollers 42 is between 700 and 900 mm.

[0045] The tension guide roller 43 can be flipped manually or automatically to facilitate fabric feeding and pressing, ensuring a tight fit between the fabric and the guide roller 42. This is existing technology, and its flipping structure will not be described in detail here.

[0046] In this embodiment, the steam generating system 45 adopts existing technology, such as a steam generator. The steam generating system 45 is not limited here, as long as it can provide saturated steam to the steam chamber 41. The steam generator is equipped with a pressure regulator and a temperature regulator, which can adjust the steam pressure and temperature, controlling the steam chamber 41 to maintain a slightly positive pressure (the pressure can be precisely adjusted), ensuring the temperature remains stable at the saturated steam temperature.

[0047] To prevent steam from condensing into water droplets at the top of the steam box 41, the top of the steam box 41 is heated by heating coils 44 on the inner wall of the top of the steam box 41; at the same time, aluminum powder is laid on the outer wall of the top of the steam box 41 to achieve rapid heat absorption and ensure uniform heat transfer at the top of the steam box.

[0048] The steam box 41 described in this embodiment has a triangular top structure with a Teflon coating on its inner wall. This triangular design allows water droplets to slide outwards and disperse even if they form, preventing condensation from accumulating and dripping onto knitted fabrics. The Teflon coating on the top steel plate further enhances water repellency, allowing water droplets to slide quickly outwards and improving dispersion. The hydrophobic coating on the top of the steam box 41 can be replaced with other hydrophobic materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), as long as they achieve the desired water-repellent and drip-proof effect.

[0049] The core function of the flat-width washing unit 5 is to remove the floating dye from the surface of the knitted fabric, ensuring that the dyeing color is uniform and firm, while realizing the recycling of water resources and reducing water consumption.

[0050] like Figure 6 As shown, specifically, the flat-width washing unit 5 includes multiple washing tanks 51 connected sequentially from front to back. Each washing tank 51 is equipped with a conveying component for conveying fiber knitted fabric and a spraying component, and a dehydration component for dehydrating the washed knitted fabric is provided behind the conveying component.

[0051] In this embodiment, the washing tank 51 has an inlet and an outlet at its front and rear ends, respectively, to facilitate the entry and exit of knitted fabrics. In this embodiment, six sets of washing tanks 51 are connected sequentially from front to back to form a flat washing unit 5.

[0052] The conveying assembly described in this embodiment includes a perforated roller 52 rotatably mounted inside a washing tank 51, and two perforated traction rollers 53 located below the perforated roller 52. The two perforated traction rollers 53 are symmetrically distributed on both radial sides of the perforated roller 52. The perforated roller 52 is a large-diameter roller; in this embodiment, the diameter of the perforated roller 52 is between 900 and 1100 mm. The fabric is wrapped around the perforated roller 52 and runs under low tension to ensure that the knitted fabric is thoroughly washed and surface dye is removed. The two perforated traction rollers 53 drive the knitted fabric to run smoothly while avoiding scratches on the surface of the knitted fabric.

[0053] In this embodiment, the spray assembly is positioned above the perforated roller 52. The spray assembly utilizes existing technology, and its specific structure is not limited, as long as it can spray hot water. The water supply pipe of the spray assembly is equipped with an automatic brush filter, which effectively filters impurities in the spray water and prevents clogging of the spray pipe. Simultaneously, the bottom of the washing tank 51 has an arc-shaped surface and is equipped with a steam heater. The bottom of the washing tank 51 has a drain hole, which is connected to the input end of the automatic brush filter, enabling the recycling of the washing water and significantly reducing water consumption.

[0054] The dewatering assembly is a double-roller press 54, which has two rollers. The washed knitted fabric passes through the two rollers, and the water is squeezed out by the two rollers. In this embodiment, an electrically operated threaded expansion roller 55 is provided before the pressing point of the double-roller press 54 to flatten the knitted fabric before dewatering and avoid wrinkles.

