Apparatus and methods for stripping cotton

A method for stripping petals from cotton balls, the method comprising:

• loading raw cotton balls encased in petals into a hopper;
• impacting the raw cotton balls encased in petals to at least partially open the cotton balls;
• discarding petals that were removed by the impacter;
• capturing the at least partially opened cotton balls on a first large roller;
• rotating the first large roller rotating at a first speed past a first net to strip petals off the at least partially opened cotton balls;
• and
• capturing the first stripped cotton balls on a first small roller rotating at a second speed.

A cotton stripper for stripping petals from cotton balls, the cotton stripper comprising:

• a hopper;
• an impacter in process communication with the hopper;
• a first cleaning mechanism in process communication with the impacter;
• a cotton separator in process communication with the first cleaning mechanism, the cotton separator comprising;
• a first large roller encased in a licker-in wire rotating at a first speed;
• a first net located at a circumferential position adjacent to the first large roller;
• a first small roller encased in a doffer wire rotating at a second speed and adjacent the first large roller, wherein the second speed is faster than the first speed;
• a second large roller encased in a licker-in wire rotating at the first speed;
• a second net located at a circumferential position adjacent to the second large roller;
• a second small roller encased in a doffer wire rotating at the second speed and adjacent to the second large,
• a third large roller encased in a licker-in wire rotating at the first speed, and located below the first large roller and second large roller;
• a third net located at a circumferential position adjacent to the third large roller;
• a third small roller encased in doffer wire rotating at the second speed and adjacent the third large roller;
• and
• an output area in process communication with the cotton separator,
• wherein the impacter at least partially opens the raw cotton balls and removes some petals, the first cleaning mechanism discards petals that were removed by the impacter, the first large roller captures the at least partially opened raw cotton balls, the first net strips off petals, the first small roller takes the first stripped cotton balls from the first large roller, the second large roller captures the first stripped cotton balls, the second net strips off petals, the second small roller takes the second stripped cotton balls from the second large roller, the third large roller captures the first or second stripped cotton balls, the third net strips off petals, the third small roller takes the second or third stripped cotton balls from the third large roller and the output area stores second or third stripped cotton balls.