End Spinning

Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Holger Neubauer Harald Schwippl

Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Rieter Machine Works Ltd.
Winterthur, Switzerland Winterthur, Switzerland

Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Comparison of processing characteristics of
cotton with a high short fiber content on Rieter’s
rotor and ring spinning system
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 3

Potential of rotor spinning INTRODUCTION

1995 Today The subject of this study is the processing of
1 1/16˝ cotton with a high short fiber content
on Rieter rotor and ring spinning systems. The
potential for processing 100% cotton on rotor
spinning machines is currently still far from ex-
hausted in the Asian countries and enormous
growth potential remains. Despite the increas-
Europe and America Growth market (Asia)
ing consumption of textiles worldwide, an aver-
1 000 automated rotor spinning machines 600 rotor spinning machines age of 600 rotor spinning machines are being
were sold annually are sold annually
installed annually in Asia. This market is fore-
Fig. 1 cast to double (Fig. 1).

Range of application of the spinning systems, 100% cotton RANGE OF APPLICATION OF THE DIFFERENT
5 000 END SPINNING SYSTEMS
Range of ring spinning
4 500 Range of rotor spinning Range of airjet spinning The range of application of the rotor spinning
4 000 system in processing 100% cotton is restricted
1 000 [tons/year]

3 500
on economic and qualitative grounds to cotton
3 000
2 500 staple lengths from 1˝ to 1 1/8˝. Depending on
2 000 the short fiber and trash content of the cotton,
1 500 rotor spinning technology is often the only op-
1 000
tion for manufacturing yarns economically and
500
0 at the same time in the required quality. The ar-
[mm] 23.0-25.4 26.19 26.99 27.78 28.58 29.37 30.16 30.96 31.75 32.54 33.34 34.13 34.93 35.7-44.41 eas of application of the different end spinning
[inch] 29/32-1 1 1/32 1 1/16 1 3/32 1 1/8 1 5/32 1 3/16 1 7/32 1 1/4 1 9/32 1 5/16 1 11/32 1 3/8 13/32-1 3/4
short medium long extra long
processes can therefore be allocated as a func-
AFIS Autojet
tion of the staple length of the cotton (Fig. 2).
Commercial staple; UQL [w] [mm]

Fig. 2 7.7 million rotor spinning units were already in-

stalled worldwide in 2007. This number is small
Spinning units installed worldwide 2007 compared to the number of ring spindles in-
Installed spindles / rotor units vs. final spinning stalled. However, since the productivity of a ro-
160 000 tor spinning unit exceeds that of a ring spinning
141 269
140 000 unit by a factor of 6, this figure corresponds to
Total installed [1 000]

120 000 some 30% of total yarn output. In global terms

100 000 the rotor spinning system is an established tech-
80 000 nology which fulfills the high requirements for
61 602
60 000 yarns in downstream processing (Fig. 3).
40 000
20 000
7 700
83
0
Ring spinning, carded Ring spinning, combed Rotor spinning Air-jet spinning

Fig. 3
4 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

MAIN SPHERE OF APPLICATIONS OF ROTOR SPINNING The yarn count range of rotor technology is
Total rotors installed 7 699 980 Ne 3 - Ne 40, with the typical and most fre-
3 000
2 774 quently produced yarn count being Ne 30. Yarns
2 500 in this count are processed mainly in circular
Rotors installed [1 000]

2 000 knitting, but also in weaving (Fig. 4). Different

1 845
1 536
process sequences can be chosen for processing
1 500
the fibers in rotor spinning (Fig. 5). The choice
1 000 of process sequence in rotor spinning depends
692 652
500
on the yarn count being produced and the re-
188 quired yarn quality. When processing 100%
0 13
3 6 12 18 24 30 40 cotton in a yarn count of Ne 30, carding without
Yarn count [Ne] a drawframe module and 1 or 2 subsequent
Fig. 4 drafting passages is appropriate (Fig. 6).

TEST SETUP
PROCESS SEQUENCE OF THE RIETER ROTOR SYSTEM
In this trial, when processing 100% cotton, the
quality of the rotor-spun yarn is analyzed in di-
Blowroom Card Drawframe Drawframe Rotor spinning
rect comparison with a ring-spun yarn. In this
C 60 SB-D 40 RSB-D 40 R 40 case the choice of raw material had to meet the
processing requirements of both spinning sys-
Shorter process
tems. Cotton with too short a staple length has an
Blowroom Card Drawframe Rotor spinning adverse influence on drafting action in the draft-
C 60 with SB module RSB-D 40 R 40
ing system unit on the ring spinning machine due
Shortest process to poor fiber guidance (“floating fibers”).

