Mini Mills Abroad
First day on new mill in Bolivia.
Mini-Mills Ltd.
Fiber Processing as a
Micro-Industry
by Larry Sutherland
T
he Mission of Mini-Mills Ltd. is
to help establish successful
processing businesses which
generate other businesses in
garment manufacture, etc.
Fiber processing is essentially a very
simple and straightforward affair practiced
for thousands of years and only changed
to mass production by the industrial
revolution a couple of hundred years ago.
THE NEED & THE OPPORTUNITIES
Fiber producers are everywhere and
we all use and wear their products
The Camelid Quarterly
everyday. Many producers would like to
have the use of their own fiber and even
more would like to have a market to sell
their product into. This is particularly
true of small producers and those
developing herds of exotic animals. The
exotics are considered luxury fibers and
yet the selling price of fiber barely covers
the shearing and trucking is to be
avoided if possible.
The need is obvious for local services to
reduce expense and to develop community
identity for the resulting products.
The opportunity to provide the tourist
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trade with sites of local interest and
unique souvenirs is a bonus beyond the
strengthening of rural communities and
promoting agricultural diversity.
REQUIREMENTS & EXPECTATIONS
To set up a mill of any size is not a
trivial project. The processes to turn raw
fiber into finished yarn are the same for
any installation and it therefore follows
that a number of pieces of equipment
will be required and an adequate
working facility.
This capital investment can only be
justified by the expectation of profits
from a viable business. In turn this
implies keeping the machinery working
a sufficient number of hours and with
due diligence of skill and efficiency.
The configuration of a mill depends
on the volume and products to be
handled. As with any other business
there are numerous small items as well as
a line up of major machines to be
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acquired. The furniture, fittings and
equipment need not necessarily be
obtained from a single supplier,
consequently there is no set, package or
start-up kit to be quoted and your
planned
installation
should
be
individually designed.
A work area of 1,000 to 1,200 sq. ft.
complete with hot and cold water, sinks,
heating and electrical supply is a good
starting point and the machinery will
cost US $30 to $100,000 or more.
While one person can run each and
every machine and often several at a time,
we feel that a mill needs 2 to 4 operatives
to function efficiently and continuously.
For this commitment of space,
facilities, machinery and staff you can
expect to provide handspinners and felt
artists with all they require and go all the
way to commercial quality yarns.
JUSTIFICATION FOR A MILL
The objective is to meet a need and
develop an existing demand.
The products of a Mini-Mill can and
should be perfect and use the mill’s
versatility to produce unique yarns in
marketable quantities.
The idea to set up a mill usually begins
with the availability of one’s own fiber or at
least unused local fiber. Its first purpose is
to provide a service for fee by accepting
custom orders for fiber to be returned to
the producer. This work will always be
available and requires the least expense and
avoids most marketing considerations.
In parallel with custom work come the
requests from fiber artists and stores to
purchase yarn. This leads to expansion
into buying fiber and marketing. The
logical sequel is value added products, a
store, fairs, livestock shows and
advertising especially on the internet.
WORK INVOLVED
The processes involved are simple and
do not all have to be done at the mill. For
example washing or scouring can be done
before the fiber arrives. For this discussion
we will describe all the steps in reasonable
detail as carried out in our own mill.
All fiber must be inspected to remove
unwanted matter which includes
excessive vegetation, manure, plastic and
foreign objects. All fiber is then washed
in a simple system of several sinks, wash
twice and rinse twice. The soap is a
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biodegradable industrial product.
Correct washing is critical to ensure
trouble-free
processing.
Water
temperature and other factors vary from
one fiber to another, but it is a routine
task where one person processes about
10 lbs per hour by hand or more using
washing machines.
The water is spun out and the fiber
spread on racks to dry. For this we have
drying cabinets and the fiber dries in
about 12 hours.
The next step is Opening and
Conditioning. Fiber tends to tangle into
locks on animals and form clumps during
washing this entanglement must be
opened and for this we use a Picker
machine which is a rotating drum with
pins to rake through the clumps and
separate them out. This process is carried
out at 15 to 25 lbs per hour. The opened
fiber is then conditioned with water and
water soluble oils to restore flexibility,
control static electricity and facilitate
spinning. The conditioning cocktail
varies by type of fiber and intended use,
but it is just a matter of spraying the
product before gathering it into plastic
bins to rest pending further processing.
This completes the first phase of the
work to which all fiber is subjected. From
this point on marketable products appear
at the output side of each machine and
the fiber takes different paths.
The Picker is an ideal machine to
develop any blends of different fibers in
the correct percentages. It is also the
process that establishes the mix of fibers
from different animals to achieve a
consistently even product. We also use
this step to build large dye batches to
avoid dye lot variations.
The conditioned fiber now goes to the
Carder directly or via the Fiber
separator, Dehairer. The dehairer
removes vegetation from fiber such as
Alpaca. We target Alpaca because they
have a genetic trait to roll to fluff their
coats against the cold, ensuring that they
have unwanted vegetation and hence the
need for a fiber separator. The dehairer
also removes coarse hair from Cashmere
and all other species.
