Spinning preparation machine

Abstract

A spinning preparation machine has consolidating means for producing a roving from a fiber bundle and a drafting system for drafting the fiber bundle. The drafting system is arranged upstream of the consolidating means in a transport direction of the drafting system. A guide is arranged upstream of the drafting system for guiding the fiber bundle between a container providing the fiber bundle and the drafting system. The guide has a feed segment opposite from the drafting system and a delivery segment facing the drafting system. The spinning preparation machine has a winding device for winding the roving onto a tube, and a tube transport device for providing empty tubes and/or for removing tubes loaded with roving by the winding device. The tube transport device has a conveyor for transporting empty tubes and/or tubes loaded with roving, wherein the conveyors are arranged at least in part between the feed segment of the guide and the drafting system.

Claims

1. A spinning preparation machine, comprising: a consolidating means for producing a roving with a protective twist from a fiber bundle supplied to the consolidating means; a drafting system upstream of the consolidating means in a transport direction of the fiber bundle to draft the fiber bundle; a guide arranged longitudinally between the drafting system and a container that provides the fiber bundle to the drafting system, the guide comprising a feed segment opposite from the drafting system and a delivery segment; a winding device disposed downstream of the consolidating means to wind the roving onto a tube; a tube transport device disposed to provide empty tubes to the winding device or remove tubes loaded with roving from the winding device; wherein the tube transport device comprises at least one conveyor to transport the empty tubes or remove the tubes loaded with roving, the conveyor operatively arranged at least in part between the feed segment of the guide and the drafting system; a tube transfer device operatively disposed to transfer the empty tubes from the tube transport device to the winding device or the tubes loaded with roving from the winding device to the transport device; and wherein one or both of the winding device or the tube transfer device are arranged at least in part between the feed segment of the guide and the consolidating means, or between the feed segment of the guide and the drafting system.

2. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 1, wherein the consolidating means comprises an air spinning nozzle, wherein the roving is produced from the fiber bundle inside the air spinning nozzle by a swirled air flow.

3. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein the conveyor is disposed between the feed segment of the guide and one of: the delivery segment; the winding device; the tube transfer device; or the consolidating means.

4. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein the guide completely spans over and across the conveyor and tube transport device.

5. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein one or more of the following are arranged above the conveyor: the feed segment of the guide, the delivery segment of the guide, the consolidating means, or the tube transfer device.

6. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein one or both of the winding device or the tube transfer device are arranged at least in part below one or all of the guide, the drafting system, or the consolidating means.

7. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 1, wherein the feed segment of the guide is spaced horizontally at least 50 cm from a feed roller of the drafting system.

8. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein, in a side view, the drafting system and one or more of the following are arranged along a common side of the consolidating means: the guide, the winding device, or the tube transfer device.

9. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein, in a front end view, one or more of the following are arranged behind the consolidating means: the winding device, the tube transfer device, the drafting system, the guide, or the conveyor.

10. The spinning preparation machine according to claim 2, wherein, in a front end view, the feed segment of the guide is arranged behind one or more of the following: the drafting system, the delivery segment of the guide, the winding device, the tube transfer device, the conveyor, or the tube transport device.

11. A spinning preparation machine, comprising: a consolidating means for producing a roving with a protective twist from a fiber bundle supplied to the consolidating means; a drafting system upstream of the consolidating means in a transport direction of the fiber bundle to draft the fiber bundle; a guide arranged longitudinally between the drafting system and a container that provides the fiber bundle to the drafting system, the guide comprising a feed segment opposite from the drafting system and a delivery segment; a winding device disposed downstream of the consolidating means to wind the roving onto a tube; a tube transport device disposed to provide empty tubes to the winding device or remove tubes loaded with roving from the winding device; wherein the tube transport device comprises at least one conveyor to transport the empty tubes or remove the tubes loaded with roving, the conveyor operatively arranged at least in part between the feed segment of the guide and the drafting system; a tube transfer device operatively disposed to transfer the empty tubes from the tube transport device to the winding device or the tubes loaded with roving from the winding device to the transport device; and wherein one or more of the following are arranged above the conveyor: the feed segment of the guide, the delivery segment of the guide, the consolidating means, or the tube transfer device.