Blowroom Card Rotor spinning

C 60 with RSB module R 40

Fig. 5

Process coordination in rotor spinning, carded yarn, 100% natural fibers

Yarn count range Ne Draft / Doubling
Raw Technologically Draft Draft Draft Draft Draft
Process version
material recommended SB / RSB- SB / RSB SB / RSB SB / RSB Doubling final
process module 1. passage 2. passage 3. passage spinning
Direct process without module - - - - - - -
Direct process with RSB module 3-8 3-4.5 - - - - 40-100
CBA + drafted sliver 1st passage 9-20 - 4-6 - - 4-6 80-200
Cotton
CBA + drafted sliver 2nd passage 9-40 - 6-8 6-8 - 6-8 80-400
SB module + drafted sliver 1st passage - - - - - - -
SB module + drafted sliver 2 passage
nd
- - - - - - -

Recommended Possible with losses

Fig. 6
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 5

RAW MATERIAL PROPERTIES In order to establish how the two spinning sys-
Cotton Shankar 6 – origin India tems react to a higher short fiber content, an
Micronaire: 3.86 (bale) Indian Shankar 6 cotton with a relatively high
Commercial staple : 1 1/16˝ short fiber content was used for the study. The
Mean fiber length (n): 18.7 mm (Almeter)
Strength [g/tex]: 28.4 (HVI) exact raw material specifications are listed be-
Neps [1/g]: 118 in bale (AFIS) low (Fig. 7).
Seed coat neps [1/g]: 14.2 (AFIS)
Short fiber content: < 12.5 mm (n): 23.4 % (Almeter)
Stickiness: not sticky (FCT) The yarns were processed to a yarn count of
Ne 20 and Ne 30 using carding and combing
Fig. 7
processes. The influence of the short fiber con-
tent on the yarn values of both yarn types was
SPINNING SCHEDULE
also studied. For this purpose 14% noil was ex-
Rotor-spun, carded [Ne 20 + Ne 30]: tracted from the raw material in the case of the
A11 B 12 B 7/3 B 60 C 60 Card R 40 rotor spinning process and 16% in the case of
SB-D 15 RSB-D 40
UNIfloc UNIclean UNImix UNIflex 100 kg/h Rotor
the ring spinning process. Card output was ad-
Rotor-spun, combed [Ne 20 + Ne 30]: justed according to the final spinning system;
A11 B 12 B 7/3 B 60 C 60 Card
SB-D 15
E 32 E 65
Combing RSB-D 40
R 40 100 kg/h for rotor spinning and 80 kg/h for ring
UNIfloc UNIclean UNImix UNIflex 100 kg/h UNIlap noil 14% Rotor
spinning. The yarns are comparable on the basis
Ring-spun, carded [Ne 20 + Ne 30]: of these appropriate adjustments (raw material,
A11 B 12 B 7/3 B 60 C 60 Card F 15 G 33 spinning schedule) (Fig. 8).
SB-D 15 RSB-D 40 Roving
UNIfloc UNIclean UNImix UNIflex 80 kg/h frame Ring

The influence of rotor / spindle speed and yarn

Ring-spun, combed [Ne 30]:
E 65 F 15
twist was also studied on both spinning systems
A11 B 12 B 7/3 B 60 C 60 Card E 32 G 33
UNIfloc UNIclean UNImix UNIflex 80 kg/h
SB-D 15 Combing RSB-D 40 Roving
UNIlap noil 16% frame Ring (Fig. 9).

