Process for laying down continuous material

An apparatus for forming meanders in a continuous spinning tow running in a plane comprising a single rotating wheel and meander-forming and -releasing means comprising:

• reversing elements (2) arranged generally in a circle on the surface and around the periphery of the wheel (1) and, between each pair of reversing elements (2), a guide groove (3) in wheeel (1) for guiding a catching device (5);
• movable catching devices (5), each catching device (5) arranged on a fork (4) sliding in a guide groove (3), and mechanical actuating means for the catching devices (5), each catching device (5) having an initial position, outside of the plane in which the continuous spinning tow is running and in closely spaced relation to the periphery of the wheel, and being movable from this initial position radially inwardly toward the axis of the wheel and into said plane;
• each fork (4) being fastened to the wheel (1) via a first joint (6), a connecting rod (7), and a pillow block (8);
• said mechanical actuating means including means for:
• sequentially moving the catching devices (5) to a relatively radially inward position from their initial position while also moving the catching devices into the plane in which the spinning tow is running thereby catching the spinning tow and forming a first meander of a sequential series of meanders in said spinning tow, each meander extending from a reversing element (2) to a catching device (5) which is in the relatively radially inward position, and
• moving each catching device (5) back toward its initial position after the catching device has rotated more than 60.degree. of the circumference of the wheel (1), thereby releasing the meander;
• the actuating means for each catching device (5) including a slide rod (10) for driving each fork (4) via a second joint (11);
• the slide rod (10) sliding in a corresponding track (14), and the motion cycle of the slide rod (10) being determined by a cam disk (13) via a cam roller (12).