Title: Low maintenance, light weight, portable, manually operated and eco-friendly Desi (Indian) wool Roving Machine Suitable for rural and hilly area artisans
Field of Invention: This relates to the field of textile industry (khadi). Desi (Indian) wool currently produced in hilly areas of the country. This invention is concerned with intermediate process of converting desi (Indian) wool carding sliver to roving manually. This roving may be used for conversion of various counts of desi (Indian) wool yarn via spinning.
Prior Art (background of the invention): The previous attempts made by various centres like India Development Service (IDS) Dhadwad,Phoenix Products Belgaum, Prayog Samiti, Ahmedabad for making desi wool roving machines and various large manufacturers like Sai Woolen Mill Panipat, Satnam Engineering Works,Ludhiana etc.who are presently engaged in manufacturing of industrial type roving making machine as shown below is not cost effective for rural sector artisans.
Any wool fibre , finer than 25 microns, can be used for garments, while coarser grades are used for outerwear or rugs. The finer the wool, the softer it is, while coarser grades are more durable and less prone to pilling. Desi (Indian) wools mainly of fineness more than 33-35 microns and fibre length 1.5 inch to 4 inches are presently facing limitations in terms of drudgery, output etc. during processing for roving making. Hence, till now traditional low productive methods are being applied for processing of desi woollen carding sliver to make roving in hilly/rural sectors. The schematic diagram of existing low productive process cycle is illustrated below.

Desi wool in hilly regions of Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh & Jammu Kashmir comprises of small sprits (fineness more than 33-35 microns and fibre length 1.5 inch to 4 inches) and has been found to be difficult to spin through existing methodology by a rural artisan. The traditional means of spinning of these wools are Takli and to some extent Bageshwari charkha; but these spinning equipments are less productive and provide lower level of earnings. Though a hilly state like Himachal Pradesh is producing about 1500 metric tons of raw wool annually, its value addition is not taking place locally and the same is exported to other states at a throw away price, thereby depriving the weavers and sheep breeders of

the State of their rightful claim of the profit due to value addition. R&D inputs in the direction of value added products using locally available wool in the hill/rural regions are a priority area. MGIRI being an apex R&D institute under the Ministry of MSME would like to initiate this process.
Large quantity of Raw Desi wool is being produced in Northern states Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu- Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan. Major quantity of this wool is used for making
: carpets and blankets in states other than mother states. Very small quantity of this wool is used in hilly/rural sector for spinning on traditional equipments where coarse yarn for blankets can only be made.
Hence it is needed to develop and establish an intermediate machine for making of Desi wool roving. It will definitely increase the productivity, yarn quality and it will be possible to
: spin finer yarns compared to the present coarser yarn used in blanket. The developed yarn can be used for the production of value added products like tweeds, shawls etc. and there is a lot of scope of blending it other fibre to get cotton/wool, acrylic/wool and polyester/wool products. Introduction of such machine in hilly/rural sector will definitely increase the employment generation and enhance the livelihood of rural artisans.
The promotion of industries based on local resources and skills are the vital components of
planning for employment and income distribution. In the context of local resources and
need on one hand and poor infrastructural facilities on the other, woollen textile
manufacturing in the cottage sector appears to be an important industry for hilly/rural area
development.
The hill economy is mainly based on agriculture and animal husbandry practices. The agro-climatic conditions and difficult terrain of the hills limit the production potential of both the land and the animal. It has been a known fact that, under the shrinking pastureland and grazing problems, the tradition of sheep rearing is declining while the demand of wool is still there.
In the rural set up of hilly regions of Uttrakhand, a strong need is felt to develop and propagate this livestock species to make a positive impact on the economy of rural households. Presently, agriculture and animal husbandry are witnessing poor economic returns in hill states.
In Uttrakhand there are total 41716 numbers of SSI units working and employments in SSI units are 1, 53,229. Himachal Pradesh has 29500 SSI units providing employment of 1.26 lakh persons . In addition, the handloom sector employs about 50000 weavers in the State. Hand spinning using Amber charkha and handloom weaving has considerable potentiality for employment generation. In fact the spinning on 6 spindles NMC Charkha can be carried out as a domestic activity even in remote areas by using this roving making machine.

