Apparatus and method for forming yarn balls

Apparatus for forming bound together yarn lengths for use in forming yarn balls comprising

• a. a forming wheel supported for rotation and including a plurality of ball forming stations equally spaced about the periphery of said wheel,
• b. drive means for moving said forming wheel in a step-by-step manner a distance equal to the distance between successive forming stations,
• c. means for guiding a bundle of yarns in tangential alignment with the path of movement of said forming stations so that the bundle of yarns engages and extends between a plurality of said spaced apart forming stations,
• d. binder applying means located adjacent the periphery of said forming wheel and in alignment with successive forming stations between movements of said forming wheel for compressing and applying a binder element around the bundles of yarns at successive forming stations as said forming stations move into alignment therewith,
• e. cutter means positioned adjacent the periphery of said forming wheel and spaced from said binder applying means for successively cutting the bundle of yarns between successive forming stations and following each step of movement of said forming wheel, and
• f. stripper means spaced from said cutter means for successively removing the cut bundles of yarn bound by said binder element.

A method for forming relatively short yarn bundles for use in making yarn balls while utilizing a series of successive work stations at which the various procedures incident to formation of the yarn bundles are performed, said method comprising the step of

• a. arranging a multiplicity of yarns into a generally parallel, composite arrangement,
• b. feeding the composite yarn arrangement in a step-by-step manner while successively gripping and confining the composite yarn arrangement at a plurality of spaced points therealong, the distance between said spaced points being equal to the desired length of the yarn bundles being formed,
• c. successively applying a binder element around the composite yarn arrangement at each of said gripped and confined spaced apart points along the length of the yarns, and
• d. severing the composite yarn arrangement between adjacent binder elements to form the composite yarn arrangement into relatively short yarn bundles.