Current and Future Trends in Yarn Production1
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Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2002 CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN YARN PRODUCTION1 William Oxenham, Ph.D. College of Textiles, North Carolina State University ABSTRACT While developments in yarn manufacturing continue to be promoted by machinery makers, spinners are challenged to produce the best quality yarn at an acceptable price. This often results in a compromise, since improved yarn quality can usually only be achieved at a higher processing cost (including raw material selection). An additional difficulty is that the significance of the various attributes of quality change for different yarn’s end uses. While the solution to lowering yarn costs, that has been adopted in recent years has been to create large, almost fully automated spinning mills, this philosophy is presently being questioned, since this significantly reduces flexibility with respect to the fiber and yarn type that can be processed. This is obviously at odds with the current paradigm of customer driven, quick response manufacturing, since this demands inherent flexibility in the successful supplier. This paper reviews the current state of technological innovation in yarn production and examines the relative merits and disadvantages of each system. Some insight will also be given concerning those factors that limit further development of some of these systems. Historical trends in US yarn production have also been surveyed, and the combined information obtained is used as an indicator of the future directions in this key industry. KEYWORDS: Yarn Production, Spinning, Vortex Spinning, Centrifugal Spinning 1. INTRODUCTION shortcomings in certain aspects of yarn and fabric quality (Figure 2). This aspect Research into new technology for yarn cannot be over stressed since while ring formation peaked in the 60’s & 70’s. Since that spun yarns may not be the best when time some systems have gained significant considered from certain quality aspects, commercial acceptance, whereas other but they do provide an overall balance of proposed systems have met with little (or zero) quality aspects, which still make them success. When viewed in terms of their the yarns of choice for most applications. potential for spinning a range of fiber types (as Thus caution should be exercised when show in Figure 1), it is apparent that real assessing a new system since good success is only evident for rotor (open end) strength and regularity are meaningless if spinning and ring spinning. While other the fabric has a harsh handle or if the systems have promised significant benefits, system is restricted in fiber type that can these have met with limited success due to be successfully spun, etc. 1Plenary Paper presented to The Textile Institute 82nd World Conference, Cairo (Egypt), 2002 Article Designation: Scholarly 1 JTATM Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2002 Figure 1 Figure 2 The following is a review of potential be used and thus higher spindle speeds and systems for cotton (or short staple) spinning, higher productivity. indicating their current status and likely prospects for the future. It should be There is still debate over which is emphasized that while the current report is the best format of supply to the ring frame focused exclusively on the spinning and the alternatives of "light weight sliver" machine, preparation for spinning is also or "heavy weight roving". Both have major critical and in particular the ability of these machinery makers as proponents. The earlier processes to feed clean, nep free, well advantage of the light weight sliver is the blended fibers with low variations in elimination of the roving frame, but there is properties. the penalty of much greater space requirements for creeling at the spinning 2. RING SPINNING frame. The use of heavy weight rovings (obviously still requires the use of a roving Ring spun yarns are still regarded by frame) gives much greater productivity on most yarn technologists as having the ideal the roving frame and offers the advantage of blend of properties. This preference for ring easily applied package transfer to the spun yarns is also demonstrated by many spinning frame. The benefits of either feed fabric producers and apparel manufacturers format can only be realized if the spinning and retailers. In terms of technological machine is capable of higher than normal breakthroughs the ring frame lags behind drafts. The benefits afforded by such a high other newer systems, but there have been draft system (offered by Howa) are shown in significant changes in the system that have Figure 3, from which it should be realized enabled spinning speeds to be almost that the benefits in productivity extend back doubled in recent years. The changes have to the finisher drawframe. interacted and it is likely that many of them The current limitation on ring would not have succeeded in isolation. The spinning is maximum traveler speed (about use of automatic doffing and link winding 40 m/s) and it is unlikely there will be any