A critical review on recent developments and solutions in the high-speed ring spinning process

Twist plays an important role in textile technology, particularly in the production of staple yarn structures. Due to the higher yarn quality and flexibility of the process, most short staple fiber yarns are produced in the ring spinning process in comparison to other high-speed spinning processes, such as rotor or air jet spinning. To impart twist in the yarn, the ring/traveler system, rotor and air jet nozzle are used in the ring, rotor and air jet spinning processes respectively. However, the productivity of the ring spinning process is limited significantly due to the frictional heat generated between the ring and traveler, especially at higher angular spindle speeds, which is crucial for the spinning of man-made fibers. This paper aims to describe the recent developments and solutions for increasing productivity in the ring spinning process in a systemic way. To reduce the friction, different topologies and surface modifications in the ring/traveler system were made to increase the angular spindle speed of maximum 23,000 rpm. To eliminate the friction, the twisting element was made of an air bearing or magnetically elevated rings were developed by replacing the ring/traveler system completely, thus permitting a higher angular spindle speed of up to 50,000 rpm. Further approaches deal with cap, loop and nova spinning or Nu-Torque technology to reduce yarn tension or residual torque in the yarn, respectively. The results of the presented work reveal the potential of different developments, especially in the field of twisting system, so that the productivity of ring spinning can be increased drastically.