Trash and dust or Visible Foreign Matter (VFM) in textile fiber have a negative impact on processing efficiencies and on finished goods. The tracking of VFM for process control applications has traditionally been accomplished with gravimetric measurements. In the information-intensive environment of the modern mill, however, more information about trash and dust are desired, specifically information about particle count and size distributions.

The Advanced Fiber Information System Trash and Dust module, or AFIS T, is the latest AFIS Information Module to be offered by Zellweger Uster. This module measures the total count of VFM particles and reports their size distribution. This paper introduces AFIS T through a description of operating principles, data products, instrument comparisons, and applications data.