Fig. 8

INFLUENCE OF ROTOR / SPINDLE SPEED

Type of yarn Yarn [Ne] Nozzle Speed [rpm] Delivery [m/min] Twist factor [m]
20 KS-NX 120 000 189 109
20 K4K 120 000 189 109
Rotor-spun,
20 KS-NX 120 000 178.7 115
carded
20 K4K 120 000 178.7 115
30 KS-NX 110 000 142.7 109
20 KS-NX 108 070 189.2 98
Rotor-spun,
20 KS-NX 120 000 189.2 109
combed
30 KS-NX 110 000 142.7 109

Ring-spun, 20 - 14 000 22 109

carded 20 - 18 000 27 114
Ring-spun, combed 30 - 15 000 19.5 109
Fig. 9
6 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Short fiber content at each process stage for each yarn type
RAW MATERIAL RESULTS
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, Almeter The short fiber content of the cotton is relatively
35.0 high at 22%. Short fiber content measurements
Short fiber content < 12.5 mm (n) [%]

32.5
30.0 rise as a result of fiber turbulence during the
27.5 cleaning stages in the blowroom. This does not
25.0
22.5
reflect actual shortening of the fibers. The rea-
20.0 son is that existing measuring technology also
17.5 carded
15.0
interprets fiber turbulence as shorter fibers. The
12.5 fibers are parallelized again during the card-
10.0
7.5 combed ing process. The short fiber content measured
5.0 in the bale should still be the same after gentle
bale after B 12 after B 60 card input card pre- lap combed autoleveler roving
drawframe sliver drawframe cleaning, carding and fiber parallelization by the
Process stage
drafting passages. This is confirmed by the fiber
blowroom ring-spun carded ring-spun combed rotor-spun carded rotor-spun combed measurements made during the study. The short
Fig. 10
fiber content after noil extraction is 10% for the
ring spinning process and 15% for the carded
rotor spinning process (Fig. 10).
Mean fiber length at each process stage for each yarn type
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, Almeter The short fiber content has an impact on the
23.0
22.5 mean fiber length and thus – besides fiber count
22.0 – also on spin-out limits and yarn quality. The
Mean fiber length (n) [mm]

21.5
21.0
combed
mean fiber length is 19 mm in carded applica-
20.5
20.0 tions and 20 - 21 mm in combed applications,
19.5
19.0 depending on noil extraction (Fig. 11).
18.5
18.0 carded
17.5
17.0
16.5
16.0
bale after B 12 after B 60 card input card pre- lap combed autoleveler roving
drawframe sliver drawframe
Process stage

blowroom ring-spun carded ring-spun combed rotor-spun carded rotor-spun combed

Fig. 11
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 7

Trash content at each process stage for each yarn type

The residual trash content in the feed sliver on the
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, ITV rotor spinning machine is an important criterion
0.12 for the operating reliability of a rotor spinning ma-
0.11
0.10 chine. Contamination of the rotor groove when the
0.09 trash content is too high results in ends down. Ex-
0.08
0.07 perimental evidence shows that the residual trash
0.06 content of the feed sliver for the rotor spinning
0.05
0.04 process should be no higher than 0.07 - 0.1% in
0.03 Ne 20 - Ne 30 yarns. This requirement is just bare-
0.02
0.01
ly met by the Shankar 6 cotton in the carded appli-
0.00 cation with 0.107%. With the combing process the
card lap combed sliver autoleveler
draw frame trash content is generally reduced within a range
Ring-spun carded 0.105 Process stage 0.104 of 60 - 85% (Fig. 12). Combing can thus be tech-
Ring-spun combed 0.105 0.073 0.011 0.019
Rotor-spun carded 0.109 0.107
nologically appropriate for rotor spinning with
Rotor-spun combed 0.109 0.099 0.054 a low noil extraction rate.

Fig. 12
In general, the adverse impact of raw material
properties such as
Yarn quality as a function of the spinning process
• high short fiber content
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound) • short mean staple length
250 16 • trash content of the cotton
15.48
225 15.5 is much lower in rotor spinning than in ring
200 14.87 217 15 spinning.
Number of imperfections

14.71
175 14.5
150 14
CVm [%]

YARN RESULTS
125 13.5
100 13
75 12.5 IMPERFECTIONS (IPI) AND YARN IRREGULARITY
68 63
60
50 42
12.37
12 Combed and carded rotor-spun yarns are at
35 38
25 24 21 11.5 a similar level in terms of total imperfections
10 7
2
0 11 with = 109 (e = 3.6). A reduction in imper-
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun Ring-spun combed
carded 13.9% noil carded 16.4% noil fections in combed rotor-spun yarn is appar-
Process ent with lower twist factors and declining ro-
tor speeds, i.e. a constant delivery speed of
Thin places -50% Thick places +50% Neps +280% CVm
189 m/min. The number of imperfections in
Fig. 13 carded ring-spun yarn is considerably higher
than in rotor-spun yarn, despite reduced card
output of 80 kg/h instead of 100 kg/h (Fig. 13).
8 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