[0055] The fabric dropping unit 6 is used to neatly drop the washed fibrous knitted fabric. As the end of the dyeing process, the core function of the fabric dropping unit 6 is to achieve a smooth and neat dropping of the knitted fabric, avoid fabric deformation and wrinkling, and ensure the appearance quality of the dyed finished product.

[0056] The fabric doffing unit 6 has an output box with an input port and an output port at its front and rear ends, respectively. The output port of the output box is equipped with a sealing curtain to seal the output end of the continuous dyeing equipment and reduce the entry of cold air from the outside. The fabric doffing unit 6 smoothly conveys the knitted fabric to the swing arm mechanism via a rubber-coated fabric doffing traction roller. The rotation speed of the swing arm mechanism is adjusted according to production needs to control the fabric doffing amplitude and ensure neat fabric doffing. Simultaneously, depending on the characteristics of the knitted fabric, the activation of the top-mounted small roller pressing is selected to prevent wrinkling. A load sensor monitors the tension of the knitted fabric in real time, and the electrical control unit adjusts the fabric doffing speed to achieve synchronous transmission under the set tension, preventing deformation due to excessive tension or disordered fabric doffing due to insufficient tension. Finally, the knitted fabric is doffed smoothly and neatly, completing the entire flat-width pad-drying and steaming continuous dyeing process. The fabric doffing unit 6 is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0057] Preferably, the fabric feeding unit 1, the roller pressing unit 2, the contact drying unit 3, the saturated steam fixing unit 4, the flat-width washing unit 5, and the fabric dropping unit 6 are connected in series to form a closed dyeing channel. Specifically, the input box of the fabric feeding unit 1, the roller pressing box 21 of the roller pressing unit 2, the drying box 31 of the contact drying unit 3, the steam box 41 of the saturated steam fixing unit 4, the multiple washing boxes 51 of the flat-width washing unit 5, and the output box of the fabric dropping unit 6 are connected sequentially from front to back. In each box, the output port of the front box is sealed to the input port of the rear box, making the boxes a unified whole, and the internal cavity of each box forms the dyeing channel. The knitted fabric is input from the input box, passes through the dyeing channel, and is output from the output box. The airtight connection between each unit forms a completely closed dyeing channel, effectively blocking external environmental interference and ensuring a stable dyeing process environment. The knitted fabric operates in a completely closed manner within the dyeing channel, without contact with outside air, further ensuring dyeing quality.

[0058] The continuous dyeing equipment also includes a full-process digital monitoring system. This system comprises a central controller, temperature sensors for monitoring the internal temperatures of the contact drying unit 3, the saturated steam fixing unit 4, and the flat-width washing unit 5, tension sensors for collecting the tension of the knitted fabric fibers in each of the fabric feeding, contact drying, washing, and unloading units, pressure sensors for collecting the padding pressure of the padding unit 2 and the pressure inside the saturated steam fixing unit 4, and a level sensor for monitoring the liquid level in the dye bath 23. All the temperature, tension, pressure, and level sensors are electrically connected to the central controller.

[0059] In this embodiment, temperature sensors are installed inside the drying oven 31, steam oven 41, and washing oven 51 to monitor the internal temperature of each unit in real time. The tension sensors are installed on the elastic tension adjusting roller, double-rubber roller 22, tight fabric guide roller 33, tension guide roller 43, perforated traction roller 53, and rubber-coated fabric dropping traction roller. The elastic tension adjusting roller, double-rubber roller 22, tight fabric guide roller 33, tension guide roller 43, perforated traction roller 53, and rubber-coated fabric dropping traction roller are electrically driven and can be electrically connected to the central controller, allowing the central controller to control the tension action of each roller and achieve automatic tension adjustment.

