Fundamentals of
Yarn Manufacturing (GET-231)
Fall 2025
Roving Frame
We will discuss
• Need for roving frame
• Objectives of roving frame
• Operation sequence of roving
frame
• Creel area
• Drafting zone
• Flyer
• Automation
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Why roving frame is required
• Draw frame sliver is an ordered and clean strand of fibers
Can draw frame sliver be converted into yarn directly in ring
spinning system?
Roving frame is
• Complicated
• Liable to faults
• Can cause defects
• Adds to production cost
• Output is sensitive
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Why roving frame is required
• Roving frame has to be used between draw frame and ring frame because of
• High draft requirement (300 - 500) • Space requirement
• Draw frame sliver is thick and • Cans are difficult to present to the ring
untwisted, tends to be hairy frame
and create fly • Can transport is not easy
• These limitations make roving frame a “necessary evil”
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Roving is
• a loosely twisted strand of fibers whose weight per unit length is made to
allow a draft at the ring frame in the approximate range of 15 to 40.
• Roving frame is also known as fly/flyer frame, simplex or speed frame
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Tasks/objectives of the roving frame
• Drafting: Attenuation (reduction of weight per unit length) of sliver
in the range of 5 to 20
• Twisting: Insert protective twist in order to hold the fibers together
in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 turns per inch
• Winding: Formation of a suitable package that is easy to transport,
store and install on ring frame
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Roving frame
1. Cans
2. Creel with transport rollers
3. Drafting arrangement
5. Unsupported length of roving
6. Flyer
7. Bobbin drive
8. Roving bobbin
9. Bobbin rail
10. lever
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Creel Area
• Draw frame cans are placed in the creel area in multiple rows
• Transport rollers draw the sliver and present to the drafting system
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Creel Area
• Sliver has to travel a larger distance
• Coherence between fibers is not strong
• Possibility of false drafts
• Sliver should be passed to the drafting zone with
care
• Drawn vertically from the can
• Transported smoothly by the driven rollers
• Perfect drive to the rollers
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Drafting Zone
• 3/3 system is used most commonly
• 4/4 may be used for high draft requirements
• Allows low draft in the final zone: reduced hairiness
• Draft range is 5 – 20
• Break draft 1.05 – 1.15 or maximum 1.3
• Double apron system is used mostly
• Fiber guidance and controlled movement
• Top rollers are pressed against bottom rollers
• Spring or pneumatic means
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Aprons
• Upper aprons are short
• 1 mm thick
• Tightened by tensioning device
• Lower aprons are longer
• Run over guide bar, closer to nip of front rollers
• Guiding length/cradle length (‘a’ in figure) is
according to staple length of the fiber
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Condenser
• Mounted on a bar behind back rollers of
drafting system
• Control the width of fiber strand
• Fiber strand tends to spread out during drafting
• Widely spreading strand causes roving hairiness
and fly
• Traverse motion spreads the wear uniformly
over roller coating
• Size of the condenser is selected according to
sliver thickness
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Spacer
• The top apron is pressed against the bottom
apron
• Spacer is inserted between top and bottom
apron to provide proper passage to fiber
strand
• Spacer size is adopted to the fiber volume of
the strand
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Flyer
• A protective twist is inserted into the roving by the flyer
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Flyer
• Flyer insert twist in the roving
• Too high twist
• Production loss
• Problems in ring drafting
• Too low twist
• False drafts
• Roving breaks during winding
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Requirements from flyer
• Should not introduce false draft
• Should protect fibers against air currents
• Fiber rotate with flyers (1500 rmp)
• Fibers are passed through hollow leg
• Guide tube in the hollow length
• Complete protection against air currents
• Reduced frictional resistance
• less force to pull strand
• Reduced false draft possibility
• Allow higher production speed
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Flyer top:
• The way roving is introduced at the flyer top influences
• Degree of twist
• Winding tension
• Low twist or coarse roving
