Open end spinning or open-end spinning is a technology for creating yarn

Yarn

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...

 without using a spindle

Spindle (textiles)

A spindle is a wooden spike used for spinning wool, flax, hemp, cotton, and other fibres into thread. It is commonly weighted at either the bottom middle or top, most commonly by a circular or spherical object called a whorl, and may also have a hook, groove or notch, though spindles without...

. It was invented and developed in Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 in Výzkumný ústav bavlnářský / Cotton Researching Institute in Ústí nad Orlicí

Ústí nad Orlicí

Ústí nad Orlicí is a city in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, Pardubice Region in Eastern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. The town is in the Orlické Mountains where the Tichá Orlice and the Třebovka rivers meet....

 in the year 1963.
It is also known as break spinning or rotor spinning. The principle behind open end spinning is similar to that of a clothes dryer

Clothes dryer

A clothes dryer or tumble dryer is a household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing and other textiles, generally shortly after they are cleaned in a washing machine....

 spinning full of sheets. If you could open the door and pull out a sheet, it would spin together as you pulled it out. Sliver

Sliver (textiles)

A sliver is a long bundle of fibre that is generally used to spin yarn. A sliver is created by carding or combing the fibre, which is then drawn into long strips where the fibre is parallel. When sliver is drawn further and given a slight twist, it becomes roving....

 from the card

Carding

Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...

 goes into the rotor, is spun into yarn and comes out, wrapped up on a bobbin, all ready to go to the next step. There is no roving stage or re-packaging on an auto-coner. This system is much less labour intensive and faster than ring spinning

Ring spinning

Ring spinning is a method of spinning fibres, such as cotton, flax or wool, to make a yarn. The ring frame developed from the throstle frame, which in its turn was a descendant of Arkwright's water frame. Ring spinning is a continuous process, unlike mule spinning which uses an intermittent action...

 with rotor speeds up to 140,000rpm. The Rotor design is the key to the operation of the open-ended spinners. Each type of fiber may require a different rotor design for optimum product quality and processing speed.

The first open-end machines in the UK were placed, under great secrecy, by Courtaulds

Courtaulds

Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals.-Foundation:The Company was founded by George Courtauld and his cousin Peter Taylor in 1794 as a silk, crepe and textile business at Pebmarsh in north Essex trading as George Courtauld & Co...

 into Maple Mill, Oldham

Maple Mill, Oldham

The Maple Mill was a cotton spinning mill in Hathershaw Moor, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was designed as a double mill by the architect Sydney Stott.The first mill was built in 1904 and the second mill in 1915. In 1968, it was equipped with the first open-end spinning machines in...

 in 1967.

One disadvantage of open-end spinning is that it is limited to coarser counts, another is the structure of the yarn itself with fibers less in parallel compared to ring spun yarns for example, consequently cloth made from open-end yarn has a 'fuzzier' feel and poorer wear resistance.

History

The global demand for spun fibre is huge. Converting raw fibre to yarn is a complicated process. Many manufacturers compete to provide the spinning machines that are essential to meeting the demand by delivering increases in spinning productivity and additional improvements in yarn quality. Over the past three centuries spinning technology has been continuously improved through thousands of minor innovations, and occasional major advances that have collectively increased the quality and lowered the cost of producing yarn dramatically.

Major technology advances have included:

• Hand spinning,
• Mule spinning
• Ring spinning
  Ring spinning
  Ring spinning is a method of spinning fibres, such as cotton, flax or wool, to make a yarn. The ring frame developed from the throstle frame, which in its turn was a descendant of Arkwright's water frame. Ring spinning is a continuous process, unlike mule spinning which uses an intermittent action...
  
  
• Rotor spinning
• Dref Friction Spinning
  Dref Friction Spinning
  Friction Spinning or Dref Spinning is a textile technology that allows very heavy count yarns and technical core-wrapped yarns to be manufactured. These are most commonly used in mop yarns, flame retardants and high tech fancy yarns such as Raydon and Kevlar. The technology was developed by Dr...
  
  
• Open-End spinning.

Development stages of Open-end Spinning

1937	Berthelsen developed a relatively perfect open end.
1965	Czech KS200 rotor spinning machine was introduced at 30000 rotor rpm.
1967	Improved BD200 with G5/1 Rieter were presented with first mill of OE coming under production
1971–1975	There was a considerable increase in machine manufacturer and newer and improved version of machines were launched with increased speed at 100000 rpm .
1975	Also witnessed first automated machine from Suessen equipped with Spincat and Cleancat which opened up the industrial rotor spinning breakthrough.
1977	Witnessed Schlafhorst with Autocoro machines which made a mark in open end market.

The number of manufacturers who can successfully compete has been reduced as the technical complexity of the spinning machines has increased. However, there are many competent companies serving the global market for spinning machines who continue to pursue innovative ways to increase spinning productivity and yarn quality.

Characteristics

A good Open-end machine should have,

• Higher productivity

Higher Productivity:- This is a major criteria as productivity reduces the cost of manufacturing. The O.E machines which are now in market boasts of many a basic needs like, longer length of machine, higher speeds, able to process coarser hank, fewer changes for Count, easy access to parts (less downtime for cleaning), longer production time between cleaning schedules, computerized controls for less power consumption and lower downtime and complete report generation giving leads to problem area are some points to discuss.

• high content sliver cans (up to 18”)

Large Sliver Can:- In early days large machines were equipped with less distance between Rotors (Gauge of machine). This led to creeling of very small cans, which required frequent can changes. Each can change requires a break in the yarn. All major manufacturers currently allow cans up to 18” diameter leading to less breakage, less joining of yarn, hence better quality and higher productivity. Originally round cans were used. Rectangular cans are used because they double sliver capacity in the same sliver can footprint.

• Larger packages of yarn (4 to 5 kg)

Large Final Package:- The final package size has continued to increase. The final package size is important because it reduces tube change frequency and thus reduces idle time for creeling. Current yarn packages typically weigh 4 to 5 kgs. The Savio Super Spinner 3000 currently has the largest package size at 6kgs.

• Less power consumption

Less Power Consumption:- Using individual motors and electronic controls for each of the various drives of the machine maximize energy efficiency and minimizes downtime.

• Automation

Automation:- All spinning machines, whether ring or open end, need yarn joining to repair breaks or start new sliver cans. Joining the yarn has historically been a labor intensive activity and a source of quality defects. Autopiecing units are robots that automate this process. Market leaders like Schlafhorst, Rieter, Savio have machines that incorporate good quality autopiecers and autodoffing. This automation leads to less material handling costs and helps improve quality of the final product.

• Flexibility of spinning components

Flexibility of spinning component:- Many vendors are offering machines that can be programmed to produce many different types of yarns. The ability to rapidly change production results in the flexibility to serve multiple markets. A contemporary spinning mill should be able to produce a range of products: denim, knitting, towels, structured fabrics, construction fabrics and various other products like core spun, multi count etc.

• Handling count range.

Handling count range:- Machines need to be easily programmed to spin yarns from 4sNe to 60sNe. This ability allows a single machine to produce yarns that cater to many different end user requirements.