[0060] The central controller employs a programmable logic controller (PLC), which can receive signals from various sensors in real time and automatically adjust the operating parameters of each unit (such as drying temperature, steam pressure, dyeing pressure, and replenishment rate) to achieve full-process digital and automated control. Simultaneously, it can record production data (such as process parameters, production time, energy and water consumption), facilitating production data traceability and process optimization, reducing manual intervention, and improving dyeing quality stability and production efficiency. The control program of the central controller is implemented through programming, which is existing technology and will not be elaborated further here.

[0061] This continuous dyeing equipment adopts a modular integrated design, precisely connecting all functional units in one go. It includes units for fabric feeding, uniform padding, contact drying, steam fixing, washing, and fabric unloading, forming a sealed dyeing channel. It enables continuous and stable operation of the fabric throughout the entire process, with flat fabric width and low tension. The core units for drying, fixing, and washing all utilize large roller structures, fundamentally solving defects such as curling and deformation during the flat dyeing process of knitted fabrics, ensuring the smoothness of the processed fabric.

[0062] A continuous dyeing method for a short-process continuous dyeing equipment for the above-mentioned fiber knitted fabrics includes the following steps: S1. Fabric Feeding Process: The fiber knitted fabric to be dyed is placed into the fabric feeding unit 1. First, it is flattened by the first threaded expansion roller, and the wrap angle of the first threaded expansion roller is adjusted to ensure that the fiber knitted fabric is free from tangling and wrinkling. Then, the full-width infrared photoelectric detection device equipped with the slat translation centering machine detects the left and right deviation of the fiber knitted fabric in real time, and adjusts the fabric position in real time according to the deviation to make the fiber knitted fabric accurately centered. After the expansion and centering process, the knitted fabric is smoothly conveyed to the padding unit 2 to prepare for subsequent uniform padding and dyeing. S2. Uniform padding and dyeing: After the fiber knitted fabric enters the padding unit 2, it is dipped and treated by the padding points of the horizontally arranged double rubber rollers 22. According to the thickness, weight and material characteristics of the knitted fabric, the padding gap of the double rubber rollers 22 is adjusted by the cylinder 24. The rollers are filled with hydraulic oil to maintain the pressure of the padding point contact line and ensure that the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber knitted fabric can be uniformly dipped in the dye solution. Meanwhile, the speed of the padding line can be flexibly adjusted according to the fabric specifications and dyeing process; during the uniform padding process, the online automatic liquid replenishment system 26 works continuously, the liquid level sensor detects the liquid level in the dye bath 23 in real time, and the metering pump 264 maintains the stability of the dye liquor volume, avoiding the problem of uneven dyeing caused by fluctuations in the dye liquor volume, and ensuring uniform padding of the knitted fabric. S3. Contact Drying: After being impregnated with dye liquor, the fiber knitted fabric is conveyed to the contact drying unit 3. The fiber knitted fabric is wrapped around and attached to each of the hot drying cylinders 32 from front to back for contact drying. The free moisture on the surface of the knitted fabric is gradually removed by the stepped heating of each hot drying cylinder 32. At the same time, the hot air jet drying device blows hot air evenly into the drying chamber 31 to improve the drying uniformity until the free moisture on the surface of the knitted fabric is completely removed to avoid dye migration. The tension sensor detects the tension of the fiber knitted fabric in real time and adjusts the tension of the fiber knitted fabric in real time by adjusting the tensioning guide roller 33 to prevent the fiber knitted fabric from curling. S4. Steam Fixing: The dried fiber knitted fabric is conveyed to the saturated steam fixing unit 4. The steam generation system 45 creates a saturated steam environment in the steam chamber 41 and controls the steam temperature to the saturated steam temperature. Driven by the guide roller 42, the fiber knitted fabric moves with low tension in the steam chamber 41, making full contact with the saturated steam, so that the dye and cellulose fibers can be fully combined to achieve dye fixing. After fixing, the knitted fabric is directly conveyed to the flat washing unit 5 through the fabric outlet. At the same time, the top of the steam chamber 41 is heated by the heating coil 44 at the top of the steam chamber 41 to prevent the steam from condensing into water droplets at the top of the steam chamber 41 and to avoid water droplets falling on the surface of the fiber knitted fabric and causing color spots. S5, Flat-width washing: After color fixing, the fiber knitted fabric passes through each washing tank 51 from front to back. The perforated roller 52 drives the fiber knitted fabric to move under low tension. Hot water is sprayed onto the fiber knitted fabric through the spray assembly to achieve all-round rinsing of the floating color on the surface of the fiber knitted fabric. The dehydration assembly dehydrates the fiber knitted fabric after washing. After multiple rounds of washing and dehydration, the floating color is ensured to be completely removed. S6. Finishing the fabric: The washed and dehydrated knitted fabric is transported to the finishing unit 6 for finishing, so that the knitted fabric is laid out smoothly and neatly, completing the entire flat-width padding, steaming and continuous dyeing process.

