INTRODUCTION The Fiber Processing Laboratory (FPL), part of the Textile Research and Implementation Division of Cotton Incorporated, installed a Suessen Elite® compact spinning frame in the year 2000. One of the first evaluations of the system was to compare the compact technology against conventional ring spinning. The spinning comparison incorporated roving and yarns supplied by a major textile manufacturer. The experiment compared the mill's conventional ring spun yarn with yarns spun on the new frame with and without the compact system engaged. OBJECTIVE > To determine advantages and disadvantages of compact ring spinning vs. conventional ring spun yam at the same twist multiple. > To determine whether twist multiple can be reduced using Elite® spinning system and if so, how much twist can be reduced while maintaining conventional yarn properties, especially strength. PROCEDURE Yarn Manufacturing FPL spun three yarns from the mill's roving. The yarn was waxed, back wound, and returned to the spinner for further processing on standard knitting, dyeing and finishing equipment. FPL retained yarn from each condition for knitting, dyeing and finishing at Cotton Incorporated. The three yarn conditions, listed below, were compared to the Ne 17.5/1 100% carded cotton control yam provided by the spinner. The control yarn was spun with a 3.86 TM. (A) Elite® compact spun to match the control yarn's twist multiple (3.86 TM) and count. (B) Elite® compact spun with twist changed to match the control yam's single end strength (15.9 g/Tex) and count. (C) Suessen conventional spun to match control yarn's twist multiple (3.86 TM) after changing the Elite® system to conventional ring spinning.

Spindle speed was matched to the 15,000-rpm spindle speed of the spinner's conventional ring spun yarn. Yarn and finished fabric samples of the control, as well as three experimental conditions, were tested in Cotton Incorporated's Textile Services Lab (TSL)

CONCLUSIONS The Suessen Elite® compact spinning process can produce ring spun yarns with significantly lower twist multiples while maintaining similar yarn qualities. By reducing the twist multiple from 3.86 to 3.20, the Elite® system provided a 21% increase in production without any loss in yarn quality. In addition, the resultant yarn hairiness was reduced from 6.83 to 5.93. Previous trials performed at Cotton Incorporated have shown visible differences in knit fabrics when the yarn hairiness values differed by more than 0.5. In fabric form, the Elite® yarns with a 3.20 TM provided the softest hand when compared to the other fabrics made from yarns with 3.86 TM. Finally, the reduced twist in the yarn resulted in lower skew values in the fabric. The Elite® compact ring yarns performed equally as well or better than conventional ring yarns in every tested category. Based on the results of this study, no real disadvantages emerged except for the impression that Elite® yarns may appear to make a leaner fabric. Cover factor may be lower compared to a conventional ring fabric with the same yarn count. This is related to the compact structure of the yam and the lower hairiness values. Traveler wear could not be determined due to the small lot sizes. Based on the results of this comparison, the Suessen Elite® shows great promise for future developments at Cotton Incorporated. The possibilities for utilizing this spinning system in uncharted product areas include fine count spinning of U.S. upland cottons, raw material utilization/optimization trials, and the production of ultra smooth/ultra strong, soft, and defined knit and woven products