High Draft

HIGH DRAFT

The term "High Draft" came into prominence in 1913 with the appearance in Spain of the Casablancas mechanism for drafting in cotton spinning. This mechanism, owing to an increased and improved control over the fibres, was capable of drafts about four times higher than the normal. The new method was called " high draft " to distinguish it from the existing method which only gave usual or " low " drafts. Since 1913 many other high draft systems have been introduced, all aiming at controlling the fibres - particularly the shorter ones - as much and as adequately as possible. The utilisation of these improved methods of fibre control has other important advantages besides the saving in machinery and labour accruing from the higher drafts performed. The strength of the yarn is generally increased and its appearance improved. A good high draft system will also spin finer counts from a given cotton, or a standard quality of yarn from a lower and cheaper cotton. The adoption of the high drafting principle has been an important feature in the progress of cotton spinning machinery in recent years, and - almost without exception - new machines are now supplied by all textile machinists with high drafting on.