The combing process, and thus the additional

Yarn unevenness graded by Uster Statistics
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound) extraction of short fibers, brings no advantages
250 16 in the rotor spinning line in terms of yarn regu-
225 65%
15.5 larity. This result is remarkable, since the short
200 50% 75% 15 fiber content in the ring spinning process has, in
Number of imperfections

50%
175 14.5 contrast, a significant influence on yarn regular-
150 14 ity. This means that short fibers can be guided

CVm [%]
125 13.5
much better through the fiber guide channel in
100 13
the rotor spinning process than by the drafting
75 25% 12.5
50
25% 60% 40%
12
system in ring spinning. This can also be dem-
60% 65%
25
60%
35% 25% 11.5 onstrated very impressively by the influence
75%
0 70% 45%
11 of the combing process on ring-spun yarn. For
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun Ring-spun combed this purpose a combed cotton yarn with approx.
carded 13.9% noil carded 16.4% noil
Process 16% noil extraction and a yarn count of Ne 30
was produced on the ring spinning machine. The
Thin places -50% Thick places +50% Neps +280% CVm measuring results show that – due to the comb-
Fig. 14 ing process – a distinct improvement in yarn
cleanliness is apparent compared to a carded
ring-spun yarn. The yarn quality values are also
better than those of a carded rotor-spun yarn.
Yarn particles vs. process
100% 1 1/16˝ cotton, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound) However, it must be borne in mind here that this
improvement in quality of the ring-spun yarn
600
550
could only be achieved with 16% noil extraction
500 502.8 from the cotton (Fig. 14).
Total particles / 1 000 m

450
400 In comparison (Uster Statistics), this means that
350 the rotor-spun yarns are in a good range and the
300
performance of carded ring-spun yarns is con-
250 246.8
siderably poorer due to the specific raw material
200
150
properties.
116.1
100 92.8

50 The residual trash content of a rotor-spun yarn

0 is much lower than in a ring-spun yarn due to
Rotor-spun carded Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun Ring-spun combed
13.9% noil carded 16.4% noil trash removal at the opening cylinder in the
Process carded application. Only the combing process
and the associated removal of trash particles
Fig. 15
then makes a very low trash content also possi-
ble in ring-spun yarn (Fig. 15).
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 9

YARN STRENGTH AND ELONGATION

Yarn weak points (strength) vs. process
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20, noil 13.9%, R 40 and G 33 (wound) Compared to combed yarn, with an identical
17 twist factor, the strength of carded rotor-spun
16 yarn is approx. 1 cN/tex lower due to the short-
15.31 15.01
15 14.59 er mean staple length. With an increase in twist
14.22 13.97
14 factor from 98 (e 3.2) to 109 (e 3.6) an in-
Strength [cN/tex]

13 crease in yarn strength of more than 1 cN/tex is

12 also apparent due to the improved integration
11 of the fibers.
10
9
However, carded ring-spun yarn displays
8
0.8 cN/tex higher strength compared to carded
7
rotor-spun yarn. It is generally known that ring-
6
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Ring-spun carded spun yarns display higher strength in direct com-
carded combed combed combed m = 109, parison with rotor-spun yarns with the same raw
m = 109 m = 98 m = 103 m = 109 after winding
Process
material quality. This is related to the fiber ori-
entation in the yarn structure, i.e. the structur-
P 0.05 P 0.1 P 0.5 P 1.0 P = percentile value % al assembly of the core and the covering fibers.
Fig. 16 Strength values of 10 cN/tex are normally ade-
quate for applications in the knitting sector. The
results for yarn weak points show that strength
Yarn weak points (strength) vs. process
values of less than 10 cN/tex do not occur at any
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound)
spin-out position (Fig. 16).
17
16.03
16
15
Fiber strength in the bale is approx. 28.4 cN/tex.
14
14.16 14.06 Fiber substance utilization with a twist factor
Strength [cN/tex]

