Spinning apparatus with pneumatic filament conveyor tube

Apparatus for the melt spinning and winding of synthetic polymer filaments which comprises a spinning nozzle for the melt spinning of said filaments in a downward direction, vertical, hollow shaft means immediately below said nozzle for passage of the freshly spun filaments longitudinally therethrough, means for supplying a cooling gas into said hollow shaft means to cool and solidify said filaments, said hollow shaft means having a restricted opening at its lower end for exit of the solidified filaments therefrom, winding means for winding said filaments into a package after their exit from said hollow shaft means and having catching means for catching said filaments to initiate the formation of a winding thereof, reciprocable filament traverse means for movement of said filaments back and forth across said winding, a filament guide preceding said traverse means which together coact to make the filament parts therebetween move through a triangular zone during the traverse of said traverse means with said guide at the upper apex of said triangular zone, pneumatic filament conveyor tube means extending from said restricted opening to an end in the proximity of said catching means, means for flowing gas through said tube means in a direction toward said end of said tube means to convey pneumatically the filaments from said shaft to said filament catching means, and said tube means having a longitudinal slot extending from said end to at least the proximity of said filament guide, said slot facing said winding means, whereby filaments are conveyed through said tube means until they are caught by said filament catching means whereafter, under the tension brought about as said filaments begin to be wound on said package, the filaments are withdrawn from said tube means through said slot.