Australia : Cotton fibre measurement breakthrough

Scientists at CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology in Geelong have developed an instrument that more precisely measures the 'fineness' of ginned cotton fibres.
Research Program Leader, Dr Geoff Naylor, says the development of the 'Cottonscan' technology brings the Australian and international cotton industry significantly closer to meeting a longstanding commercial challenge.
"Fine fibres are needed to make high-premium lightweight fabrics but until now the industry's ability to accurately grade fibre in a cost-efficient way has presented a major problem," Dr Naylor says.
"Cottonscan can benefit both cotton growers and the textile industry by enabling high quality fine Australian cotton to be correctly graded and valued by the market."
"Additionally, an accurate knowledge of the fineness of cotton is expected to increase the productivity and profitability of the spinning sector of the world's textile industry."
Dr Naylor will present a paper on Cottonscan's development at the World Cotton Research Conference at Lubbock, Texas.
Now patented by CSIRO, Cottonscan weighs and counts a sample of short fragments of fibre and then calculates the average fibre weight-per-unit-length, or 'fineness', using modern optics and high-speed computer-based image analysis techniques.
Following a trial involving CSIRO, The Australian Cotton Research Institute (ACRI) and the Auscott Ltd Cotton Classing Office, the instrument has been proved to measure cotton fineness with precision.

"In further tests, CSIRO validated Cottonscan by measuring a large set of scientifically calibrated cottons from the US," Dr Naylor said.
"Demonstrating its ability to significantly reduce industry costs, Cottonscan was able to duplicate several years of work by American researchers, in a matter of minutes."
A further international trial of Cottonscan will be conducted on three instruments."Having a new instrument accepted in international testing procedures requires complex and carefully controlled comparisons," Dr Naylor said.
"There are many checks and balances that need to be undertaken but, having invented and brought to market numerous fibre, yarn and textile testing instruments, CSIRO understands these procedures well."