[0063] This continuous dyeing method employs a short-process "pad-dry-steam" procedure, omitting the traditional fixative padding step in continuous dyeing of woven fabrics, thus achieving full-process, flat-width continuous dyeing of cellulose fiber knitted fabrics. The entire process eliminates the need for intermediate fabric unloading and transfer, significantly reducing the process cycle, simplifying the production flow, and improving continuous production efficiency. This enables flat-width continuous dyeing of cellulose fiber knitted fabrics, filling a market gap.

[0064] After our company conducted small-scale and pilot-scale experiments throughout the entire process, we selected cellulose fiber knitted fabrics of different specifications (lightweight and medium-thick) and conducted dyeing experiments using different types of dyes. The experimental results showed that the equipment units were smoothly connected, and the knitted fabrics had a color difference of ≥4 levels from left to right and from beginning to end. Compared with traditional intermittent dyeing, the knitted fabrics saved ≥30% water and ≥30% energy, and all indicators were superior to existing technologies.

[0065] Of course, the above description is not limited to the examples above. Technical features not described in this invention can be implemented by or using existing technology, and will not be repeated here. The above embodiments and drawings are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this invention and are not intended to limit this invention. This invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of this invention do not depart from the spirit of this invention and should also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. A short-process continuous dyeing equipment for knitted fiber fabrics, characterized in that, It includes a fabric feeding unit (1), a rolling unit (2), a contact drying unit (3), a saturated steam color fixing unit (4), a flat-width washing unit (5), and a fabric dropping unit (6) arranged sequentially from front to back. The fabric feeding unit (1) is used to flatten, center, and continuously output the fiber knitted fabric to the rear. The rolling unit (2) is used to uniformly impregnate the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber knitted fabric with dye solution; The contact drying unit (3) includes a drying chamber (31), and a hot roller contact drying device and a hot air jet drying device installed in the drying chamber (31); The hot roller contact drying device includes multiple hot drying cylinders (32) evenly distributed from front to back. The multiple hot drying cylinders (32) are arranged alternately, and the temperature of the multiple hot drying cylinders (32) increases in a stepwise manner from front to back. Each hot drying cylinder (32) is provided with two flip-out tight cloth guide rollers (33). The tight cloth guide rollers (33) are used to press the fiber knitted fabric tightly against the hot drying cylinder (32). The hot drying cylinder has a large rotating hub structure. The hot air jet drying device includes a jet box (34) installed inside the drying chamber (31). The jet box (34) is arranged with complementary left and right oblique cuts. The jet box has a curved air duct and an internal guide plate. The jet box (34) is connected to a hot air generation system (35) located on both sides of the drying chamber (31). The hot air generation system (35) consists of a steam heat exchanger and a circulating fan. The saturated steam fixing unit (4) includes a steam generating system (45) and a steam box (41). The steam box (41) is sealed. The steam generating system (45) is used to provide saturated steam to the steam box (41). A heating coil (44) is provided on the inner wall of the top of the steam box (41). Multiple guide rollers (42) are evenly distributed from front to back in the steam box (41). The multiple guide rollers (42) are arranged alternately up and down. Each guide roller (42) is provided with two flip-up tensioning guide rollers (43). The tensioning guide rollers (43) are used to press the fiber knitted fabric and the guide roller (42) tightly together. The guide roller (42) adopts a large rotating hub structure. The flat washing unit (5) includes multiple washing tanks (51) connected sequentially from front to back. Each washing tank (51) is equipped with a conveying component for conveying fiber knitted fabric and a spraying component. Behind the conveying component is a dehydration component for dehydrating the knitted fabric after washing. The fabric dropping unit (6) is used to neatly drop the washed fiber knitted fabric.