• Half wrap (avoiding false draft)
• High twist level and large package
• One turn wrap (controlled roving tension and harder coils)
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Flyer inserts
• Flyer inserts influence
• Twist level
• False twist
• roving break in spinning triangle is reduced
• Reduced fly and lap formation
• More compact roving (high bobbin capacity and
high flyer speed)
• Winding tension
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Presser arm
• Guides roving from the exit of flyer hollow leg to the winding
point
• Roving is wrapped 2 or 3 times
• Controlled tension
• High tension: compact and hard package
• Too high tension: roving breaks and false draft
• No of wraps depend on twist level and type of material
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Bobbin winding
• Cylindrical body with tapered ends
• Easy to be installed on ring
• Easy to transport when empty
• Height of lift is reduced after each layer
• Angle of taper depends on material adherence ( 80˚ - 95˚)
• Larger the angle, larger is the package size
• small enough to avoid sliding apart of layers
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
Machine drive system
• Mechanical
• Electrical
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Operation of roving frame
• Bobbin speed is higher than the flyer speed
• Coils are placed closely and parallel to each other
• Bobbin rail moves up and down for winding
• As bobbin diameter increases, bobbin speed is decreased a
little after each layer
• Delivery speed is constant
• Difference between peripheral speed of bobbin and flyer
should be constant
• Bobbin rotation speed is reduced after each layer
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Bobbin in two rows
• On roving frame, bobbins are arranged in two frames
• Economical
• But
• Complicated
• Operation less convenient
• Automation is hindered
• Roving approach angle is different
• Roving withdrawal angle is different
• Unsupported length is different
• This results in
• Uneven twist insertion
• Variation in roving fineness between two rows
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Monitoring devices
• In case of roving break
• Non stop working of roving frame will result in
• Decreased diameter of one roving package
• Continuous roving breakage after piecing due to uneven tensions
• Sliver stop motion
• Light barriers are used in the creel area
• In case of sliver break, light is interrupted
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Monitoring devices
• Roving stop motion
• Light barriers are used to monitor the delivery of the drafting system
1. Light beam is placed straight past the flyer top
• Broken roving whirls around the flyer top and intercepts the light and
machine stops
2. Capacitive detection system
• Device is associated with pneumatic suction system in the delivery of the
drafting arrangement
• In case of break, sliver is sucked and passage of fibers changes the
capacitance of the device
3. Individual electro – optical detectors at the delivery of drafting
system
• Machine is stopped immediately after roving break
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Monitoring devices
• Roving tension monitoring
• Tension check between drafting system and roving top
• Control unit consists of sensor and microprocessor
• Ensures roving uniformity
• Avoids false draft
• Blower apparatus
• Roving frame generates fly and stir it up
• Travelling blower is used
• Fan blows off the fly on the floor where it can be sucked by another hose
system
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Automation of roving frame
• Automation on roving frame is required because manual work on
roving frame is
• Costly
• Time consuming
• Physically demanding and ergonomically difficult
• Automation will
• Improve working conditions
• Reduce errors
• Increase productivity and
• Prevent damage to roving packages
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Automation of roving frame
• Bobbin doffing
• Costly operation
• Frequent
• Ergonomically unsatisfactory
• Automatic bobbin doffing is available today
• Bobbin transport
• Varying degree of automation in bobbin transport
• 60 % wage cost in spinning mill was of transport
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Automation of roving frame
• Manual doffing
• Bobbin rail lowered and tilted for easy
removal
• Automatic doffing
• Labor and doffing time drastically reduced
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD
Automation of roving frame
• Bobbin transport
• Manual transport is
• labour intensive
• Costly
• Automatic transport
• Eliminate manual handling
• Eliminate intermediate storage, soiling and aging
• Eliminate confusion and mixing of bobbins
• Saves spacing
• 25% saving in labour cost
Hafiz Shahzad Maqsood, PhD