Rieter

Shortcomings of the combing machine

Index

The combing section is an insertion of mostly three machines into the normal spinning process between  card and autoleveler  drawframe (Fig. 1). It serves as an installation to improve yarn quality if the carded yarn does not meet requirements. There is no doubt that this process with three additional machines increases the cost of the yarn. A further increase in cost results from the design of the comber itself, which is not very satisfactory due to intermittent processing. The entire mass of the nipper arrangement has to be accelerated to maximum speed and slowed down to zero about 7.5 times a second, a process for which admirable design solutions have been found today – and which deserve considerable respect! Intermittent processing also entails a loss in productivity.

It would be far better to work with a continuous processing system. With regard to spinning in general this is not a new method. It has been used for about two centuries in the form of circular combers, drum combers and hackle combers. Unfortunately, these systems can be used only for long fibers (such as wool and hemp), but are unsuitable for short fibers.

A system between these two is the former Saco Lowell comber dealt with in chapter  The Saco Lowell double-sided comber.

Fig. 1 – The short-staple spinning process for combed yarns