An Automated Lint Grading Sample Collection Framework and Cost-Benefit Analysis Proposal for Cotton Gins

As the natural fiber of choice, cotton has a massive global value chain worth around $40 billion. Grown in several countries within the tropical and subtropical regions, it employs about 400 million people, from farms to textile mills. Post harvesting, commercial gins separate seed cotton into seeds and lint, the most economically important cotton product. After ginning the lint and pressing it into bales, samples are drawn manually for classing by regulatory agencies, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the US and the China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) in China, which are two leading global cotton-producing countries. Manual sampling depends on increasingly scarce seasonal agricultural workers and is thus suitable for automation as a repetitive process. Therefore, serial robots as automation agents with increasing industrial applications are a good substitute candidate for human lint grading sample collectors at cotton gins. This work proposes a framework for adopting low-cost serial robots for lint sample collection at existing and new cotton gins. In addition to their programmability, high-performance repeatability, and accuracy, the cost-benefit analysis indicated that low-cost robots have a payback time of one to two years despite their intimidating initial capital outlay. Finally, this article recommends that commercial gin operators and designers who want to optimize their gins and hedge against decreasing labor supply and profit margin should adopt the proposed framework.