Carding

Carding is the spinning process that opens fibre tufts into individual fibres, removes remaining trash and neps, partly aligns the fibres and forms them into a continuous, untwisted strand called sliver.

On a cotton card, fibre tufts from the blowroom are fed to a licker-in, or taker-in, roller that opens them and removes heavier impurities. The fibres then pass to a large main cylinder, where the wire clothing of the cylinder and the revolving flats works them into individual fibres and removes neps and some short fibres. A doffer roller removes the fibre web, which is condensed into sliver and coiled into a can.

Carding is often called the heart of the spinning mill because it strongly influences yarn quality. In short-staple spinning it follows the blowroom and is followed by drawing, optional combing, roving and ring spinning, or by drawing and rotor spinning. Woollen and worsted systems and nonwoven web formation use their own types of cards.

Card settings, wire condition and production rate trade off against quality, particularly nep levels. Autolevellers measure the sliver and adjust feed to keep its linear density constant, and sliver weight and nep counts are monitored routinely. Card clothing is replaced or reground periodically, and machine adjustment follows the manufacturer's documentation.

Key points

Opens tufts into individual fibres and forms untwisted sliver
Licker-in, cylinder, flats and doffer are the main cotton card elements
Removes trash, neps and some short fibres
Autolevellers keep sliver linear density constant

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Carding

Key points

Where AiVibe comes in

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