Cotton Fiber Opening Process

After the appropriate fiber properties have been decided on, the selected bales are prepared and arranged for their placement into a laydown. A typical laydown may include as few as 40 bales or as many as 90 or more. This configuration ensures proper dispersion of the many different variables from bale to bale and also places them in a position that the top feeder or bale plucker can use them. Usually, this is in a linear fashion but other methods of feeding may also be found. 

The bale plucker moves back and forth along the laydown removing just a small amount of fiber from each bale on every pass. This ensures adequate blending by minimizing the amount of fiber removed from each bale and maximizes the number of bales fed per unit time. From the plucker, the opened tufts are moved along using fans, airflow, and a series of ducts, much like those used in the heating and air conditioning systems in residential and commercial buildings. The fiber flows in this fashion and is directed to the next machine in this process. To further ensure good blending, a multi-cell blender may be used. This machine randomly fills and then empties its chambers back into the process flow.