13
12.98 of = 109 is thus:
12 51% in carded rotor-spun yarn
11 55% in combed rotor-spun yarn
10 54% in carded ring-spun yarn
9
8 Experience shows that substance utilization in
7 carded rotor-spun yarn is approx. 5% lower than
6 in ring-spun yarn, due to the more random fiber
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun Ring-spun combed
carded 13.9% noil carded 16.4% noil orientation. Using the Ne 30 yarn count as an
Process
example, it is clearly apparent that strength in-
creases by 2 cN/tex in absolute terms as a result
P 0.05 P 0.1 P 0.5 P 1.0 P = percentile value % of combing in the case of ring-spun yarn, and is
Fig. 17 thus higher than in carded and combed rotor-
spun yarns (Fig. 17).
10 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Yarn elongation vs. process

The combing process does not have a positive
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20, noil 13.9%, R 40 and G 33 (wound) effect on the elongation values of rotor-spun
6.0 yarn. Carded rotor-spun yarn is at the same
5.5 level as combed rotor-spun yarn. On the other
5.09 5.22 5.23 5.02
5.0 4.84 hand, the values for ring-spun yarn are slightly
Elongation [%]

4.5 poorer.
4.0
3.5 The minimum requirement for knitting yarns is
3.0
normally approx. 5% yarn elongation (Fig. 18).
2.5
Due to the yarn structure, the good elongation
2.0
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Ring-spun carded values of rotor-spun yarns cannot be exceeded,
carded combed combed combed m = 109, even when combing is used with ring-spun yarns
m = 109 m = 98 m = 103 m = 109 after winding
(Fig. 19).
Process

P 0.05 P 0.1 P 0.5 P 1.0 P = percentile value % Carded ring-spun yarn displays the lowest
Fig. 18 stretch recovery. The differences relative to
carded rotor-spun yarn are small. Combed rotor-
spun yarn with the same twist factor displays
Yarn elongation vs. process the highest elongation.
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound)

6.0
5.5
5.1
5.0 4.82 4.82
4.72
Elongation [%]

4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun Ring-spun combed
carded 13.9% noil carded 16.4% noil

Process

P 0.05 P 0.1 P 0.5 P 1.0 P = percentile value %

Fig. 19
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 11

Yarn hairiness and abrasion vs. process YARN HAIRINESS AND ABRASION
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20, noil 13.9 %, R 40 and G 33 (wound) The yarns were processed on a circular knitting
10 9.71 60 machine. The yarns were therefore waxed dur-
9.5
50
ing the winding or rotor spinning process.
9

Abrasion [mg/1 000 m yarn]

47.76
8.5
8 40 Ring-spun and rotor-spun yarns differ consid-
7.5
Hairiness

7 30
erably in terms of hairiness. This difference is
6.5 due to the differences in yarn structure between
6 20 ring-spun and rotor-spun yarns. The yarn hairi-
5.5
5 4.89 7.88 4.93 4.99 10 ness of carded ring-spun yarn measured with
6.32 4.76
5.76 5
4.5 the Uster Tester 4 is almost twice that of rotor-
4 0
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Rotor-spun Ring-spun carded spun yarn. The differences between carded and
carded combed combed combed m = 109 combed ring-spun yarns are minimal. The comb-
m = 109 m = 98 m = 103 m = 109 after winding
ing process has no effect on the hairiness values
Hairiness Abrasion [mg/1 000 m yarn] of rotor-spun yarn. The decisive factor for yarn
Fig. 20 hairiness in rotor-spun yarn is therefore primar-
ily yarn structure rather than fiber length.

Yarn hairiness and abrasion vs. process Rotor-spun yarns also display clear advantages
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound)
in respect of yarn abrasion. The abrasion of
10 60 ring-spun yarn is higher than that of rotor-spun
9.5
9
51.56
50 yarn by more than a factor of 5. It is apparent
Abrasion [mg/1 000 m yarn]

8.5 that the combing process has a positive impact

8 40
7.57 on the abrasion of rotor-spun yarn (Fig. 20-21).
7.5
Hairiness

7 30
26.84
6.5
6 5.81 20
5.5
5 9.64 10
6
4.5 4.26
4.05
4 0
Rotor-spun Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun Ring-spun combed
carded 13.9% noil carded 16.4% noil

Hairiness Abrasion [mg/1 000 m Yarn]

