Spinning
Spinning is the process of winding together drawn-out strands of
fibres to form a yarn. It is a major part of the textile industry.
Spinning is used in manufacturing various textile fibres. The different
types of spinners used in the textile industry are Ring, Rotor and Air-
jet spinners.
Types of Spinning Process:
Staple yarn spinning process
Ring Spinning: The most popular way of spinning yarn for textiles is
called ring spinning, which drafts and twists strands using a revolving
spindle and ring.
Rotor Spinning: A high-speed rotor is used in rotor spinning, often
referred to as open-end spinning, to separate and twist fibers into yarn.
Friction Spinning: When friction spinning employs compressed air to
spin fibers into yarn, it offers great production rates and diversity.
Self-Twist Spinning: In self-twist spinning, yarn is made straight from
roving or sliver without the need for further twisting steps.
Electro-Static Spinning: A polymer melt or solution is spun into
ultrafine fibers using the electrostatic spinning process, which utilizes
an electric field. It produces various nanofibers for various
applications.
Vortex Spinning: By twisting and collecting fibers in a vortex, the
vortex spinning technique produces yarn. This yarn is used for
knitwear and lightweight fabric production.
Air Jet Spinning: The production of yarn today uses an air jet
spinning process. Compressed air is used in the draft, twist, and
spinning steps of this spinning process to create yarn.
Twist Less Spinning: Low-twist or zero-twist yarns are created using
this specialist spinning technique for a variety of uses. This yarn is
Used for fabrics requiring low twist and novelty yarns.
Spinning for Filament Yarn
Wet Spinning: Wet spinning involves extruding a polymer solution into a
coagulation bath to create fibers. Used for the production rayon, acrylic, and
spandex.
Dry Spinning: Fibers are created by extruding a polymer solution into a heated air
or gas environment in the dry spinning process.
Melt Spinning: This procedure creates fibers by extruding molten polymer via a
spinneret. It is a way to make synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, and
polypropylene.
Bi-Component Spinning: In this type of spinning, two or more polymers are
combined during the extrusion process to produce fibers.
Film Splitting Reaction Spinning: A reactive polymer solution is extruded and then
experiences a chemical reaction to create fibers in the film splitting reaction
spinning technique.
Flow chart of cotton spinning process
A Cotton bale is a standard-sized and weighted pack of
compressed cotton lint after ginning. The dimensions and weight
may vary with different cotton-producing countries.
The most important parameters
of a cotton bale are:
▪ Density (448 kg/m3)
▪ Measurements of the bales
(nominally 1.40 m X 0.53 m X
0.69 m)
▪ Weight (Varies, but ‘statistical’
bale weighs 480 lb)
Mixing and Blending of Fibers in Spinning process
Mixing:
It is an operation where different cottons of certain known physical
properties (like staple length, fineness, and grade) are combined to
achieve a mix with average characteristics.
Example: Low grade cotton + High grade cotton = Mixing.
Types of Mixing
Weight Mixing: In this process different qualities of cotton fibers are
weighed and put together.
Volume Mixing: In this process different qualities of cotton of known
volumes are put together.
Bin Mixing: In this process cotton flocks are transferred from bale
opener to a pipeline .
Hand Stock Mixing: In this process cotton flocks from different bales
are manually collected and put together. oldest methods and
generally used in high count yarn production.
Hopper Mixing: In this method, mixing is done in hopper bale opener
machine.
Card Mixing: In this method mixing action is carried out in high
production carding machine. Two different cotton laps are fed to
carding machine to achieve mixing.
Lap Mixing: In this method to obtain mixing double scutcher is
used. Which consist of one breaker scutcher and one finisher
scutcher.
Sliver Mixing: In this method different carded slivers are fed to
draw frame to carryout doubling action and obtain mixing.
Automatic Mixing: In this method cotton fibers are mixed
automatically by different automated machines, without bale
breaking manually.
Blending:
It is the manufacturing of products containing different fibers of
known characteristics in various proportions. Fibers of known
physical properties are blended under controlled conditions so that
the resultant blend could be reproduced.
Example: 50% polyester + 50% cotton = Blending.
Nylon + cotton = Blending.
Types of Blending
Bale Mixing: This process is carried out before Blow-room. Bale mixing is done for both
natural and man-made fibers.
Flock blending: This process is carried out within the blow-room process. This process
takes place in an uncontrolled manner, naturally, and to a smaller degree.
Lap blending: To carry out this process a double scutcher is required. 4-6 laps are fed
through conveyer lattice.
Web blending: To carry out this process ribbon lap machine or blending drawframe is
used.
Sliver blending: Carried out on drawframe and it provides best blend in longitudinal
direction.
Fiber blending: This process is carried out at the card spinning machine. This is the most
intimate blend is obtained if individual fibers are brought together.
Roving blending: This process not majorly used in short-staple spinning mills.
Difference between Mixing and Blending:
Objectives of Mixing / Blending:
I. To achieve uniform quality of yarn IV. To improve process performance.
throughout its length. V. To facilitate the cotton for regain its
II. To reduce the cost of production. moisture content lost during baling.
III. To achieve functional and end use
requirements.
Blow room
The section where the supplied compressed bale is turn into a uniform lap of
particular length by opening, cleaning, blending or mixing is called blowroom
section.
It is the first steps of spinning. About 40%–70% trash is removed in the blow
room section.
Figure 2: Latest diagram of blow room line
Functions and Operations in Blowroom Section:
➢ Opening
➢ Cleaning
➢ Dust Removal
➢ Mixing and Blending
➢ Even feed of material to the card
Objectives of Blowroom Section:
✓ Opening: To open the compressed fibers up to very small tufts.
✓ Cleaning: To remove the impurities like seed fragments, stem pieces, leaf particles, neps,
short fibers, dust and sand.
✓ Mixing and blending: To make homogenous mixture of the material.
✓ De-dusting: To extract the dust if present.
✓ Uniform feed for card: To convert the mass of fibers into thick sheet called lap which
should be uniform length and width wise or to provide output in the form of tufts of
optimum size.
Carding Process
Carding Process
Carding is the one of the most important process in cotton
spun yarn manufacturing, because it determines the quality of
yarn. This is the process, by which textile fibers are prepared to
manufacture a yarn. In this process, fibers are opened at almost
single, removal of dust, trash, neps and short fiber to produce a
continuous strand of fiber called sliver. Carding machine is called
mother or heart of spinning.
Schematic Diagram Of Carding Machine
Functions of ring frame
Drafting system:
Drafting system makes important role at yarn quality and
performance of the machine. Normally 3 over 3 drafting system is
used at ring frame.
Basic Concept of Combing Process
Combing
Combing is the process that removes the final proportion of
short fibers, neps and others impurities such as vegetable
matter and seed coat fragments in cotton that has already
been carded. Combed yarns are superior in quality when
compared to carded yarn as they are generally finer, stronger,
smoother and more uniform due to the removal of short
fibers and the alignment of fibers.
Comber Waste:
The waste material (short fibers) removed during combing is
referred to as noil (or sometimes as comber waste). Noil consists
of shorter fibers and neps.
