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Cotton Ginning

Lummus’ core business continues to be rooted in its line of cotton ginning machinery, known as the Lummus Gentle Ginning System.  Whenever landmark ginning facilities around the world have been constructed through the years, they have all shared a common link – Lummus machinery.  When proven reliability and performance matter most to a customer, Lummus is the name chosen over any other. 

All Lummus gin machinery is designed to preserve and protect the cotton’s valuable fiber properties throughout the ginning process.  The myriad of variables (cotton varieties, harvesting methods, ginning season length, daily/seasonal throughput, etc.) enforces the need for a source with extensive industry expertise – a company that knows and understands the details of cotton gin construction. 

Unloading System

The Unloading System is the means by which the incoming seed cotton is introduced into the gin plant.  Whether the seed cotton is transported to the gin in sacks, trailers, trucks, or in modules (either conventional loaf-type or the newer round-type), Lummus offers a variety of equipment that can be configured to accommodate any or all of these means of arrival at a broad range of capacities. 

Drying & Precleaning

Depending on the region of the world where it is produced, cotton may either be hand harvested or mechanically harvested (using either spindle-type pickers or brush-type strippers).  The type of harvesting will determine how much seed cotton drying and precleaning will be required to effectively remove the moisture and impurities (sticks, leaves, burrs, etc.) from the product.  Hand-harvested seed cotton will typically require a single stage of drying and precleaning, while mechanically harvested cotton will require two (or possibly three) stages. 

Distribution, Feeding & Ginning

Regardless of throughput capacity, Lummus offers Distribution and Overflow Systems that effectively convey the seed cotton and distribute it to the Feeding and Ginning equipment, while circulating the excess seed cotton through a continuous Overflow System that allows for  consistent production at a steady feeding rate. 

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The heart of the Lummus Gentle Ginning System is the Feeding and Ginning equipment.  Whether processing Upland (fuzzy seed) cotton or Extra-Long Staple (ELS) or Pima cotton, Lummus Feeding and Ginning equipment is second to none.  All Lummus Feeding and Ginning systems provide proven performance and reliability, all while preserving fiber quality. 

Lint Cleaning

The ginned fiber (now referred to as lint) must be processed through some level of lint cleaning.  Depending upon whether the gin plant is processing Upland or ELS cotton, the lint cleaning arrangement for the facility will vary.  Lummus manufactures both centrifugal (air-type) and mechanical (saw-type) lint cleaners for Upland cotton, along with specialized mechanical and textile-type lint cleaning for ELS cotton (roller gin plants).  Configuration of these systems will vary, based on the level of trash in the lint.  Lummus lint cleaning has long been shown to be the best at effective cleaning while minimizing fiber damage. 

Condensing & Moisture Restoration 

The Condensing & Moisture Restoration System takes the cleaned lint and forms it into a blanket-like layer (or batt) that can be efficiently fed into the baling press for final packaging.  Lummus offers a Battery Condenser that either can restore moisture within the condenser itself (the Lummus MC™ Condenser) or outside the condenser (Standard Battery Condenser).   

Lummus ancillary equipment for the system (the Mist-A-Matic™ Moisture Unit, 1 MBTU Burner/Blower, and HF-136 Stainless Steel Moist Air Fan) complete the line-up for a fully integrated system of fiber conditioning that can uniformly add moisture to the lint cotton, while compressing the lint batt, making it easier to compress.  This, in turn, reduces the final compression forces in the baling press and lowers energy costs. 

Pressing & Bale Handling

For the lint cotton to be marketable, it must packaged into a finished bale.  Depending upon the region of the world, bale size will either be 20” x 54” x 28” at a density of 28 lbs/ft3 (Gin Universal Density or UD) or 20” x 41” x 28” at a density of 32 lbs/ft3 (High Density or Hi-D).  Lummus offers both UD and Hi-D presses in down-packing (single-story) and up-packing (two-story) versions in capacities ranging from twenty (20) bales per hour to in excess of eighty (80) bales per hour. 

Bale Handling Systems can either be standard arrangements or custom-configured as required for a specific application.