Spinning device and method for spinning up a spinning device, and spin-up device

Abstract

The invention shows a spin-up device (11, 51) and a method for spinning up a spinning device (1, 101) for the continuous extrusion of molded bodies (3) from a spinning solution (6), containing a solvent and cellulose dissolved in the solvent, wherein the molded bodies are extruded from the spinning solution (6) through spinnerets (7) of the spinning device (1, 101) in the form of a loose spinning curtain (2), the molded bodies (3) of the loose spinning curtain (2) are combined into a molded body bundle (4) after the extrusion, and the molded body bundle (4) is, in a further step, fed to a draw-off member (10) of the spinning device (1, 101) in order to start a continuous extrusion of the molded bodies (3). In order to make the spin-up method simpler in terms of process technology and more reproducible, it is proposed to increase the tensile strength of at least some areas of the molded bodies (3) of the loose spinning curtain (2) after their extrusion and before combining them into a molded body bundle (4).

Claims

1. A method for spinning up a spinning device for the continuous extrusion of molded bodies from a spinning solution comprising a solvent and cellulose dissolved in the solvent, wherein the molded bodies are extruded from the spinning solution through spinnerets of the spinning device in the form of a loose spinning curtain, the molded bodies of the loose spinning curtain are twisted around a torsion axis via a rotating member are combined into a molded body bundle after the extrusion, and the molded body bundle is, in a further step, fed to a draw-off member of the spinning device in order to start a continuous extrusion of the molded bodies, wherein the tensile strength of the molded bodies of the loose spinning curtain, after their extrusion and before combining them into a molded body bundle, is increased in at least some areas, wherein an automatic gripper grabs the molded body bundle and feeds it to the draw-off member of the spinning device by machinery, and wherein the rotating device, draw-off member and automatic gripper are configured to spin-up the spinning device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the tensile strength of the molded bodies is increased in at least some areas such that the molded bodies will substantially not rupture due to their own weight.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein by virtue of the increase in tensile strength in at least some areas an engagement area is created on the molded body bundle, where the molded bodies have a viscosity that is increased as compared to the spinning solution.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the viscosity is increased 1.5-fold as compared to the spinning solution.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein combining of the molded bodies into the molded body bundle and/or feeding the molded body bundle to the draw-off member is done by machinery.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic gripping device grabs the molded body bundle in an engagement area.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molded bodies, after their extrusion, are cooled in order to increase their tensile strength.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the temperature of the molded bodies after cooling by at least 10° C. is lower than the temperature of the spinning solution.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the temperature of the molded bodies after cooling by at least 20° C. is lower than the temperature of the spinning solution.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the cooling of the molded bodies is carried out by blowing a cooling air stream at least some areas thereof.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the cooling of the molded bodies is carried out by spraying at least some areas with a cooling liquid or by immersing at least some areas in a cooling.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the cooling liquid contains a coagulant for the dissolved cellulose.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the cooling liquid is an aqueous solution.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molded bodies are combined into the molded body bundle by machinery by one or a combination of several of the following steps: torsion of the spinning curtain around a torsion axis, encircling the spinning curtain with a sling and pulling the sling tight, or passing the spinning curtain through a funnel of decreasing cross-section.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic gripper is a gripper on a manipulator arm.

16. A spin-up device for spinning up a spinning device comprising a bundling device for bundling of molded bodies extruded from the spinnerets of the spinning device into a molded body bundle, wherein the bundling device includes a rotating member that is configured to twist the molded bodies around a torsion axis to combine the molded bodies into the molded body bundle, wherein the spin-up device includes a first manipulator arm with a first end effector, the first end effector including a gripper configured to grab the molded body bundle, and wherein the bundling device and manipulator arm are configured to spin-up the spinning device.

17. The spin-up device according to claim 16, wherein the spin-up device includes a second manipulator arm with a second end effector, the second end effector including the bundling device.

18. The spin-up device according to claim 16, wherein the rotating member is a turntable.

19. A spinning device for the continuous extrusion of molded bodies, which comprises at least a spinning bath container comprising spinning bath, spinnerets associated with the spinning bath container for the extrusion of the molded bodies from the spinnerets into the spinning bath, and a spin-up device for spinning up the spinning device according to claim 16.

20. The spinning device according to claim 19, wherein the spinning device comprises a cooler, for increasing the strength of the extruded molded bodies in at least some areas.

21. The spinning device of claim 19, wherein the spinning device is for the extrusion of cellulosic molded bodies from a spinning solution comprising water, cellulose, and tertiary amine oxide.