Scope of the Invention:
The aim of this invention is to provide a technology for making roving for desi wool. While doing so, the efforts made by NGOs and R & D institutions (-for example Draw frame of Prayog Samiti etc) has been carefully reviewed to incorporate meaningful aspects.
To start with technical characterization of locally produced wool will be accomplished. After due Consultations, the existing machines has been examined and tried in the context of desi wool.
The major benefits that the producers and artisans of desi wool may get from this invention are as follows:
-elimination of drudgery involved in the existing traditional techniques used for desi wool
roving making in hilly areas in the rural sector.
-increase in the productivity and cost reduction through introduction of appropriate man
machine system.
-increase in the wool yarn spun count from 4-6 to 8-12 and rendering possible new designs.
-blending of desi wool with cotton, acrylic & polyester.
The total cost is Rs. 30,000/- involved in the development of this desi wool roving machine and the used material is wood which is easily available in hilly/rural areas. The machine is very simple, easy to maintain and for the production of roving suitable for various counts of desi wool yarn.
Detail description of the Invention:
The invention is focused on the processes related to preparation of desi wool roving and making bobbins which may be used in later stage as an input to spinning of desi woolen yarn. This system replaces the existing draw frame and speed frame machineries and combines both the processes into one. The system is very simple and required less maintenance. The major components are wood and cast iron. It is portable type and price is very less which may be afforded by rural artisans. It is eco-friendly in nature.

i) Drafting stage:
By introduction of 3/3 drafting rolls, doubling of carded slivers are carried out. The draft range as per suitability to make various hanks and quality of roving. There are provisions of adjustment of gear settings, so that draft may be easily changed. The adjustment of roll gauge can be made as per various lengths of desi wool fibres. The bottom rolls are made of stainless steel material and top rolls are rubber roller. Drafting spring pressure has been applied. The specifications of bottom rolls, top rolls and roll gauge are as below
All Bottom roll- diameter-22.5 mm; length-175 mm,material-G.S.type
All Top rubber roll- diameter-26mm;length-150 mm,material-rubber
Back roll gauge-45mm
Front roll gauge-38mm
Delivery roll gauge-28mm
It plays two roles i.e. drawing the carding sliver and delivering in the form of roving
bobbin which will be fed to the spinning machines.
ii) Specially designed Roving guide ring :
It plays a role of guiding the roving delivered from front role. The dimensions of ring are

Upper Diameter-lnner-51mm,outer-59mm
Side tapper-19mm
Bottom diameter-inner-60mm,outer-75mm
Upper width of ring-4mm
Materials-steel
Weight-126 gm
Distance between guide ring stand to front delivery roll-65mm
iii) Horizontal Roving spindle:
It is used for holding of roving bobbin.The specification of spindle are
Length-total-190mm Diameter-base-9mm,tip-7mm Material-bride bar
iv) Roving bobbin:
It is used for wrapping of roving to make a roving package.The bobbin used on horizontal roving spindle. The diameter of bobbin hole is adjusted so that it may easily rotate with the same rpm as of roving spindle and can be removed easily This bobbin may be used in feeding of spinning machine. The specifications of roving bobbin are

Length-180mm outer,168mm-inner
Cap diameter-65mm
Shaft diameter-13mm
Material-wood
Capacity-40gm
Empty bobbin weight-44gm
v) Drive mechanism of roving guide:
A disc and lever attachment is used for movement of roving guide ring so that roving may be wound on full length of rovine bobbin. The specifications of disc and lever are
Disc-diameter-150mm,weight-942gm
Disc centre to lever distance-60mm,
lever length-205mm
Groove pulley of diamer 190mm and having 3 grooves ,width-20mm,weight-2578 gm is
used to drive the disc through a gear of 30 teeth.
vi) Drive mechanism of rotation of horizontal roving spindle:
Pulley has been fitted in the left side and this is rotated through a thin rope.
The specification of pulley and thread are

