Systems and methods for winding wire are disclosed. A system includes a wire take-up unit and a wire tensioning unit. The take-up unit includes a rotating mandrel and a wire directing device, the wire directing device arranged to cause the wire to be wound in a figure-eight configuration on the rotating mandrel to form a coil having many layers of wire. The wire tensioning unit applies tension to said wire as it is wound, and applies a first amount of tension to a predetermined amount of wire constituting at least a first two layers of the coil, and a second amount of tension to the wire beyond the predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the wire tensioning unit includes digital self-relieving air regulator pneumatically coupled to and controlling a pressure in said pressurized chamber of a pre-lubricating cylinder that is coupled to the wire being wound.

An optical fiber winding mechanism feeds an optical fiber from raw material bobbins and winds the optical fiber around a winding bobbin, and includes a first raw material bobbin-side unit to mount the first raw material bobbin thereon, a second raw material bobbin-side unit to mount the second raw material bobbin thereon, a winding bobbin-side unit to mount the winding bobbin thereon, and a controller to control each of the units. The first raw material bobbin-side unit includes a body device, a head capable of rotating with respect to the body device, a rotation assist device capable of engaging with the head, a rotation mechanism capable of rotating the body device around a Z direction, and a slide mechanism capable of moving the rotation mechanism.

A capstan includes a lift motor, a flexible lifting member, and a tether assembly. The lift motor is operatively connected to a shaft. The flexible lifting member includes a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the shaft. The flexible lifting member connects a lift assembly to the lift motor via the shaft. The tether assembly includes a switch arranged between a portion of the flexible lifting member and a portion of the capstan. The second end is connected to the tether assembly. The switch acts as a safety in case of a broken flexible lifting member and allows for an automated unloading cycle.

A spindle unit includes a swing mechanism fixed to a fixed frame, a support member swingably supported by the swing mechanism, a spindle main body and an electromagnetic brake supported by the support member. The spindle main body rotates integrally with a bobbin around which a yarn is wound. The electromagnetic brake applies a resistance to the rotating spindle main body. The swing mechanism includes a fixed attachment member fixed to the fixed frame, a swing shaft supported by the fixed attachment member, a spring, and a sensor. The spring applies a spring force to the support member in a direction opposite to a direction in which the support member swings by the tension of the yarn. The sensor detects the tilt amount of the support member when the support member swings.

Described are, among other things, methods and devices for providing a learning procedure in a yarn feeding arrangement (12). The learning procedure aims at providing control data to the controller (32) about system components and behavior of system components of the yarn feeding arrangement beforehand, such that the controller has knowledge of the system components before the weaving machine (10) is started to operate at full operational speed.

A dynamic tension control system is described herein for driving linear material off a roll in a controlled manner. The dynamic tension control system may include a frame, a shaft for holding a roll of linear material, a motor for driving the shaft, and a dancer tensioning control system for controlling the motor. The dancer tensioning control system may include an actuator assembly through which the linear material passes and a proximity sensor for detecting whether the actuator assembly is proximate to the proximity sensor. When the linear material is pulled from the roll, tension is created in the linear material, which lifts the actuator assembly away from the proximity sensor. The dynamic tension control system may be configured to command, based on detecting that the actuator assembly is not proximate to the proximity sensor, the motor to drive the shaft to unwind linear material from the roll.

A spindle unit includes a swing mechanism fixed to a fixed frame, a support member swingably supported by the swing mechanism, a spindle main body and an electromagnetic brake supported by the support member. The spindle main body rotates integrally with a bobbin around which a yarn is wound. The electromagnetic brake applies a resistance to the rotating spindle main body. The swing mechanism includes a fixed attachment member fixed to the fixed frame, a swing shaft supported by the fixed attachment member, a spring, and a sensor. The spring applies a spring force to the support member in a direction opposite to a direction in which the support member swings by the tension of the yarn. The sensor detects the tilt amount of the support member when the support member swings.

An applicator head for applying an adhesive tape on a surface or substrate, wherein the adhesive tape comprises a material and at least one removable liner, the applicator head comprising: an application tip; a cutting mechanism positioned adjacent an outer most point of the application tip; a positioning device is configured such that the cutting mechanism severs the material while maintaining the at least one removable liner intact.

An automated unspooling mechanism capable of dispensing of knitting material strands in a dynamically-controlled tension on a knitting machine. An unspooling device is configured to sense the tension of a strand fed to the knitting machine, and responsively adjust the strand deployment speed to avoid too little or too much strand dispensing without interrupting the knitting process. The unspooling device includes a variable motor drive that can rotate the strand package in various speeds, and a spring arm trigger that can sense the current tension of the dispensed material. The spring arm trigger can vary its arm position based on the sensed tension. The arm position is then processed and converted to a signal to vary the motor speed. Therefore, the deployment speed of the strands can be dynamically controlled based on a sensed tension of feeding the strand.

A system comprising: a source of a tape comprising a material associated with an adhesive and at least one removable liner; an applicator head; a cutting mechanism; at least one drive feeding mechanism configured to index the tape from the source to the applicator head at a controlled rate; wherein the applicator head is controllable to apply the material on a surface or a substrate; and wherein the applicator head comprises a cutting mechanism configured to sever the material while leaving the at least one removable liner intact.