12. A spinning preparation machine, comprising: a consolidating means for producing a roving with a protective twist from a fiber bundle supplied to the consolidating means; a drafting system upstream of the consolidating means in a transport direction of the fiber bundle to draft the fiber bundle; a guide arranged longitudinally between the drafting system and a container that provides the fiber bundle to the drafting system, the guide comprising a feed segment opposite from the drafting system and a delivery segment; a winding device disposed downstream of the consolidating means to wind the roving onto a tube; a tube transport device disposed to provide empty tubes to the winding device or remove tubes loaded with roving from the winding device; wherein the tube transport device comprises at least one conveyor to transport the empty tubes or remove the tubes loaded with roving, the conveyor operatively arranged at least in part between the feed segment of the guide and the drafting system; a tube transfer device operatively disposed to transfer the empty tubes from the tube transport device to the winding device or the tubes loaded with roving from the winding device to the transport device; and wherein one or both of the winding device or the tube transfer device are arranged at least in part below one or all of the guide, the drafting system, or the consolidating means.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages of the invention are described in the following exemplary embodiments, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view of a spinning preparation machine according to the invention, and,

(3) FIG. 2 is a top view of a spinning preparation machine according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) Reference will now be made to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are shown in the drawings. Each embodiment is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For example features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be combined with another embodiment to yield still another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations to the embodiments described herein.

(5) FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a spinning preparation machine 1 according to the invention in the form of an air-jet spinning machine that stands on a shop floor 20 and produces roving 3. The spinning preparation machine 1 preferably comprises a drafting system 5 with a plurality of corresponding drafting system rollers (only one of the two feed rollers 15 arranged in the input area of the drafting system 5 is provided with a reference number) that is supplied with a fiber bundle 4, for instance in the form of a doubled drafter sliver.

(6) The fiber bundle 4 generally originates from a container 7 (e.g. a sliver can) and is fed to the drafting system 5, preferably after passing over a guide roller 21, via a guide 6, wherein the guide 6 may be embodied for instance as a longitudinal profile. In principle the guide 6 comprises a feed segment 8 adjacent to the container 7, a delivery segment 9 adjacent to the drafting system 5, and a guide segment 14 disposed therebetween for supporting the fiber bundle 4 at least from below.

(7) The illustrated spinning preparation machine 1 also comprises a consolidating means, spaced apart from the drafting system 5. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the consolidating means is in the form of an air spinning nozzle 2 having an internal vortex chamber (known from prior art and therefore not shown) and a yarn-forming element (likewise known from the prior art and therefore likewise not shown) in the form of a hollow spindle that projects into the vortex chamber. In the vortex chamber, the fiber bundle 4 or at least a portion of the fibers in the fiber bundle 4 are provided with a protective twist by means of a swirled air flow generated by air nozzles in the vortex chamber.

(8) The spinning preparation machine 1 may furthermore comprise a draw-off unit for the roving 3, with preferably two draw-off rollers, downstream of the drafting system 5 in the transport direction T (the draw-off unit is not absolutely necessary and is therefore not shown in the drawings). Moreover, a winding device 10 is present that preferably receives at least two tubes 11 and with which it is possible to wind the roving 3 onto a tube 11, the roving 3 being guided by means of a traversing unit 18 that can be moved back and forth in the direction of the double arrow shown in FIG. 1. The winding device 10 may in particular comprise a platform 17 that can be rotated by means of a drive and on which the tubes 11 may be fixed using corresponding holding devices (not shown), wherein the holding devices, and thus also the respective tubes 11, may be caused to rotate, preferably via separate drives.

(9) The spinning preparation machine 1 depicted and embodied as an example as an air-jet spinning machine works according to a special air-jet spinning method. For forming the roving 3, the fiber bundle 4 is guided in the aforesaid transport direction T via an inlet opening (not shown) into the vortex chamber of the air spinning nozzle 2. There it is given a protective twist, that is to say at least a portion of the fibers of the fiber bundle 4 is grasped by the aforesaid swirled air flow, which is created by suitably placed spinning air channels. A portion of the fibers is thereby pulled at least a little way out of the fiber bundle 4 and is wound around the tip of the yarn forming element which protrudes into the vortex chamber.