Upper Pulley- diameter 74mmouter,64mm inner/weight-134 gm : Bottom pulley -diameter 40mm outer,33mm inner ,weight-114gm
Roving guide ring, Horizontal Roving spindle, Roving bobbin , Drive mechanism of roving guide (Cam mechanism), Drive mechanism for rotation of roving spindle are novelty of this machine due to which it becomes two in one. Drafting and doubling of woolen carding sliver play the role of Draw frame and delivered as roving bobbin which plays the role of roving frame. The major parts are of wood, manually driven and easy to maintain by a semi skill artisan and is eco-friendly in nature. It is portable and easy to install. It does not require electric power. Due to above mentioned reasons this machine is very suitable for artisans and institutions in rural sector and hilly regions of the country for conversion of desi wool carding sliver to roving.
There are many possibilities to introduce or eliminate other steps so that the system may become more simple.
Attachments:
Compulsory —bobbin spindle, bobbin, roving guide ring
Optional- drive mechanism of spindle and roving guide.
Trials:
A number of trials has been taken for this machine by the inventors at Khadi & Textile division of Mahatma Gandhi Institute For Rural Industrialization, Maganwadi, Wardha. By going through operational trials it is found that it can produce 380gms roving per hour for 0.80 Nm ( new metric yarn numbering system) hank. It may produce roving from 0.40 Nm to 1.0 Nm hank by making minor adjustment through gear setting.

Construction feature of Desi wool roving machine
Machine consisting of full set up drafting zone,roving guide ring,bobbin,horizontal
spindle,drive mechanism of roving guide and spindle etc.Features of each item mentioned
above are as below-
Drafting zone- 3/3 drafting rolls along with one pair of delivery rolls (one rubber & one G.S.),
draft ranges as per suitability to make various hanks and quality of roving;provisions of
adjustment of gear settings for changing of draft.Adjustment of roll gauge can be made as
per various lengths of desi wool fibres.Bottom rolls are made of G.S. material and top rolls
are rubber roller.Drafting spring pressure has been applied.
Specially designed roving guide ring-Specially designed ring plays a role to guide the roving delivered from delivery rolls and it is fit to the wool fibres.lt prevents from electrostatic forces and hence avoids fly generation. The diameter is bigger in size so that it helps in producing minimal amount of twist in roving. The dimensions of ring are Upper Diameter-lnner-51mm, outer-55mm
; Side tapper-19mm
; Bottom diameter-inner-60mm, outer-75mm Upper width of ring-4mm Material-steel
Weight-126 gm
; Distance between guide ring stand to front delivery roll-65mm Drive mechanism of roving guide-
A disc with lever attachment is used for movement of roving guide ring so that roving may be wound on full length of roving bobbin. The drive mechanism is light weighed and only
■ one gear has been used to drive it through a groove pulley so that minimum manual force is
required for horizontal movement of roving guide.The specifications of disc and lever are
Disc-diameter-150mm, weight-942gm
Disc centre to lever distance-60mm,
Lever length-205mm
Groove pulley (marked as 13 in the diagram) is of diameter 190mm and having 3 grooves
,width-20mm,weight of 2578 gm is used to drive the disc through a gear of 30 teeth.
Horizontal Roving spindle:
It is used for holding of roving bobbin.The spindle is light weight, easy to manual drive and : require low maintenance. Spindle tapper is very much suitable for gripping the wooden
bobbin on it and avoiding slippage.The specification of spindle are
Length-total-190mm Diameter-base-9mm, tip-7mm
Material-bride bar
Roving bobbin-It is used for wrapping of roving to make a roving package. The bobbin is used on horizontal roving spindle. The inner diameter of bobbin hole is so adjusted that it may easily rotate
with the same rpm as of roving spindle without slippage and can be removed easily. This ! bobbin may be used in feeding of spinning machine. The material wood is selected so that it
avoid of generating electrostatic agent and easily available in rural area. Both sides cap help

