Vertical Opener / Crighton Opener: Vertical opener machine is used to open cotton tuft in blow room line. It is used to process only low grade and short staple cottons. Vertical opener is also called Crighton Opener Machine or Twine Opener Machine. Vertical opener machine allows to obtain a deep spread out of fibers. It is commonly used as final opening process before sending the material to the card. The machine is compact as it grows vertically, so it occupies a small space and it is perfect for opening medium and short kind of fibers.
Fig: Vertical opener machine
Crighton Opener is mainly used in the preparation lines for nonwoven, thermal bonded or needle pointed fabrics that contains different kind of fiber components. Main opening drum is usually covered by steel pins fixed on wood staves, with different gaps depending on characteristics of fiber to work.
Objects of Crighton Opener:
To strike the cotton while it is being carried by the air current.
To open the cotton in to small fault.
To use low quality cotton (i.e. cotton of short staple and more impurities).
Main Parts of Vertical Opener Machine:
Motor.
Motor pulley
Discs with strikes.
Inclines grid bar.
Adjustment of Different Parts:
1. Grid bar to grid bar:
Wider setting: High fiber loss, poor opening and cleaning, high speed, high productions.
Closer setting: Good opening, low speed gives lower fiber loss and low production.
2. Blade to grid bar:
Wider Setting: No fiber damage, high production, poor opening and cleaning.
Closer setting: Fiber damage, low production, lower removal of impurities, good opening.
Specifications of Vertical Opener Machine:
Motor r.p.m = 1440
Motor pulley dia = 14”
Machine pulley dia = 32”
No. of striker = 6
Calculation: Beater r.p.m = 1440 x (14”/32”) = 630 Beats per min = 630 x 6 = 3780
Conclusion: Crighton opener is the third machine of the blowroom line. It stands on a vertical shaft and hence it is called vertical opener. This machine is a major cleaning point of blow room line. There is a bypass system. So from step cleaner cotton can be difficulty pass to the hopper feeder without vertical opener. It can be used in case of low grade cotton. For beater opening and cleaning close setting of striker is done. But there is a rise of more fiber damage. Hence moderate setting is done.
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