Fig. 21
12 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Relative comparison of carded ring-spun yarn The advantages of rotor spinning technology in
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20 processing Shankar 6 cotton with a relatively
Rotor better

100
89.7
83.5
89.5 86.8
82.1 81.2
high short fiber content are impressive and can
80 73.8 73.0 be summarized as follows:
60 • The quality values of rotor-spun yarn when
49.6 48.6 49.2 50.2
Difference in %

40 processing Indian Shankar 6 cotton in a yarn

20 count of Ne 20 are superior to those of ring-
7.4 8.6 10.3 5.2 3.7 7.9
9.9
0 2.0 1.7 1.9 spun yarn (Fig. 22)
-5.3 -6.9 • The quality of ring-spun yarn can be improved
-20 CVm IPI strength elongation work done hairiness abrasion yarn
Rotor poorer

to break particles significantly by combing and is only then su-

-40
perior to carded rotor-spun yarn, with the ex-
-60
ception of hairiness and abrasion resistance
Yarn quality criteria
(Fig. 23)
Rotor-spun carded, m = 109 Rotor-spun combed, m = 109 Rotor-spun combed, m = 98 • Micrographs showed the typical structure of
Fig. 22 rotor-spun yarn with its belly bands compared
to ring-spun yarn. The greater hairiness and
Relative comparison of carded ring-spun yarn the associated increase in volume of ring-spun
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109
yarn are clearly apparent in the micrograph.
Rotor better

100
89.7
80 81.3
88.4
81.5 Rotor-spun yarn is normally distinguished from
76.9
ring-spun yarn by a larger yarn diameter with
60 55.2
52.8
48.2 50.8 47.9
50.9 the same yarn count. This results in a high-
difference in %

40
er pile density in knitted fabric. However, it
20 20.1
14.0 is apparent from these results that this effect
8.1 8.0
3.9 5.0
0 0.7 2.1 2.1
can also be reversed as staple lengths become
-20 CVm IPI
-7.7
strength elongation hairiness abrasion yarn shorter in ring-spun yarn due to poorer fiber
Rotor poorer

particles
-40
orientation and integration in the yarn struc-
ture (Fig. 24).
-60
Yarn quality criteria

Rotor-spun carded Rotor-spun combed Ring-spun combed

Fig. 23

100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20, noil 13.9 %, R 40 and G 33 (wound)
Rotor-spun carded,
m = 109

Rotor-spun combed,
m = 109

Rotor-spun combed,
m = 98

Ring-spun carded,
m = 109

Fig. 24
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 13

Optical shape vs. process YARN SHAPE

100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20, noil 13.9 %, R 40 and G 33 (wound) In addition to the orientation of the fibers in the
1
0.95
yarn structure, yarn shape also has an influence
0.9
on the refraction of light in textile fabrics. Es-
0.79
0.85 sentially, the rounder the structure of the yarn
0.8 itself, the higher the brilliance in the fabric.
Shape

0.76
0.75
0.71
0.7 A ring-spun yarn is generally rounder than a rotor-
0.65 spun yarn. Besides yarn structure, yarn roundness
0.6 can therefore have a positive impact on the bril-
0.55 liance of a knitted fabric (Fig. 25 + 26).
0.5
Process
PROPERTIES OF KNITTED FABRICS AND
Rotor-spun carded, m = 109 Rotor-spun combed, m = 109 Ring-spun carded, m = 109, after winding FINDINGS
Fig. 25 Besides the yarns, an appraisal of a knitted fabric
before and after finishing should be conducted in
order to compare the different spinning technolo-
Optical shape vs. process
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, m = 109, R 40 and G 33 (wound) gies. In this specific case the following typical cri-
1 teria customary in practice were considered for
0.95
assessing the knitted fabrics:
0.9
• fabric hand
0.85
0.8 0.81 • pile density
0.8
Shape

• uniformity
0.75
0.7 0.69
0.7 • pilling
0.65
0.6 The yarns were processed into a single jersey on
0.55 an ORIZIO (John/C model) circular knitting ma-
0.5 chine with a gauge of E 24. The knitted fabrics
Process were washed, bleached and dyed in the course
of the finishing process.
Rotor-spun carded Rotor-spun combed, 13.9% noil Ring-spun carded Ring-spun combed, 16.4% noil

