Thursday, September 1, 2011

Carding Machines : Stick It On The Wall !

Carding machines were designed with the large cylinder and more cylinder and yet more cylinders to get the channelization ( Parallel) effect and a sliver form. In case of synthetic Fibres, actually there is no lint or short fibres ( Minimal) and hence carding would be generally construed as the operation of hank reduction and sliver formation.

Actually, it does not need this arrangement anymore for synthetic yarn manufacturing.
The whole Carding operation can be condensed with the Air Chutes of blow room and the output will be a sliver condensing out as an icecream filling the cans.

The Cylinder does not need to be this huge. In the Chute exit there can be multiple small cylinders running one after another, which would channelize the fibres and get the desired hank. And at the exit there will be a condenser filling the slivers into a can.

The number of chute outlets can be anyway increased to as many as you wish. The number of small cylinders can be 2 or 3 and will be only as big as say 12 to 16 inches both in diameter and width . These cylinders will be planted on the wall as the fibre exits . One has to conceive the idea same as what happens with spinnerittes for Polyester and Nylon fibres.

The chute will act like a manifold wherein the desired level of fiber with vacuum suction ideally gets pumped into the cylinders, which are sticking to the wall . And on repeated combing with the cylinders, the output is then condensed and slivered out.

This will be a huge saving in power as the new cylinders will work only with 0.5 HP motors , and huge saving of space as the cylinders will stick to the wall and hence no floor space required. No operators required as the system will work on automation. Each sliver will have a certain fixed length so that at the desired length , the can exits and new can enters. The filled up can moves into the lazing bay . The cost of making such a carding machine will be 10 times less then the conventional card and the operational cost will be fractional of the current cost.

In place of card clothing changes, perhaps the whole cylinder can be changed every few years. The Maintenance will be easy, as one will be able to detach the cylinders and take them out at any time. The back area cleaning will be automatic by pneumatic suction.

As and when I get time, I will make a drawing and post it here. But this is the new machine for 21st century.

Repeatedly, I have written that machine makers are lazy thinkers and they can only incrementally improve on what is available. But never design something altogether new and revolutionary. The current machine was designed sometimes in the 18th century and was best suitable for slow sleep lap feeding. Where a large lap had to to move through a similar size drum, but when the lap itself got eliminated, where is the justification of still using large cylinders? The feed control gets the desired hank and combing via cylinders gets the parallel effect and then you simply condense and move it out. All it takes is a small cylinders doing the needful.

When will the Industry start thinking like iPads and iPhones and Smart solutions. The world has moved so much ahead.

No Copying of my design allowed without my due permission.