Heald Frame

A heald frame (or heddle frame) is a rectangular frame on a loom that holds heddles — the wires or cords through which warp ends pass. By raising and lowering different heald frames, the loom creates the warp opening (shed) for each pick.

A standard loom has 4–24 heald frames; jacquard mechanisms replace heald frames with individually controlled hooks. The number of heald frames limits the design complexity a loom can weave — 4 heald frames work for plain weave and twills; 24 frames support intricate dobby patterns.

Heald frame condition affects warp wastage directly. Worn or broken heddles cause warp breaks, which surface as same-shift warp wastage variance flags in MobiOffice. Maintenance teams often diagnose heald-frame issues from per-machine wastage trends.

RELATED TERMS
Warp
Warp refers to the lengthwise yarns held under tension on a loom. The warp is pre-loaded as a beam and runs through the loom for the duration of the order.
Shed
In weaving, the shed is the temporary opening between the upper and lower warp ends, created by raising some heald frames and lowering others. The weft is inserted through this opening on each pick.
Dobby
A dobby is a loom mechanism that controls a limited number of harnesses (typically up to 24) for simpler patterned weaving.

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