Fig. 26
14 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Quality of knitted fabric vs. process HAND, PILE DENSITY AND UNIFORMITY
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 20, single jersey dyed Besides different yarn structures, the different
2.4 spinning processes also display different yarn
textile hand/ 3 diameters and roundness. In addition to yarn
surface of fabric 3.1
3 structure, yarn diameter affects the optical uni-
formity of the end product. A larger yarn diam-
1.5
eter with the same yarn count demonstrably has
pile 1.97
density 1.97 a positive impact on the optical uniformity of
2
the end product.
3.2
fabric appearance/ 2.3 As was to be expected, ring-spun yarn had a
imperfections 2.2
2.4 softer textile hand compared to rotor-spun yarn.

ring-spun carded, m = 109 rotor-spun combed, m = 109 The greater pile density of carded ring-spun
rotor-spun combed, m = 98 rotor-spun carded, m = 109 yarn compared to rotor-spun yarn is attributable
in this case to its greater hairiness. This effect is
Fig. 27
also apparent in the fact that the pile density of
ring-spun yarn deteriorates after combing.
Quality of knitted fabric vs. process
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, single jersey dyed Carded ring-spun yarn results in a much poorer
1.7 fabric appearance compared to rotor-spun yarn.
textile hand/ 1.8 The fabric appearance of carded ring-spun yarn
surface of fabric 2.1
2.1 could only be improved by combing, after which
it was in the same range as that of rotor-spun
4.47
yarn.
pile 4.1
density 4.33
4.3
No improvement in the knitted fabric was
2.6
achieved by combing rotor-spun yarn. Reduction
fabric appearance/ 3.8 of the twist factor in combed rotor-spun yarn
imperfections 2.8
2.6 brought no improvement, either in textile hand
or in the other assessment criteria (Fig. 27-32).
ring-spun combed ring-spun carded rotor-spun combed rotor-spun carded
Fig. 28
 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 15

Rotor-spun carded, single jersey 100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30,
nozzle KS-NX, 110 000 rpm, m 109 PILLING
Most physical properties of an end product are
attributable to the structure of the yarn being
processed. Pilling behavior in the textile fabric,
especially in knitted fabrics, is one of the most
important quality criteria. End products which
already form fiber pills on their surface after a
short time due to stress reduce quality consid-
erably and are unwelcome. Pilling is therefore a
Fig. 29 constant topic and can be significantly influenced
and improved via low hairiness and the fiber inte-
Rotor-spun combed, single jersey 100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30,
nozzle KS-NX, 110 000 rpm, m 109
gration structure (final spinning process).

Fibers protruding from the knitted fabric are

formed into pills of various sizes by mechani-
cal stress during wearing. These pills are clearly
visible, depending on their size and frequency,
and have a very negative impact on the appear-
ance of the knitted fabric. Pilling measurement
is therefore very important for the qualitative
Fig. 30 assessment of knitted fabrics. Ring-spun yarn
displays the poorest pilling values in all knitted
Ring-spun carded, single jersey 100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, fabrics studied. Carded rotor-spun yarn has the
12 200 rpm, m 109
lowest pilling values, i.e. the best scores.

Fig. 31

Ring-spun combed, single jersey 100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30,
15 000 rpm, m 109

Fig. 32
16 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton

Pilling vs. type of yarn The reason for the better pilling values of ro-
Knitted fabrics, yarn count Ne 20, Martindale
tor-spun yarn compared to ring-spun yarn is to
6
be found in its yarn structure with belly bands
5 and less parallel orientation of fibers. The more
Score [higher = better]

4 random orientation of the fibers and the belly

bands create resistance to the formation of pills.
3
The results of the pilling test confirm this. It is
2
clearly apparent that combed rotor-spun yarn
1 displays poorer values than carded rotor-spun
0 yarn. This can also be explained by the less ran-
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500 6000 6500 7000 7500 dom orientation of the fibers due to the different
Cycles
staple composition (Fig. 33).
rotor-spun carded, m = 109 rotor-spun combed, m = 98
rotor-spun combed, m = 109 ring-spun carded, m = 109 ECONOMICS AND SPHERE OF APPLICATION
Fig. 33
The rotor spinning system requires 40% less
space than a ring spinning system. The yarn
Required space vs. process, total production ~310 kg/h
manufacturing costs of rotor spinning compared
100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, basis India
5000 4 641
to ring spinning are significantly lower in the
4 353
4500 yarn count range up to Ne 30 (Fig. 34-35).
4000
Space required [m2]