One way or another the fiber is now to
be carded. All fiber must be carded and
this is truly the heart of the mill. If
carding is not successful there is no point
in further processing. There is rarely any
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problem here if preceding steps such as
washing and opening have been properly
executed. The throughput of the Carder
is a measure of the total capacity of the
mill and a definitive statement of this
figure is impossible to give. There are
two products from Carding, Batts which
go for Feltmaking or to handspinners
and Rovings or Sliver which goes on for
Spinning. When making Felt Batts we
can expect to run fiber at 10 lbs per hour
or more, but for spinnable sliver the
maximum is less depending on other
factors, such as fineness and type of
fiber.
Now following the two products we
find the batts going to the Felt machine
which makes a sheet of felt 36” x 48” in
about 10 minutes. Allowing for setting
up and removing the finished sheet, this
gives a rate of about 3 sheets per hour
and would account for about 4 lbs of
fiber per hour. All this depends on
thickness of the sheet, type of fiber, how
hard or firm the finished product is to
be. Longer time in the machine can
produce harder felt which is useful for
applications such as hat making.
The other path is the Sliver for
spinning. This is directed by the Sliver
maker into a container (can) and its
length measured so that each can
contains the same quantity and
subsequent machines empty the cans
almost simultaneously. This process is
accomplished by compacting the carded
fiber in a twisting and untwisting
sequence so that the sliver retains
sufficient strength or integrity to be
automatically fed into further machines.
As the sliver cans fill we see the first
electronic assistance measuring the
sliver and signaling the operator.
The raw fiber has now been washed,
dried, conditioned and carded so that
the fibers are all separate from each
other, approximately parallel to each
other and organized into an endless
stream of approximately even size
throughout its entire length.
The next machine task is drafting
which is a process of establishing the
desired size required for this particular
sliver. For this we use a Draw Frame
which accepts several slivers at once and
in a brushing action further aligns the
fibers to be more parallel and reduces
the multiple slivers to a single sliver of
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smaller size. Each pass through the
Draw Frame effectively averages any
thick or thin sections of the sliver and
improves the consistency ready for
spinning. To re-form the sliver at each
pass from the multiple infeed slivers we
again use a twisting and untwisting
operation producing a strong machine
manageable sliver.
The throughput of this stage is
completely variable, but its combined
passes approximate the Carder which
precedes it. Again the process is
electronically monitored and controlled
Now comes the most exciting part of
the process, Spinning. For this we are
dependent on the fineness of the end
product to determine our throughput. A
spinner produces a certain length of
fiber per unit of time and thin fiber
weighs less than thick fiber and this is
one of the deciding factors in how much
weight of yarn is output. We generally
use 8 spindle spinning frames, although
a small 4 spindle version exists, and
production of one pound per hour per
spindle would be close to the maximum
expected and this would be in a fairly
thick knitting yarn. For fine spun yarn
and depending on the type of fiber,
production would be less.
There are many ways to spin and we use
Ring spinning as the chosen method to
give us exceptional control and flexibility
to instantly switch between products.
The spinner has only two logical parts,
but this doesn’t imply that the subject
isn’t complex or that there is any
limitation on the creativity of the fiber
artist or operative to produce a vast
selection of products.
The two parts are the drafting zone and
the spinning zone. The Drafting zone is
variable in length to accommodate
different length fibers and in this zone the
sliver is reduced in content to the size
required for the particular yarn being
created. This reduction can be from 5 to
25 to 1. The drafting factor is dialed in
electronically, much like the volume
control on your stereo.
The second zone is where the twist is
inserted into the yarn and here it is a
matter of the bobbin speed in r.p.m. in
relation to the delivery speed from the
drafting zone. This again is set up
electrically and then all parts are
electronically
synchronized
and
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monitored by a small built in computer
to give continual digital readout display
for assurance that the product is
according to design.
All functions are monitored for
unattended
operation
and
any
discontinuance will stop the machine
awaiting operator action.
The spinner produces single ply yarn
and we then move to the plying
operation to create 2 ply, 3 ply yarn, etc.
This can all be done on the spinning
machine, but to increase productivity we
prefer to use a 4 spindle spinning frame
for the plying function. Again the
process is monitored electrically and this
adds to the number of machines that can
be run simultaneously.
Yarns need to be set after spinning to
stabilize the structure of the yarn and
prevent unpredictable behavior in
subsequent
knitting
or
weaving
operations. For this we use a Steamer
which passes the yarn through a steam
chamber, dries it and passes it forward to
be wound onto a cone by the cone winder.
The final product of the mill is cones
or skeins of yarn produced from cone or
bobbin on a winding reel, called a
Skeinwinder which is also electronically
controlled to give consistent sized skeins.
All of the processes described are
considered to be light work and not
difficult to learn or carry out. However it
is necessary to have high standards and a
desire for perfection if products are to
satisfy.
VOLUME OF PRODUCTION
This is usually the center of any
business plan, but varies from time to
time and from one mill to another. The
machines can run continuously, the
throughput measured and a reliable
figure established. The figure sought is
poundage per hour and although the
balance of product through the mill
makes this difficult to determine, by
deciding how many machines and how
many shifts are to be worked, it is
possible to arrive at meaningful answers
and it becomes a management decision
to achieve this in your own situation.
