Abstract
A spinning beam for producing melt-spun filaments, in which liquid plastics material is conveyed via an externally arranged extruder to at least one pump, which conveys the liquid plastics material to at least one spin pack having a spinneret, at least the pump and the spin pack being heated by a heat transfer medium which is heated in a boiler. The pump, the boiler and an opening for receiving a spin pack are arranged in a modular assembly, which can be installed and fixed singly, or in a plurality one behind the other, in a frame of the spinning beam.
Claims
1. A spinning beam for producing melt-spun filaments, comprising: a frame; at least one spin pack having a spinneret; an externally arranged extruder to convey liquid plastics material; at least one pump arranged to receive the liquid plastics material from the externally arranged extruder and to convey the liquid plastics material to the at least one spin pack; a boiler to heat a heat transfer medium, wherein at least the pump and the spin pack are arranged to be heated by the heat transfer medium and wherein at least the pump, the boiler and structure defining at least one opening for receiving the at least one spin pack, respectively, are arranged in at least one modular assembly installed installable and fixable singly, or in a plurality one behind the other, in the frame of a spinning beam.
2. The spinning beam according to claim 1, wherein the at least one modular assembly includes a suspension comprising at least two cross-members.
3. The spinning beam according to claim 2, further comprising at least one heat chamber, wherein the cross-members are connected to the at least one heat chamber to form the at least one opening for receiving the at least one spin pack, respectively.
4. The spinning beam according to claim 1, wherein the frame includes a long side and the pump is arranged horizontally and transversely, or perpendicularly, to the long side of the frame.
5. The spinning beam according to claim 1, wherein the frame includes a long side and the boiler is arranged horizontally and transversely, or perpendicularly, to the long side of the frame.
6. A spinning beam arrangement including the spinning beam according to claim 1, and further comprising a framework outside of the spinning beam and a drive including a drive shaft arranged on the framework to drive the pump.
7. A spinning beam arrangement including the spinning beam according to claim 1, wherein the modular assembly comprises a plurality of modular assemblies forming the spinning beam, and further comprising a vacuum station and a condenser connected by pipes to all the boilers.
8. The spinning beam according to claim 1, further comprising pipes connecting the boilers to one another.
9. The spinning beam according to claim 1, further comprising at least one vertically arranged pipe having a flange connection to guide the liquid plastics material to the at least one pump.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spinning beam of modular construction;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner structure of a spinning beam;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spinning beam having a plurality of modular assemblies arranged side by side;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a side view of a spinning beam having a plurality of modular assemblies arranged side by side.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a spinning beam 1 of modular construction which has a peripheral frame 2 on which all the important components are arranged or fixed. The frame 2 is formed by a peripheral U- or double-T-shaped carrier, in which a modular assembly 20a (FIG. 2) can be mounted or installed. The frame 2 is of rectangular construction and has two narrow sides 2a and two long sides 2b. Openings 23a, 23b, 23c for spin packs which are to be installed are arranged inside the modular assembly 20a and can be closed by covers 3a, 3b, 3c and insulators, which are arranged on the frame 2. Outside the spinning beam 1 there is arranged a drive 4 for a pump 24, it being possible for the drive 4 to be connected to the pump 24 via a shaft 5. The pump 24 is arranged horizontally and transversely, or perpendicularly, to the long side of the spinning beam 1 and conveys the liquid plastics material through the nozzles of the spin packs. The drive 4 can be arranged outside the frame 2 on a framework which receives the spinning beam 1 of modular construction. Also arranged inside the spinning beam 1 is a boiler 25, which receives Diphyl, for example, as the heating medium. For heating the heat transfer medium, openings 26 are provided in the boiler 25, into which openings heating rods can be pushed. Both the boiler 25 and the openings 26 for the heating rods are closed to the outside by a respective cover 6, 7. Above the spinning beam 1 there is mounted a vacuum station 8 with a condenser 9, which are connected via a pipe 10 to a heat chamber 27a. The heat chamber 27a corresponds with at least one further heat chamber 27b, so that the spinnerets are enclosed on at least two sides, a circulating flow of the heating medium between the vacuum station 8, the heat chambers 27a, 27b and the boiler 25 being formed. Both the condenser 9 and the vacuum station 8 are fixed with their auxiliary components to the spinning beam 1. A heat transfer medium, for example Diphyl, is converted into a vapour state inside the boiler 25 by the heating rods, so that the vapour flows through the heat chambers 27a, 27b. A condensate that forms inside the heating circuit is guided back to the vacuum station 8 and to the condenser 9 via condensate lines.
[0023] FIG. 1 further shows a flange connection 11 for a pipe, via which liquid plastics material from an externally arranged extruder is conveyed to the pump 24. The flange connection 11 is likewise fixed to the spinning beam 1 and connected by means of pipes 12 to the pump 24 and the spinnerets. The spinning beam 1 further has a surface which can be walked on, beneath which an insulator 13 is arranged.
