A continuous wire drive system for a needleless electrospinning apparatus, the electrospinning apparatus including an electrospinning enclosure and within which a nanoscale or submicron scale polymer fiber web is formed onto a substrate from a liquid polymer layer coated onto a plurality of continuous electrode wires passing through the electrospinning enclosure. The continuous wire drive system includes a master wire drive drum and a slave wire drive drum, each of the master wire drive drum and slave wire drive drum including a plurality of wire guides, each of the wire guides including a channel or groove for receiving one of the plurality of continuous electrode wires. The continuous wire drive system is external to the electrospinning apparatus, and the continuous wire drive system drives the plurality of continuous electrode wires through the electrospinning enclosure.

Various embodiments provide a filament replacement mechanism for a 3D printer and a 3D printing system. In those embodiments, the filament replacement mechanism includes: a support; a filament guide unit disposed on the support and including a plurality of secondary filament guide tubes and a filament guide opening connecting with the plurality of secondary filament guide tubes, where the filament guide opening is configured to be jointed with a main filament guide tube of the 3D printer; and a plurality of filament replacement units disposed on the support.

Various embodiments provide a filament replacement mechanism for a 3D printer and a 3D printing system. In those embodiments, the filament replacement mechanism includes: a support; a filament guide unit disposed on the support and including a plurality of secondary filament guide tubes and a filament guide opening connecting with the plurality of secondary filament guide tubes, where the filament guide opening is configured to be jointed with a main filament guide tube of the 3D printer; and a plurality of filament replacement units disposed on the support.

A continuous wire drive system for a needleless electrospinning apparatus, the electrospinning apparatus including an electrospinning enclosure and within which a nanoscale or submicron scale polymer fiber web is formed onto a substrate from a liquid polymer layer coated onto a plurality of continuous electrode wires passing through the electrospinning enclosure. The continuous wire drive system includes a master wire drive drum and a slave wire drive drum, each of the master wire drive drum and slave wire drive drum including a plurality of wire guides, each of the wire guides including a channel or groove for receiving one of the plurality of continuous electrode wires. The continuous wire drive system is external to the electrospinning apparatus, and the continuous wire drive system drives the plurality of continuous electrode wires through the electrospinning enclosure.

Yarn delivery device for a twisting or cabling machine having a first deflection roller for deflecting a yarn; a driven godet, arranged downstream of first deflection roller in yarn transport direction; a separator roller, arranged relative to the godet such that a yarn can be laid several times around the separator roller and the godet, said yarn being wrapped around separator roller and godet jointly; and a pitch lever, having a second deflection roller arranged downstream of godet in the yarn transport direction, for deflecting the yarn again. A cantilever, having a third deflection roller, which, in the yarn transport direction, is arranged downstream of second deflection roller and upstream of traversing yarn guide for feeding the yarn onto a take-up package, second deflection roller being arranged on a different side of a vertical plane extending through axis of rotation of the separator roller from the third deflection.

The invention relates to a machine (100) for manufacturing an optical fibre (200), characterised in that the machine comprises: at least one capstan (20, 21) and at least one pulley (22), which define a run of the optical fibre in a main area (2) of the machine, an optical fibre guiding system comprising a transmission member (25) and a clamping element (26) that is rigidly connected to the transmission member (25) and is able to retain an end of the optical fibre (200), the transmission member (25) being arranged parallel to the run of the optical fibre, a device (5) for having the clamping element (26) automatically grip the optical fibre (200), said device comprising: means (53) for placing the optical fibre in a starting position in which the optical fibre runs at a distance from the clamping element in a direction extending substantially perpendicularly to the clamping element (26), a fibre-spacing finger (51), that can move between a neutral position at a distance from the optical fibre located in the starting position and a position in which the finger (51) keeps the optical fibre at a distance from the starting position in such a way as to bring the optical fibre into an intermediate position opposite the clamping element (26), said means being designed to open the clamping element (26) when the finger (51) has brought the optical fibre (200) into the intermediate position and close the clamping element again when the finger (51) has returned to the neutral position thereof.

The invention relates to a machine (100) for manufacturing an optical fibre (200), characterised in that the machine comprises: at least one capstan (20, 21) and at least one pulley (22), which define a run of the optical fibre in a main area (2) of the machine, an optical fibre guiding system comprising a transmission member (25) and a clamping element (26) that is rigidly connected to the transmission member (25) and is able to retain an end of the optical fibre (200), the transmission member (25) being arranged parallel to the run of the optical fibre, a device (5) for having the clamping element (26) automatically grip the optical fibre (200), said device comprising: means (53) for placing the optical fibre in a starting position in which the optical fibre runs at a distance from the clamping element in a direction extending substantially perpendicularly to the clamping element (26), a fibre-spacing finger (51), that can move between a neutral position at a distance from the optical fibre located in the starting position and a position in which the finger (51) keeps the optical fibre at a distance from the starting position in such a way as to bring the optical fibre into an intermediate position opposite the clamping element (26), said means being designed to open the clamping element (26) when the finger (51) has brought the optical fibre (200) into the intermediate position and close the clamping element again when the finger (51) has returned to the neutral position thereof.