Upgraded Almeter Gives Detailed Measures of Fiber Length Parameters

The Almeter (AL-101) is used together with the Fibroliner (FL-101) that prepares a small sample of fiber into an aligned array that is transferred to the AL-101 where it is sandwiched between two plastic foils and inserted between the plates of a condenser slot where it can be accurately scanned. The scan records the length of the fiber array in steps of 0.125 mm. Our original Almeter that was based on forty-plus year-old technology has been upgraded with state-of-the-art electronics and revised software. Results are reported on a set of cotton length standards measured for mean length and short fiber content calculated based on both fiber weight and number.  Comparisons are made with measurements on the same samples with AFIS Pro and Suter-Webb array analyses.  Special attention is given to the effects of sample preparation by removal of neps from the fiber beard.