Method and apparatus for producing and drawing-off a web-shaped product, particularly a woven fabric web

An apparatus for drawing-off a woven fabric from a weaving machine, wherein the apparatus comprises:

• an apparatus frame;
• a guide supported on the apparatus frame;
• a first clamp carrier that carries a first fabric clamp, and a second clamp carrier that carries a second fabric clamp, wherein the first and second clamp carriers are arranged to be movable along the guide back-and-forth parallel to a drawing-off direction of the woven fabric web;
• a first pair of drive spindles operatively connected to the first clamp carrier to be adapted to move the first clamp carrier independently of the second clamp carrier along the guide in a first motion range, and a second pair of drive spindles operatively connected to the second clamp carrier to be adapted to move the second clamp carrier independently of the first clamp carrier along the guide in a second motion range, wherein the first and second pairs of drive spindles are respectively arranged with a drawing-off centerline in an area between the drive spindles of the first pair and between the drive spindles of the second pair, wherein the apparatus is configured and adapted to draw-off the woven fabric web with a web center of the woven fabric web extending along the drawing-off centerline;
• four drive motors that are respectively individually operatively connected to the individual drive spindles of the first and second pairs to be adapted to respectively drive the drive spindles;
• and
• a clamp controller configured to control an opening and a closing of the first fabric clamp and of the second fabric clamp so that at least either one of the fabric clamps is closed at all times during the drawing-off of the woven fabric web.

A method comprising the steps:

• a) with a weaving machine, producing a woven fabric web to include main web sections and auxiliary web sections successively alternating with one another, wherein the woven fabric web being produced exits from an outlet of the weaving machine;
• b) downstream from the outlet of the weaving machine, grasping a first one of the auxiliary web sections with a first fabric clamp at a first position, and while the first auxiliary web section is grasped by the first fabric clamp moving the first fabric clamp in a drawing-off direction away from the outlet of the weaving machine from the first position to a second position to apply a controlled tension onto the woven fabric web between the first fabric clamp and the outlet of the weaving machine and to draw-off the woven fabric web in the drawing-off direction away from the outlet of the weaving machine;
• c) while the first auxiliary web section is still grasped by the first fabric clamp after the step b), additionally grasping the first auxiliary web section with a second fabric clamp at a third position on a side of the first fabric clamp away from the outlet of the weaving machine in the drawing-off direction;
• d) while the first auxiliary web section is still grasped by the second fabric clamp after the step c), releasing the first fabric clamp from the first auxiliary web section, moving the first fabric clamp opposite the drawing-off direction back to the first position, and at the first position grasping a second one of the auxiliary web sections with the first fabric clamp;
• e) while the second auxiliary web section is still grasped by the first fabric clamp after the step d), moving the first fabric clamp in the drawing-off direction from the first position to the second position to apply the controlled tension onto the woven fabric web between the first fabric clamp and the outlet of the weaving machine and to draw-off the woven fabric web in the drawing-off direction away from the outlet of the weaving machine, while also still grasping the first auxiliary web section with the second fabric clamp and moving the second fabric clamp in the drawing-off direction to a fourth position;
• f) while the first auxiliary web section is still grasped by the second fabric clamp after the step e), releasing the first fabric clamp from the second auxiliary web section, moving the first fabric clamp opposite the drawing-off direction back to the first position, and at the first position grasping a third one of the auxiliary web sections with the first fabric clamp;
• g) while the third auxiliary web section is still grasped by the first fabric clamp after the step f), moving the first fabric clamp in the drawing-off direction from the first position to the second position to exert the controlled tension onto the woven fabric web between the first fabric clamp and the outlet of the weaving machine and to draw-off the woven fabric web in the drawing-off direction away from the outlet of the weaving machine;
• and
• h) while the third auxiliary web section is still grasped by the first fabric clamp after the step g), releasing the second fabric clamp from the first auxiliary web section, moving the second fabric clamp opposite the drawing-off direction back to the third position, and additionally grasping the third auxiliary web section with the second fabric clamp at the third position;
• wherein:
• the grasping and the releasing of the respective auxiliary web sections by the fabric clamps are initiated only while a subsequent one of the auxiliary web sections is being produced and not while any one of the main web sections is being produced,
• at least either one of the fabric clamps is grasping at least one of the auxiliary web sections at all times during the steps b) to h), and
• the controlled tension is applied and maintained by the first fabric clamp moving in the drawing-off direction while each one of the main web sections is being produced.