2. The fiber knitted fabric flat-width padding, drying, steaming, short-process continuous dyeing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fabric feeding unit (1), rolling unit (2), contact drying unit (3), saturated steam color fixing unit (4), flat-width washing unit (5) and fabric dropping unit (6) are connected in series to form a closed dyeing channel.

3. The fiber knitted fabric flat-width padding, drying, steaming, short-process continuous dyeing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fabric feeding unit (1) includes an input box, in which a first threaded expansion roller for flattening the fiber knitted fabric, a slat translation centering machine for centering the fiber knitted fabric, and an elastic tension adjusting roller for automatically adjusting the fabric feeding tension are arranged sequentially from front to back. The slat translation centering machine has a full-width infrared photoelectric detector for real-time detection of the left and right offset of the fiber knitted fabric.

4. The fiber knitted fabric flat-width padding, steaming, short-process continuous dyeing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rolling mill unit (2) includes a rolling mill box (21), in which a horizontally arranged double rubber roller (22) is provided. The double rubber roller (22) has a rolling gap for the fiber knitted fabric to pass through. The inside of the double rubber roller (22) is filled with hydraulic oil, which can ensure uniform pressure throughout the rolling point. A dyeing tank (23) is provided below the double rubber roller (22). The dyeing tank (23) can be raised, lowered and tilted. A second threaded expansion roller (25) is provided in front of the rolling point of the double rubber roller (22) and in front of the dyeing tank (23).

5. The fiber knitted fabric flat-width padding, steaming, short-process continuous dyeing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rolling mill unit (2) also includes an online automatic replenishment system (26) for real-time replenishment of the dye bath (23). The online automatic replenishment system (26) includes a chemical cylinder (261), a level control valve (262), a buffer tank (263), a metering pump (264), and a uniform feeding pipe (265). The outlet of the chemical cylinder (261) is connected to the buffer tank (263). The level control valve (262) is installed on the connecting pipe between the chemical cylinder (261) and the buffer tank (263). The outlet of the buffer tank (263) is connected to the metering pump (264). The output end of the metering pump (264) is connected to the uniform feeding pipe (265). The uniform feeding pipe (265) is arranged above the dye bath (23) and extends along the axial direction of the dye bath (23).

6. The fiber knitted fabric flat-width padding, steaming, short-process continuous dyeing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the steam box (41) is triangular and has a Teflon coating on the inner wall of the top.

7. The equipment and method for continuous dyeing of knitted fiber fabrics with a short process of padding, drying, and steaming according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveying assembly includes a perforated roller (52) rotatably mounted in a washing tank (51), and two perforated traction rollers (53) located below the perforated roller (52). The two perforated traction rollers (53) are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the perforated roller (52) in the radial direction. The spraying assembly is located above the perforated roller (52). The dewatering assembly is a double rubber roller mill (54).

8. The fiber knitted fabric flat-width padding, steaming, short-process continuous dyeing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The continuous dyeing equipment also includes a full-process digital monitoring system, which includes a central controller, a temperature sensor for monitoring the internal temperature of the contact drying unit (3), the saturated steam fixing unit (4), and the flat washing unit (5), a tension sensor for collecting the tension of the knitted fabric fibers in each unit of fabric feeding, contact drying, washing, and fabric unloading, a pressure sensor for collecting the padding pressure of the padding unit (2) and the pressure inside the saturated steam fixing unit (4), and a level sensor for monitoring the liquid level of the dye bath (23). The temperature sensor, tension sensor, pressure sensor, and level sensor are all electrically connected to the central controller.

