Loading happens when fibers bed down deep in the wire teeth of the cylinder, doffer or licker-in instead of transferring, often because of sticky finish, damaged clothing, wrong settings or fiber that is too fine. A loaded card produces neps, cloudy web and weight variation. Stripping the clothing fixes it for a while, and the right finish keeps it from coming back.
Cylinder is loading after four hours on this fiber, so strip it at lunch and ask for the lower-finish lot.
Also heard as
- card loading
- cylinder loading
Related terms
Carding
Combing staple fibers between wire-covered rolls to open them and form an even, mostly parallel web.
Nep
Small, tight knot of tangled fibers that shows as a speck or pimple on the fabric surface.
Spin finish
Thin coating applied to fibers during manufacture to control friction, static and wettability in processing.