Rieter

Pre-opening between feed roller and licker-in

Index

This is the most serious problem zone of the card because the licker-in must tear individual flocks out of the fairly thick feed sheet with enormous force. Fiber damage is scarcely to be avoided here.

However, stress on the fibers is not the only important aspect. The degree of opening, on which the quality of carding is directly dependent, is also important – the more so, the higher the production rate of the card.

The  degree of opening,  degree of cleaning and, above all, damage to the raw material can be influenced by:

  • thickness of the feed sheet;
  • density of the feed sheet;
  • evenness of the feed sheet;
  • throughput speed;
  • rotation speed of the cylinders;
  • cylinder clothing;
  • form of the feed plate;
  • arrangement of the feed plate (co-rotation or counter-rotation).

On the other hand, the licker-in is the main elimination zone for coarse impurities.