THE WAY TO TURKMEN SILK: PROCESSING OF SILKWORM COCOONS STARTS IN ASHGABAT

Ashgabat Silk Factory has started the processing of silkworm cocoons, which production was 2,100 tons of high-quality material. The works at the facilities are in its peak.

Workers of the factory have important objectives to sort out the material, to send it to winding workshop, to rewind the thread and to process the wastes of natural silk. The main processes are performed by automated systems, which meet international standards.

A cocoon is unwound on a cocoon-winding machine, and the resulting raw silk thread is wound on small reels. After winding a certain amount of raw silk, small reels are removed from the machine and go to the silk rewinding shop from small to large reels with a diameter of 1.5 meters. In order to improve the rewinding of silk, before rewinding raw silk from small reels to large reels, it is soaked in a vacuum apparatus.

Thus, the cocoon-winding workshop processes around one and a half tons of raw silk per day, while the average length of silk from one cocoon reaches 600-800 meters.

Finished silk threads of matte yellow color are formed into yarns, which are sent to the Ashgabat pan-velvet factory. In addition, durable silk threads are purchased by individual entrepreneurs engaged in the production of silk products: scarves, carpets, carpet bags, etc.

Ashgabat Silk Factory is one of the oldest facility of textile industry of Turkmenistan. The history of the factory dates back to 1928. Today, it is a modern high-tech production facility, which goods are in demand not only in the domestic market but are also exported to Iran, Turkey and China.