3500 3 216
3000 2 862
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
ring-spun ring-spun rotor-spun rotor-spun
carded combed carded combed
Process

Fig. 34

Cost comparison vs. process

100% cotton, 1 1/16˝, yarn count Ne 30, basis Thailand
0.727
0.6891

0.8
0.7
0.562

0.6
0.4637

0.5
CHF / kg

0.3094
0.2846

0.4
0.2572
0.2277
0.2113

0.2125
0.2076
0.1946

0.1955

0.3
0.197
0.1471
0.1187

0.0796

0.2
0.084
0.0308
0.0225

0.1
0
rotor-spun carded rotor-spun combed ring-spun carded ring-spun combed

Cost of waste Labor costs Energy costs

Cost of auxiliary material Capital costs
Fig. 35

SUMMARY
The subject of this study was the processing of
cotton with a high short fiber content on Rieter’s
rotor and ring spinning systems.
The trash content is reduced to a range of 60-85%
by combing. Combing can certainly be technologi-
cally appropriate for the rotor spinning process
with a low noil extraction rate. In the case of the
ring spinning process, combing is often necessary
in order to achieve the required quality values.
The additional removal of short fibers is of no
benefit to rotor-spun yarn as regards yarn regu-
larity. This result is remarkable, since the short
fiber content has a significant influence on yarn
irregularity in the ring spinning process. This
means that in the rotor spinning process short
fibers can be guided better through the fiber
guide channel than is possible in ring spinning
by means of the drafting system. By compari-
son (Uster Statistics), rotor-spun yarns are in a
good range and the performance of carded ring-
spun yarn is much worse due to raw material
properties and the process-related influence of
the drafting system. Only the use of combing for
manufacturing ring-spun yarn results in a good,
improved classification of ring-spun yarn again.
Poorer raw material properties such as:
• high short fiber content
• low mean staple length
• trash content of the cotton
have a much less negative impact in the rotor
spinning process than in ring spinning. Depend-
ing on raw material composition and the type of
Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 17
downstream processing, rotor spinning can be
regarded as more economical. The quality val-
ues of carded rotor-spun yarn with a yarn count
of Ne 20 are superior to those of ring-spun yarn
when processing Shankar 6 cotton.
The quality of ring-spun yarn can be considera-
bly improved by combing and is only then supe-
rior to carded rotor-spun yarn, with the excep-
tion of hairiness and abrasion resistance, in the
case being studied. The greater hairiness and
associated increase in volume of ring-spun yarn
had resulted in better pile density in the knitted
fabric. Rotor-spun yarn normally features a larg-
er yarn diameter compared with ring-spun yarn
with the same yarn count. This results in higher
pile density in the knitted fabric. This effect can
be reversed as staple lengths become shorter as
a result of the poorer fiber orientation and inte-
gration in the fiber structure.
Ring-spun yarn has a softer textile hand com-
pared to rotor-spun yarn. The combing process
did not result in any improvement in the knitted
fabric in the case of rotor-spun yarn. Nor does
a reduction in the twist factor in combed rotor-
spun yarn result in any improvement, either in
textile hand or in the other assessment crite-
ria. Ring-spun yarn had the worst pilling values
in all knitted fabrics tested. Carded rotor-spun
yarn had the best pilling values.
18 Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton
Rieter . Processing Indian Raw Cotton 19
Rieter Machine Works Ltd. Rieter India Private Ltd. Rieter Textile Systems The data and illustrations in this brochure and on the
Klosterstrasse 20 Gat No 134/1, Off Pune Nagar Road, (Shanghai) Ltd. corresponding data carrier refer to the date of printing.
Rieter reserves the right to make any necessary changes
CH-8406 Winterthur Koregaon Bhima, 12/F, New Town Centre at any time and without special notice. Rieter systems
T +41 52 208 7171 Taluka Shirur, District Pune No. 83 Loushanguan Road and Rieter innovations are protected by patents.
F +41 52 208 8320 IN - Maharashtra 412207 CN-Shanghai 200336
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