9. A continuous dyeing method for a short-process continuous dyeing equipment for knitted fiber fabrics according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Fabric feeding process: The fiber knitted fabric to be dyed is placed into the fabric feeding unit (1). First, it is flattened by the first threaded expansion roller. The wrap angle of the first threaded expansion roller is adjusted to ensure that the fiber knitted fabric is not tangled or wrinkled. Subsequently, the full-width infrared photoelectric detection device paired with the slat translation centering machine detects the left and right offset of the fiber knitted fabric in real time, and adjusts the fabric position in real time according to the offset to make the fiber knitted fabric accurately centered; the knitted fabric after the expansion and centering process is smoothly transported to the padding unit (2) to prepare for subsequent uniform padding and dyeing. S2, Uniform padding: After the fiber knitted fabric enters the padding unit (2), it is dipped through the padding points of the horizontally arranged double rubber rollers (22). According to the thickness, weight and material characteristics of the knitted fabric, the padding gap of the double rubber rollers (22) is adjusted by the cylinder (24) to keep the pressure of the padding point contact line uniform, so as to ensure that the upper and lower surfaces of the fiber knitted fabric can be uniformly dipped in the dye solution. S3, Contact Drying: After being impregnated with dye liquor, the fiber knitted fabric is transported to the contact drying unit (3). The fiber knitted fabric is wrapped around and attached to each of the hot drying cylinders (32) from front to back for contact drying. The free moisture on the surface of the knitted fabric is gradually removed by the step-by-step heating of each hot drying cylinder (32). At the same time, the hot air jet drying device blows hot air evenly into the drying box (31) to improve the drying uniformity until the free moisture on the surface of the knitted fabric is completely removed, thus avoiding dye migration. S4, Steam Fixing: The dried fiber knitted fabric is transported to the saturated steam fixing unit (4). The steam generation system (45) creates a saturated steam environment in the steam chamber (41) and controls the steam temperature to the saturated steam temperature. The fiber knitted fabric moves under low tension in the steam chamber (41) driven by the guide roller (42) and fully contacts the saturated steam, so that the dye and cellulose fiber are fully combined to achieve dye fixing. After fixing, the knitted fabric is directly transported to the flat washing unit (5) through the fabric outlet. S5, Flat-width washing: After color fixing, the fiber knitted fabric passes through each washing tank (51) from front to back. The perforated roller (52) drives the fiber knitted fabric to move with low tension. Hot water is sprayed onto the fiber knitted fabric through the spray assembly to achieve all-round rinsing of the floating color on the surface of the fiber knitted fabric. The dehydration assembly dehydrates the fiber knitted fabric after washing. After multiple rounds of washing and dehydration, the floating color is completely removed. S6. Finishing the fabric: The washed and dehydrated fiber knitted fabric is transported to the finishing unit (6) for finishing, so that the fiber knitted fabric is laid out smoothly and neatly, completing the entire flat-width rolling, drying, steaming and continuous dyeing process.

10. A short-process continuous dyeing method for knitted fiber fabrics according to claim 9, characterized in that: In step S2, during the uniform padding process, the online automatic liquid replenishment system (26) works continuously. The liquid level sensor detects the liquid level in the dye bath (23) in real time and maintains the stability of the dye liquid volume through the metering pump (264) to avoid uneven dyeing caused by fluctuations in the dye liquid volume and ensure uniform padding of the knitted fabric. In step S3, the tension sensor detects the tension of the fiber knitted fabric in real time, and adjusts the tension of the fiber knitted fabric in real time by adjusting the tensioning guide roller (33) to prevent the fiber knitted fabric from curling. In step S4, the top of the steam box (41) is heated by the heating coil (44) at the top of the steam box (41) to prevent steam from condensing into water droplets at the top of the steam box (41) and to avoid water droplets falling on the surface of the fiber knitted fabric and causing color spots.

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