Abstract: An electrostatic opening and short fiber separation apparatus for carding machines making use of a high voltage electrostatic field; which produces different forces on filaments, short fibers, and dust; in cooperation with a plurality of suction devices to separate short fiber. The apparatus is to be installed in front of a card cylinder where a doffer and a sliver forming mechanism have been removed. By means of a specially designed stripping roller, fibers are stripped from the cylinder and float across the electric field due to the attraction of suction devices. Cotton fibers in the electric field will be affected by the high voltage and held by upper and lower circular metal screen conveyor belts, to move forward. Short fibers and dust move to and fro between two metal strips due to the existence of the electric field; they will be taken up and removed if the drag force of suction devices is larger than the action force of the electric field.