22. The spinning device according to claim 19, wherein the spinning device comprises a coagulant applicator, for increasing the strength of the extruded molded bodies in at least some areas.

Description

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Hereinafter, the embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a partially broken side view of the spinning device according to the invention prior to the execution of the method according to the invention for spinning up the spinning device according to a first embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the method according to the invention for spinning up the spinning device according to the first embodiment during a first method step;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the method according to the invention for spinning up the spinning device according to a second embodiment during a first method step; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a partially broken side view of the spinning device according to the invention after completion of the spin-up method.

EXAMPLES

(6) Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, spinning devices 1, 101 according to a first and a second embodiment of the invention are shown in various stages of the spin-up process. FIG. 1 shows the spinning device 1 with the loose spinning curtain 2 of extruded molded bodies 3 prior to spin-up, i.e., before the molded bodies 3 are combined into a molded body bundle 4 in a bundling device 5 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Furthermore, the spinning device 1 includes a spinning solution 6 that is extruded through a plurality of spinnerets 7 to form the molded bodies 3. In this case, the spinning solution 6 is preferably a solution containing water, cellulose, and a tertiary amine oxide. Underneath the spinnerets 7, a spinning bath container 8 is provided that contains a spinning bath 9. Preferably, a mixture of water and a tertiary amine oxide is used as the spinning bath 9.

(7) Furthermore, the spinning device 1 includes a strengthening device 40 in order to increase the strength of the extruded molded bodies 3 in at least some areas before combining them into the molded body bundle 4. For example, the strengthening device 40 can be a cooling device 41 that applies cooling liquid 43 to the extruded molded bodies 3 and increases their strength by cooling them. Alternatively or additionally to cooling, the strengthening device 40 can also apply a coagulant to the molded bodies 3, which precipitates the cellulose dissolved in the molded bodies 3 and thus also leads to an increase in strength.

(8) FIG. 3 shows an alternative spinning device 101 that includes another cooling device 42 as the strengthening device 40. In this case, the cooling device 42 generates a cooling air stream 44 that flows over the extruded molded bodies 3 and cools them in at least some areas, whereby their strength is increased.

(9) The cooling liquid 43 and the cooling air stream 44, respectively, are directed toward the extruded molded bodies 3 by the respective cooling device 41, 42 and produce an engagement area 29 of higher strength on the molded bodies 3, where the molded bodies 3 have at least 1.5 times the viscosity of the spinning solution 6. Preferably, the engagement area 29 is in the area of the smallest diameter 28 of the molded body bundle 4 after combining as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(10) FIG. 4, for its part, shows the spinning device 1 after spin-up. Accordingly, the molded bodies 3 have been combined into a molded body bundle 4 by the bundling device 5, and the molded body bundle 4 is being transported continuously by a draw-off member 10 of the spinning device 1, whereby a continuous extrusion of molded bodies 3 from the spinnerets 7 is taking place.

(11) As can also be seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the spinning devices 1, 101 includes, according to a first and a second embodiment of the invention, a spin-up device 11 and 51, respectively, for executing the method for spinning up the spinning device 1, 101. Each of the spin-up devices 11, 51, in turn, comprises a bundling device 5, a first manipulator arm 12, and a second manipulator arm 13. On the first manipulator arm 12, a first end effector 14 is provided, which end effector 14 is formed as a gripper 16. In this case, the gripper 16 is configured such that it can force-fittingly enclose and grab the molded body bundle 4. Furthermore, the gripper 16 is movably and controllably connected to the first manipulator arm 12. In connection with the free movability of the manipulator arm 12, the gripper 16 can move the grabbed molded body bundle 4 along nearly any given trajectory.

(12) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spin-up device 11 includes, according to the first embodiment, a rotation device 17 that causes the torsion of the molded bodies 3 in the loose molded body curtain 2 and thus the combining of the molded bodies 3 into the molded body bundle 4. To this end, the rotation device 17 includes a rotatable torsion means 18 which is preferably formed as a turntable 31, the torsion means 18 and the turntable 31, respectively, being provided as a second end effector 15 on the second manipulator arm 13 and performing the function of the bundling device 5. The rotation axis 19 of the torsion means 18 and thus the torsion axis 20 of the spinning curtain 2 extends, more particularly, parallel to the extrusion direction 32 of the molded bodies 3 in the loose spinning curtain 2.

(13) As shown in FIG. 3, the spin-up device 51 includes, according to the second embodiment, an encircling device 35 which is able to encompass the molded bodies 3 in the loose molded body curtain 2 by means of a sling 36. By pulling the sling 36 tight, the molded bodies 3 are combined into the molded body bundle 4. The encircling device 35 is provided as an end effector 15 on the second manipulator arm 13 and performs the function of the bundling device 5.