only became an attractive proposition with major increase in this speed in the near the introduction of much longer ring frames future. Different approaches to improving and improvements in splicing technology. the performance (i.e. speed) of the ring & These in turn meant that package size could traveler combination have been tried but be reduced, which enabled smaller rings to these have met with limited or no success. Article Designation: Scholarly 2 JTATM Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2002 Figure 3 Figure 4 Examples of these approaches are: "Compact Spinning" they renamed their • Use of high tech materials for the commercial application of this technology ring and traveler – such as ceramic. Comfort Spinning then subsequently Com4, • The use of rotating rings – a system since this implies a better fabric hand (as tried and subsequently discounted in opposed to "compact"). The system relies on the 70’s – has more recently been condensing the strand, which emerges from demonstrated by Howa. the drafting system and promotes a better • Replacement of the traveler with a yarn structure with lower yarn hairiness. rolling (rather than sliding) element This is achieved by utilizing suction to has been recently suggested, consolidate the strand prior to twisting as however there is no reported shown in Figure 4. The resultant effect on experience of this device in an yarn structure is clearly apparent from the industrial environment. comparison of Com4 and conventional ring- spun shown in Figure 5. The consolidated Other ways of increasing production have structure yields better yarn properties. The been sought and the current vogue is benefits that can be achieved over towards systems that will permit spinning at conventional ring spun yarns can be realized lower twist levels while maintaining as stronger yarns (for the same twist) or adequate yarn properties for subsequent similar yarn strength can be obtained at processing (and satisfactory fabric twenty per cent lower twist (Figure 6). properties). This can be achieved by various Alternative approaches to this approaches to "Compact Spinning", which technology are typified by the EliTe system relies on modifications to the machinery to of Suessen, which uses a perforated system facilitate improvement in yarn formation after the normal drafting system (Figure 7). and structure, resulting in improved tensile In addition Suessen also apply a slight draft characteristics and surface properties in the to enhance consolidation and reduce the resultant yarn. While the idea is not new width of the strand during yarn formation (originally proposed by Fehrer as part of the (Figure 8). While it is agreed that this DrefRing concept) several machinery technique can produce higher quality ring makers have shown ring frames equipped to spun yarn, there is no doubt that the systems spin yarns with compact structure. are complex and usually require roving stop motions, which inevitably increase the costs The company with the greatest per spindle. experience with this technology is Rieter. While they introduced the terminology Article Designation: Scholarly 3 JTATM Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2002 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 There are also concerns about the formation, the system has not been a type of fibers which can be successfully universal success and its acceptance has processed using this approach and many been restricted to certain geographic areas. agree that the system will be more Since the introduction of rotor spinning, successful processing longer (combed ?) there have been major increases in cotton staples. Recent mergers and processing speeds that have necessitated a acquisitions in the textile machinery reduction in rotor size, which in turn has industry (in particular Rieter’s purchase of resulted in deterioration in yarn quality Suessen) seem to indicate that there will be a (Figure 9). Lately there has been concern rationalization of the types of systems that that the differential in price between ring will be offered in the future. spun and rotor spun yarn seems to have increased. An examination of data on yarn 3. ROTOR SPINNING prices over several years indicates that this is indeed not a recent phenomenon but Rotor spinning is the only system to appears to be a systematic trend, which can offer a real challenge to ring spinning for be traced back over 15 years (Figure 10). coarser yarn counts. While it offers There is no doubt that rotor spinning will, successful processing of cotton at for the foreseeable future, hold a place in the significantly higher speeds than ring coarser yarn sector, but in order to gain in spinning, and it is generally agreed that the other sectors some mechanism of improving yarn processes better during fabric certain aspects of yarn quality is essential. Article Designation: Scholarly 4 JTATM Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2002 Figure 9 Figure 10 4. FRICTION SPINNING 5. JET SPINNING The considerable hype concerning The status of jet spinning is friction spinning as a potential replacement summarized in Figure 12.