in making full package and avoid sloughing of roving during spinning process. The inner
diameter is suitable for fitting the same package on spinning machine. The specifications of
roving bobbin are
Length-180mm outer, 168mm-inner
Cap diameter-65mm
Shaft diameter-13mm
Material-wood
Capacity-40gm
Empty bobbin weight-44gm
Drive mechanism of rotation of horizontal roving spindle-Pulley has been fitted in the right side and this is rotated through a thin thread. Cotton thread has been used to drive the spindle pulley through main shaft handle attached pulley. The pulleys have v shaped groove to avoid slippage and to minimize the friction, so that driving force requirement is minimum. Cotton threads are easily available in rural and hilly
area.The specification of pulley and thread are
Upper Pulley (marked as 9 in the diagram) - diameter 74mm ,outer, 64 mm inner, weight-134 gm
Bottom pulley (marked as 10 in the diagram)-diameter 40mm , outer, 33mm inner, weight-114gm.

We claim.

1. Desi wool roving machine comprising;

i) Roving guide ring,
ii) Horizontal Roving spindle,
iii) Roving bobbin,
iv) Drive mechanism of roving guide,
v) Drive mechanism of rotation of roving spindle ,
vi) Draft setting.
2.The claim as claimed in claim 1 wherein drafting zone 3/3 drafting rolls along with one pair of delivery rolls (one rubber & one G.S.), draft ranges as per suitability to make various hanks and quality of roving, provisions of adjustment of gear settings for changing of draft.
3. The claim as claimed in claim 1 wherein roving guide ring plays a role to guide the roving delivered from delivery rolls and it is fit to the wool fibres and the upper diameter 51mm,outer 55mm,bottominner 60mm,bottomouter75mm, upper width of ring is 4mm. which prevents from electrostatic forces and hence avoids fly generation.
4. The claim as claimed in claim 1 wherein drive mechanism of roving guide disc with lever attachment is used for movement of roving guide ring, only one gear has been used to drive it through a groove pulley so that minimum manual force is required for horizontal movement of roving guide and the specifications of disc and lever is 105mm, 205mm. 5.The claim as claimed in claim 1 wherein horizontal roving spindle is light weight, easy to manual, suitable for gripping the wooden bobbin on it and avoiding slippage and the
; diameter of base is 9mm,tip7mm.
; -
6. The claim as claimed in claim 1 wherein roving bobbin having length 180mm
outer,168mm inner,capdiameter 65mm,shaft diameter 13mm which used for wrapping of roving to make a roving package, on horizontal roving spindle make a roving package.. Both sides cap help in making full package and avoid sloughing of roving during spinning process.
7. The claim as claimed in claim 1 wherein drive mechanism of roving guide is disc with lever
attachment is used for movement of roving guide ring so that roving may be wound on full
length of roving bobbin. The drive mechanism is light weighed and only one gear has been
used to drive it through a groove pulley so that minimum manual force is required for horizontal movement of roving guide and specifications of disc and lever are Disc-diameter-150mm, weight-942gm, disc centre to lever distance-60mm, lever length-205mm

groove pulley (marked as 13 in the diagram) is of diameter 190mm and having 3 grooves, width-20mm.
References:
1.Development of Uttrakhand: Issues and Perspectives-By Mr.G.S.Mehta,Giri Institute of Development Studies
2.Ch$nges in wool Production and usage in colonial India-By Mr.Tirthankar Roy,Prof.Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics,Pune
3.Woolen Textile Production & KVIC to village areas development-By Mr. Frances Sinha
and Sanjay Sinha
4.Wikipedia-the free encyclopedia:For wool fibre length & mission details.