(10) Finally, the fibers of the fiber bundle 4 are drawn out of the vortex chamber via an inlet opening of the yarn forming element and a draw-off channel which is arranged inside the yarn forming element and adjoins the inlet opening. In doing so, the free fiber ends are finally also drawn on a helical trajectory in the direction of the inlet opening and wrap as wrapping fibers around the centrally running core fibers, resulting in a roving 3 which has the desired protective twist.

(11) Due to the only partial twisting of the fibers, the roving 3 has a draftability which is essential for the further processing of the roving 3 in a downstream spinning machine, for example a ring spinning machine. Conventional air-jet spinning devices, on the other hand, give the fiber bundle 4 such a pronounced twist that the required drafting following yarn production is no longer possible. This is also desired in this case since conventional air-jet spinning machines 1 are designed to produce a finished yarn, which is generally intended to be characterized by a high strength.

(12) As explained in the foregoing, after leaving the air spinning nozzle 2, the roving 3 is wound onto a tube 11 by means of the winding device 10. If the specific tube 11 is adequately loaded with roving 3, it is exchanged for an empty tube 11, wherein the aforesaid platform 17 is rotated for this purpose about a preferably vertical rotational axis until the empty tube 11 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in the position of the loaded tube 11 shown in FIG. 1 and vice versa.

(13) While the empty tube 11 is being loaded with roving 3 following this tube exchange, a tube transfer device 16 is activated that transfers the loaded tube 11 to a conveyor 13 (for instance in the form of a conveyor belt) of a tube transport device 12 that finally transports the tube 11 to a removal location (not shown). This conveyor 13, a plurality of which may be present, preferably includes a plurality of tube holders 19 by which the tubes 11 may be held during their transport. Once the loaded tube 11 has been transported away, the position on the platform 17 of the winding device 10 that has been freed up by this may be occupied by a new, empty tube 11, the tube transfer device 16 preferably accomplishing this.

(14) Alternatively, it would also naturally be possible to eliminate the tube transfer device 16. Likewise, the winding device 10 could also have only one holding device for one tube 11.

(15) In accordance with the invention, it is now suggested that, in a top view of the spinning preparation machine 1 shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor(s) 13 is or are arranged, at least in part between the feed segment 8 of the guide 6 and the drafting system 5. In particular the conveyor(s) 13 should be supported in the area of the so-called shop floor 20 so that it/they, in the side view of the spinning preparation machine 1 shown in FIG. 1, is/are disposed below the guide 6.

(16) In addition, it is advantageous when the conveyor(s) 13 is/are arranged between the feed segment 8 of the guide 6 or the container 7 and the delivery segment 9 of the guide 6, the guide 6 spanning the conveyor(s) 13 in a bridge-like manner. The fiber bundle 4 is now guided from behind via the conveyor(s) 13 and finally travels in the front region of the spinning preparation machine 1 into the drafting system 5 and ultimately into the air spinning nozzle 2.

(17) As FIG. 2 shows, the winding device 10, the traversing unit 18, and the tube transfer device 16 may be arranged to the side of the drafting system 5 or air spinning nozzle 2. In this case, the result is a particularly space-saving arrangement of the individual elements.

(18) Furthermore, the drafting system 5, the air spinning nozzle 2, and also the guide 6 should be placed above the winding device 10, the traversing unit 18, the tube transfer device 16, and/or the conveyor(s) 13 to utilize the free space above the aforesaid elements.

(19) Finally, the above description is referenced with respect to the possible mutual arrangements of the individual segments (feed segment 8, guide segment 14, delivery segment 9, drafting system 5, air spinning nozzle 2, traversing unit 18, winding device 10, tube transfer device 16, conveyor(s) 13) so that the mutual arrangement depicted in the drawings shall be construed only as an example.

(20) The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments that have been shown and described. Modifications within the scope of the patent claims are also possible, as is any combination of the described features, even if they are shown and described in different parts of the description or the claims or in different exemplary embodiments.

REFERENCE LIST

(21) 1 Spinning preparation machine 2 Air spinning nozzle 3 Roving 4 Fiber bundle 5 Drafting system 6 Guide 7 Container 8 Feed segment 9 Delivery segment 10 Winding device 11 Tube 12 Tube transport device 13 Conveyor 14 Guide segment 15 Input roller 16 Tube transfer device 17 Platform 18 Traversing unit 19 Tube holder 20 Shop floor 21 Guide roller T Transport direction