Name: 從一團白白的棉花到穿上身的衣服，一起看棉花是如何加工的吧！ (How Cotton is Processed in Factories | How It’s Made)
Uploaded: 2025-07-17T21:01:10.000Z
Duration: 5 min 12 s

The exact origins of the cotton plant are unknown,

棉花植物的確切起源尚不清楚，

although archaeologists have unearthed pieces of cotton cloth over 7,000 years old.

但考古學家發現了超過 7,000 年歷史的棉布碎片。

Through the centuries, cotton fiber was traditionally processed by hand,

數世紀以來，棉纖維傳統上都是以人工方式加工，

until the early 18th century, when the first automated processing machine was invented.

直到 18 世紀初，第一台自動化加工機器發明後才改變。

Before cotton arrives at the textile mill to be spun into thread and woven into fabric,

在棉花送到紡織廠，被紡成棉線並織成布料之前，

它要先完成從田地到棉包的旅程。

Cotton takes about five months to grow from a planted seed to a ripe plant.

棉花從播種到成熟大約需要五個月。

This harvesting machine, called a cotton picker, plucks fluffy seed cotton out of the plant's bowl,

這台叫作「棉花採收機」的機器，會從棉桃中採取蓬鬆的棉絮，

leaving a trail of burrs and sticks behind.

The machine empties the plucked cotton into a tractor-drawn buggy.

機器會將採下的棉花倒入由拖拉機牽引的拖斗中。

This machine builds the seed cotton into a humongous rectangular block called a module.

接著，另一台機器會將這些棉花堆成一個巨大的長方體，稱為模組（module）。

A truck transports the module to the processing plant, known as a cotton gin.

卡車會把這個模組運往處理廠，也就是所謂的「軋花廠」（cotton gin）。

Once the cotton arrives to the processing plant,

sticks and burrs are removed, as well as any lingering debris and seeds.

樹枝、棉殼以及殘留的雜質和種子會被清除。

A truck dumps the module into a feeder, which moves the packed seed cotton into a dispenser.

卡車把模組倒入送料機中，將壓實的棉花送進分配器。

The ground seed cotton falls onto a conveyor belt which leads to the hotbox.

鬆散的棉絮落到輸送帶上，輸送帶會把棉花送往熱風箱。

The hotbox mixes the seed cotton with hot air, which allows the moisture to evaporate,

熱風箱會將棉花與熱空氣混合，讓水分蒸發，

A machine called the wadbuster breaks up the clumps of seed cotton by tossing it against a screen.

一台名為「wadbuster」的機器會把成團的棉花甩向網板以將其打散。

Loose debris falls through the screen openings down a narrow chute.

鬆散的雜質會從網孔掉落，落入狹窄的滑槽中。

Then the seed cotton moves through a machine called the steady flow,

接著，棉花會進入名為 steady flow 的機器，

which divides it equally between two processing lines.

將棉花平均分配到兩條加工線。

On each line, the seed cotton enters a burr machine,

在每條線上，棉花會進入「除殼機」（burr machine），

which grabs the seed cotton with a circular saw and swings it against metal bars.

利用圓鋸抓住棉絮並甩向金屬桿。

The centrifugal force shakes off the heavier debris.

The seed cotton exits the machine through one pipe and the debris through another.

棉花會從一個管道排出，而雜質則從另一個管道排出。

A large auger transfers the debris to a waste chute and out of the plant.

大型螺旋輸送器會將雜質送往廢料槽並排出工廠。

The seed cotton is ready for the final stage of processing.

此時，棉花已準備好進入最後的加工階段。

A network of pipes feeds a row of machines called gin stands.

一系列管線會將棉花送進一排稱為「軋花機」（gin stands）的機器。

The gin stand separates the seed from the fluffy stuff called the lint.

軋花機的功能是將種子與蓬鬆的棉絮（lint）分離。

Inside each stand are 116 circular saws, which are arranged horizontally,

每台軋花機內部有 116 片水平排列的圓鋸，

The saw teeth grab the seed cotton and pull the lint through the narrow gap between saw and rib.

鋸齒會抓住棉花，將棉絮拉過鋸片與鋼肋間的狹縫。

The seeds are too large to pass through, so it spins in front of the rib,

種子太大，無法通過狹縫，因此會在鋼肋前旋轉，

The lint goes into a flue, which leads to the packing area.

棉絮會被送入煙道，進入打包區。

Cotton seed is sold as livestock feed, particularly for dairy cows.

棉籽會被當作牲畜飼料出售，尤其供給乳牛。

It contains 23% protein, 20% fat, and 25% fiber.

它含有 23% 蛋白質、20% 脂肪和 25% 纖維。

Cottonseed is also milled into cottonseed oil,

a cooking oil that's a common ingredient in salad dressings and mayonnaise.

這是一種常見於沙拉醬和美乃滋中的食用油。

The cotton lint is now ready to be formed into bales.

棉絮現在已準備好被製成棉包。

Pipes feed the loose lint to the press area.

When it arrives, a pusher moves the lint into a machine called the tramper,

當棉絮抵達時，推送器會將棉花送入名為 tramper 的機器，

which shoves it down into a bale-shaped box.

將棉絮壓入棉包形狀的箱體中。

Once the box reaches 500 pounds of cotton lint,

a press compacts the lint and tie-wraps the bale.

壓縮機會將棉花壓緊並以綁帶固定。

Next, a conveyor moves the bale to a bagging machine and past grippers, which pull a sample from each side.

之後，輸送帶會將棉包送往套袋機，並經過取樣夾具，從兩側各取一份樣本。

While the bale slides into a protective plastic bag, the grippers deposit the sample into a bin.

當棉包滑入保護膠袋時，夾具會將樣本放入收集箱中。

Technicians label the bale with an ID number, then open the bin to retrieve the corresponding sample.

技術人員會在棉包上貼上識別編號，接著打開收集箱取出對應樣本。

Then, the sample is bagged and labeled with the bale ID number.

然後，樣本會被袋裝並貼上棉包的識別編號。

The factory submits the sample to the United States Department of Agriculture,

工廠會將樣本提交給美國農業部（USDA），

where it's analyzed for fiber length, cleanliness, color, and other criteria.

由其分析纖維長度、潔淨度、顏色等其他特性。

Once the analysis is complete, the bale is given a grade and processed accordingly.

分析完成後，棉包會被賦予等級，並依照等級進行後續處理。