(14) The respective bundling device 5 of the spin-up devices 11 and 51 can be advanced and retracted between the spinnerets 7 and the spinning bath container 8 by means of the second manipulator arm 13, whereby the bundling device 5 can be displaced from a rest position 21 to a use position 22 as needed. Thus, the bundling device 5 can remain in the rest position 21 during the continuous extrusion of the molded bodies 3 and will not constitute an obstacle between the spinnerets 7 and the spinning bath container 8. If renewed spinning up of the spinning device 1 becomes necessary, then the bundling device 5 can be displaced to the use position 22 and permit the execution of a spin-up method according to the invention.

(15) The inventive method for spinning up the spinning device 1, 101 is shown schematically in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 shows the spinning device 1 and equivalently the spinning device 101, respectively, in the first step of the spin-up method. The molded bodies 3 are extruded from the spinnerets 7 in the form of a loose spinning curtain 2. After the extrusion of the molded bodies 3, they are increased in strength in at least some areas by means of a strengthening device 40. In doing so, an engagement area 29 is created on the molded bodies 3, where, after combining the molded bodies 3 into the molded body bundle 4, the molded body bundle can be grabbed and manipulated reliably by a gripper 16. In this case, the increase in strength of the molded bodies is achieved via a cooling device 41 and 42, respectively, by applying a cooling liquid 43 or a cooling air stream 44 to the molded bodies 3.

(16) In a further step—as shown schematically in FIG. 2 or 3—the bundling device 5, more particularly the torsion means 18 and the turntable 31, respectively, at the spinning device 1, or the encircling device 35 at the spinning device 101, is positioned between the spinnerets 7 and the spinning bath container 8 such that the ends 23 of the extruded molded bodies 3 can be engaged by the bundling device 5.

(17) In the first embodiment variant in FIG. 2, the molded body ends 23 adhere to the holding elements 24 and hooks 25, respectively, of the torsion means 18 formed as a turntable 31, thus increasing the adhesion between the molded bodies 3 and the torsion means 18 so that undesired gliding of the molded bodies 3 on the torsion means 18 is prevented. Preferably, the torsion means 18 is at standstill at the beginning of the method, however, it can also be put into rotation before the molded body ends 23 impinge on the torsion means 18. After the molded body ends 23 have impinged on the torsion means 18, the rotational velocity of the torsion means 18 will be increased until a predetermined final velocity is reached. This can, for example, be done in steps or continuously according to a predefined acceleration profile. The rotation of the torsion means 18 causes the spinning curtain 2 to be twisted around the torsion axis 20 which is preferably located parallel to the extrusion direction 32 of the molded bodies 3 and passes through the center of the spinning curtain 2. By virtue of the torsion of the spinning curtain 2, the molded body bundle 4 is preferably created in the engagement area 29 in which the molded bodies 3 were increased in strength.

(18) In the second embodiment variant in FIG. 3, the molded body ends 23 are moved through the opened sling 36 of the encircling device 35. Then, the sling 36 is pulled tight, and the molded bodies 3 are combined into the molded body bundle 4. In this case, the molded body bundle 4 is again created in the engagement area 29 in which the molded bodies 3 were previously increased in strength.

(19) FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively, show the spinning device 1 and 101, respectively, after the bundling device 5 has been displaced from its rest position 21 to its use position 22 by means of the second manipulator arm 13 and positioned between the spinnerets 7 and the spinning bath container 8. Then, the spinning curtain 2 was, as described hereinabove, produced in a second method step by means of the bundling device 5, and, consequently, the molded body bundle 4 was created. Subsequently, the molded body bundle 4 can then be provided in a draw-off member 10 of the spinning device 1, 101.

(20) In this case, FIG. 4 shows the last method step, wherein the molded body bundle 4 held reliably by the gripper 16 is first transported through the spinning bath 9 around a deflection member 26 in the spinning bath container 8 by means of the first manipulator arm 12. Due to the increased strength of the molded bodies in the engagement area 29 on the molded body bundle 4, a reliable manipulation of the molded body bundle 4 can be carried out and rupturing of individual molded bodies 3 during the manipulation can be avoided. Subsequently, the molded body bundle 4 is moved out of the spinning bath container 8 again and inserted into the draw-off member 10 that particularly consists of a row of juxtaposed draw-off godets 10. Following the insertion of the molded body bundle 4 into the draw-off member 10, a continuous extrusion of the molded bodies 3 from the spinnerets 7 is possible, and the spin-up process has thus been completed successfully.