Definition
Carding is a mechanical process in textile processing in which loose fibers are opened, cleaned, parallelized, and formed into a uniform fiber web or sliver (card sliver) by means of rollers covered with needles or teeth. The machine that performs this operation is called a card. During the process, impurities, fiber neps, and short fibers are separated out, while the remaining fibers are brought into a largely parallel orientation. Carding is a fundamental preparatory step before the subsequent drafting and spinning of yarns.
Use in the textile industry
Carding is used in both cotton and wool processing and is a central process step in spinning preparation. In wool processing, carding produces a fiber web with a random fiber orientation that forms the basis for woolen yarns, while in cotton spinning the card sliver serves as the starting material for further processing into worsted yarn or cotton yarn. In addition, carding is also used in the production of nonwovens, where the card web is directly consolidated.
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