[0024] The modular assembly 20a according to FIG. 2 substantially comprises a suspension 21 which has at least two cross-members 21a, 21b, between which the heat chambers 27a, 27b and the openings 23a, 23b, 23c for the spin packs having the spinnerets are arranged. It will be seen that, in this embodiment, the spinning beam 1 is designed for three spin packs each having a spinneret, since each opening 23a, 23b, 23c is able to receive one spin pack. However, the spinning beam 1 can also be designed for only one spin pack, two spin packs, or for more than three spin packs. The spin packs are thus arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the spinning beam 1, in order to produce a variable number of spin-drawing systems. The heat chambers 27a, 27b are an integral part of the suspension 21 and connect the cross-members 21a, 21b together, so that a self-supporting modular assembly 20a is formed within the spinning beam 1. In order that the heat transfer medium is able to circulate, the heat chambers 27a, 27b are so connected to one another in the region of the cross-members 21a, 21b that the spin packs are also heated evenly on two further sides, the front faces. Supports 22a-22d with which the modular assembly 20a can be suspended in the frame 2 or in a framework are arranged on the cross-members 21a, 21b. On the opposite side to the heat chambers 27a, 27b, the boiler 25 is arranged horizontally on the cross-member 21b. For this purpose, angle profiles are in this embodiment arranged on a front face of the cross-member 21a, 21b, to which angle profiles the boiler 25 is adjustably fixed. The boiler 25 is so positioned, horizontally, that the openings 26 for the heating rods are accessible from a passage of a framework without further disassembly. For this purpose, the boiler 25 is arranged transversely, or perpendicularly, to a long side 2b of the frame 2, or to the long side 2b of the spinning beam 1. A further pipe 10 conveys the heat transfer medium away from the heat chamber 27b to the condenser 9.
[0025] The modular assembly 20a thus comprises the suspension 21, which is connected by the two cross-members 21a, 21b to the heat chambers 27a, 27b arranged therebetween. The heat chamber 27a is connected via a pipe 28 to the boiler 25, which is likewise part of the modular assembly 20a. A further part of the modular assembly 20a is the pump 24, which is arranged horizontally at or in the region of the heat chamber 27b and supplies extruded plastics material to all the spinnerets integrated into the assembly, and the pipe 10. The cross-members 21a, 21b further have supports 22a-22d, at which the modular assembly 20a can be suspended and fixed in the frame 2 or in a framework.
[0026] The pump 24, which is connected to the drive 4 via a shaft 5, is supplied via the pipe 12 with liquid plastics material from an extruder arranged outside the spinning beam 1. For this purpose, the liquid plastics material is guided via the flange connection 11 to the pump 24 and by the pump via further pipes to the spinnerets. It is an advantage that all the pipes that guide liquid plastics material to the spinnerets are arranged vertically, so that the liquid melt is prevented from flowing back to the extruder or to the pump 24 when components are replaced. Inside the pipes for liquid plastics material, for example the pipe 12, mixers which thoroughly mix the molten plastics material can be integrated at one or more locations.
[0027] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, four modular assemblies 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d are arranged on a frame 2 and form the spinning beam 1. Each modular assembly 20a-20d is suspended in the frame 2 with the two cross-members 21a, 21b, the supports 22a-22d resting on and being connected to a profile of the frame 2. In this embodiment, each modular assembly 20a-20d is able to receive two spin packs each having a spinneret, which can be installed in the openings 23a, 23b and closed by the covers 3a, 3b. Beneath the covers 3a, 3b, the spin packs can be insulated to the top by installable heating blocks which have a peripheral seal in order to avoid a chimney effect inside the opening 23a, 23b. The spin packs are arranged in parallel between the long sides 2b of the frame 2. A vacuum station 8 and a condenser 9 are connected to all the boilers 25 via pipes for the heat circuit of all the assemblies, a pipe 28 guiding the heat transfer medium from each boiler 25 to the heat chambers 27a. The boilers 25 are connected to one another via a pipe 14, so that the same heating circuit is obtained for each modular assembly 20a-20d, even in the case of a multiple arrangement. All the spin packs are supplied with liquid plastics material from an external extruder via a single flange connection 11. For this purpose there is provided a pipe 12 which, starting from the flange connection 11, guides the liquid plastics material to the pumps 24. The front side of the spinning beam 1, in the region of which the drives 4 are arranged, is easily accessible to the operating personnel for maintenance of the pumps 24, so that the heating rods in the boilers 25 can also be exchanged from this side. For this purpose, the boilers 25 are arranged horizontally and transversely, or perpendicularly, to the long side 2b of the frame 2. Because the pump 24 is also arranged horizontally and transversely, or perpendicularly, to the long side of the spinning beam 1, the entire spinning beam 1 can be maintained from one position. The two measures, namely the horizontal arrangement of the boiler 25 and of the pump 24 transversely, or perpendicularly, to the long side of the frame 2, permit a more compact construction of the spinning beam 1, because no space is required between the spin packs or between the assemblies for maintenance of the two components. Maintenance is carried out solely from the service passage of the framework, which has sufficient space for exchanging the long heating rods and the pumps 24.
[0028] It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and that the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.
