Near Infrared Multi Spectral Occlusion Limits in Dense Raw Cotton Tuft Streams
Dense cotton tufts block near infrared light past three millimeters, hiding synthetic contaminants beneath opaque cellulose surface layers during optical sorting.
Raw Cotton Tuft
Fiber Assembly
Compressed clumps of cotton fibers represent the primary form of material extracted from tightly packed bales at the start of the spinning process. Processing each raw cotton tuft requires mechanical opening to reduce its size before carding can take place. This initial stage allows the mill to release trapped trash and seed coat fragments from the raw material.
Processing Line
Automatic bale pluckers detach small fiber clusters from the laid-out bales and feed them into the blowroom line. As the raw cotton tuft travels through successive opening and beating machines, pneumatic transport keeps it suspended while metal teeth pull it into progressively smaller bundles. This progressive opening exposes the individual cotton fibers, preparing them for uniform blending and subsequent carding.
Cleaning Mechanism
Size reduction is necessary to ensure efficient trash removal in the beating chambers. Smaller tufts release dust and seed particles much more easily during mechanical agitation.
Process Boundary
Mechanical separation ends when the fiber bundles are transformed into a uniform web on the carding machine. Beyond this point, the raw cotton tuft ceases to exist as a distinct unit and becomes part of a continuous card sliver. Spinning mills measure opening efficiency by the average size of the fiber clusters entering the carding chute.