Shedding method and apparatus using air pressure

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for producing a woven material from tape-like warps and wefts are disclosed, comprising a warp supply source for tape-like warps; a shed forming device to form a shed by said warps; a weft insertion device for inserting tape-like weft in the shed formed by said warps; and a take-up device for taking-up the produced woven material. Each of the warps extend in warp paths between the warp supply source and the take-up device. Further, the shed forming device comprises an air pressure system arranged to apply pressure on the face of at least some of the warps in an intermediate position of the warp paths, between the warp supply source and the take-up device, the applied air pressure being sufficient to displace said at least some warps in essentially the thickness direction of the tape-like warps.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.