REVENUE AND COSTS
While the mill is kept busy costs can
be related to poundage of fiber
processed.
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There is difference from weight of raw
unwashed fiber and the final weight of
finished products. There is weight loss,
first in sorting and washing then in
dehairing, etc.
If 1,000 pounds of raw fiber is taken in
each month, sheep’s wool may give 600
lbs of yarn, after cleaning, whereas alpaca
could give 800 lbs of yarn. Revenue
would then be quite different as charges
are mainly based on finished product. If
1,000 lbs / month was processed the
resulting revenue could vary from 600 lbs
@ $10 to 800 lbs @$20 or $6,000 to
$16,000
gross
month’s
income
depending on scale of charges. Charges
vary everywhere and other charges also
apply for further services, such as;
Dyeing, Dehairing, Feltmaking, etc.
The consumable supplies required to
accomplish the processing are nominal
amounts of soap and oils, usually
working out to a few cents per pound.
We take $1 per pound as covering
consumables and electricity and heat. All
other expense items are unique to your
installation and could include interest
charges, amortization, pay scale, number
of employees, etc.
SERVICE VS. OWN FIBER
While we have looked at a fee for
service mill, there is also the scope
available for processing one’s own fiber.
Alpaca yarn is currently selling for at
least $60.00 per pound and if we deduct
the minimal operating costs we find that
only a few pounds per day are required
to justify the mill.
However, a good approach is to do
both custom work and marketing.
MARKETS
There seems to be an unlimited
quantity of fiber available, much not
being processed at all at present. There is
always a demand for textile products and
the further the value added processes are
taken the more markets open up.
For the small producer one promising
field to explore is the tourist market.
This is perhaps best approached by
developing a localized product identity,
brand name or logo. Examples that
come to mind are “Harris Tweed” and
“Icelandic Wool” Harris Tweed was
always a cottage industry product and
both names are known world wide.
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News Flash
Supply of exotic yarn
creates demand for
luxury products
Tourists like souvenirs and ‘direct from
the mill’ purchases are ideal.
Finding genuine yarn from natural
fiber in any store is not easy. There are
plenty of choices for man made fiber,
but seldom the natural luxury fibers.
This continues into garments and other
products and there is a strong movement
towards natural products but no
indication that the market is properly
served, let alone flooded.
THE STORY OF FELT.
Felt was in use before weaving and
knitting was ever thought of and
commercial production of non-woven
fabrics has been increasing at an
amazing rate. There are so many uses
for felt that whole businesses can be
built around just this product.
Feltmaking could well be the most
profitable activity for the mill to pursue.
Fibre Processing services are
now more readily available
than ever before.
As Mini-Mills build their
customer bases, the expansion
into garment making is also
expanding and a network of
“Value Added” businesses
is growing.
This is a dynamic development
similar to evolution and
cannot be stopped.
For a processor near to you or
for any other information:
e-mail [email protected]
tel: 1-800-827-3397
The Camelid Quarterly
LIFESTYLE WORK.
Starting a micro-industry or home
based business is a completely new
venture and a departure from previous
activities for most people. A mini-mill is
not an exception to this pattern. There
has never before been the full spectrum
of products that the mini-mill offers.
The good news is that if you started
work in our mill, you could run every
machine and even be making yarn by the
end of the first day. We have done
everything possible to facilitate this and
we have added sufficient electronic
monitoring devices to enable one
operator to simultaneously run a
number of machines.
The work is light and there is so much
to learn that the mill should be a joy
forever. Working from home has so
many advantages and yet one
continually meets interesting people
who share your own interests from
livestock to fiber and crafts.
Although we emphasize the simplicity,
there is a learning curve and it does take
weeks or even months to reach anything
like full potential. We try to shorten this
period by offering training and we
remain available for help on demand.
we can teach you how to run your mill
by giving you training either in our mill
or on your own site. We can supply
machines identical to the ones we use
and on which you can learn. You can
verify exactly the performance of your
mill before you get it. After that it is
really only a matter of the commitment
you make to produce the highest quality
products and to meet your own
expectations.
As the designers and manufacturers of
the machines we are able to give all the
support you need before and after your
purchase and because we operate our
mill continuously we are able to resolve
any problem that arises.
We invite you to share the wonder and
interest of one of man’s oldest activities,
to restore the rich traditions of our fiber
artists and to increase the benefits for
fiber producers.
■
Mini-Mills Ltd. of Prince Edward
Island, Canada offers mills around the
world, configured to individual
requirements, with on site installation
and training.
With more than a dozen machines to
choose from and various options and
enhancements available, a mill can be
custom designed to meet almost any
need.
Every animal fiber can be processed
and spun as 100% or blends. Now Fibre
Processing is reaching new heights of
excellence to satisfy the fiber artists and
garment makers in today’s sophisticated
markets.
Visit our web site www.minimills.net
or e-mail [email protected]
Tel: 1-800-827-3397
IS IT FOR YOU?
Success and Happiness probably go
hand in hand. Can we guarantee
success? No, but we can guarantee that
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March 2002