Alpaca Fibre Processing Information

Sorting:

Washing Wool Machine

Washed Wool

hopper

Hopper

Spinning

Twisting

Hank Machine

Wool Shop

At shearing, the fleece is immediately sorted into 3 qualities—the best being taken from the flank; the rest being divided into B for further processing and C for use in duvets, pillows and cushions.

Scouring:

All the fibre is then sent off to be washed. This is important to protect the carding machine from dirt.

Blending:

The fibre is now ready for processing. First the fibre is laid on the ground in layers, each layer being sprayed with a light oil to enable the fibre to open during the processing period and to reduce static electricity. This is also the time to blend your natural colours, a different colour on each layer before processing.

Opening:

The fibre is now processed by the FEARNOUGHT, which removes any knots or matted fibres leaving individual locks of fibre. For mixed blends, the fibre is removed from the stack vertically thereby mixing the different coloured fibres from the stack.

Carding Process:

a. Hopper: The hopper weighs batches of fibre and deposits each batch onto the machine feed sheet. The sheet is travelling at a constant speed so the material entering the card is at a constant weight. The weight mechanism is accurate to +/- 7.5%.

b. Scribbler: This opens the locks of fibre by combing the fibre on the machine teeth. The teeth have a bend part way up. This gives them an angled profile. On the central cylinder (Swift) the teeth point forward. The teeth on the biggest roller (Worker) over the top of the swift have teeth pointing in the opposite direction, therefore each lock of fibre is divided in half, then travels round the worker and back on to the swift via the smallest roller (Stripper). The fibre on the swift eventually reaches the larger roller rotating at high speed (Fancy). This roller has long springy wire with back-to-back action to the swift. This is the only roller on the swift which touches the swift and actually penetrates the swift wire by about 2mm. The fancy surface speed is greater than the swift surface speed therefore acts as a brush to bring the fibre to the top of the teeth to present to the next large roller (Doffer). The Doffer transfers the fibre from one swift to the next. All the rollers on the machine are set to predetermined distances apart (between 0.025mm - 0.046mm).

c. Peralta: The hopper weighs batches of fibre and deposits each batch onto the machine feed sheet. The sheet is travelling at a constant speed so the material entering the card is at a constant weight. The weight mechanism is accurate to +/- 7.5%.

The material is now transferred to the carder and in the process the fibre is turned 90°. This has to be done to level out any weight (across the width of the scribbler) discrepancy. Then as the fibre passes through the carder the weight is evenly distributed across the carder.

d. Carder: As the scribbler, but using finer wire and closer settings.

e. Condenser: The tapes divide the fibre web into equal weight/length strips of fibre, this then passes through reciprocating ‘rubbers’ to make thread with no real strength but facilities wrapping on to a bobbin in preparation for transferring to the spinning frame.

f. Spinning: The thread from the bobbin is passed under a weighted roller into the ‘drafting or false twist zone’. In this area twist is applied to give sufficient strength to the thread to allow the thread to be drawn out and made longer by about 18%. The draft is to level any discrepancy in the thread and occurs because the twist will always run to the thin place in the thread and locks that area then allow the none locked fibre to be drawn out and so on and so on. The thread then passes through spring-loaded rollers that prevent the twist from the spinning process backing up into the ‘drafting zone’. Twist is inserted in the thread as the spindle rotates. The amount of twist is controlled by the speed at which the thread is delivered relative to the speed of the spindle. The thread, which is now strong is then wrapped onto the spindle tube via the plastic ‘traveller’ ready for further processing.

g. Twisting: Not always required in weaving yarns, but always in knitting yarns. If single yarn is used in knitting the garment will ‘spiral’ because of the twist in the single thread. In twisting, the opposite twist is always applied, this helps the threads to lock together. The twisting frame is just like the spinning frame without the ‘drafting zone’.

h. Winding: This transfers the complete thread to a cone for sale and further processing.

i. Reeling: In hank form the yarn can be washed or dyed or both and then rewound onto a cone for further processing. It is also possible to hand knit directly from a hank.