Chemical stripping apparatus and method

An apparatus for forming a loop in a section of a filament, said apparatus comprising:

• a container including a front wall having a front guide slot formed therein and a rear wall having a rear guide slot formed therein coplanar and parallel to said front guide slot each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot having opposing ends, said container further including a floor containing at least one slit formed between said front wall and said rear wall and parallel thereto;
• a first gripper including a stationary elastomer roller and a positionable cylinder holding a filament therebetween, at a first location thereof, said stationary elastomer roller rotatably mounted from said front wall to said rear wall adjacent one end of each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot, said positionable cylinder mounted, adjacent said stationary elastomer roller, between said front guide slot and said rear guide slot for repositioning therein;
• and
• a second gripper including a movable elastomer roller and a movable cylinder holding the filament therebetween, at a second location adjacent the opposing end of each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot, said second filament gripper having a separation from said first filament gripper, said second gripper moving in said guide slot towards said first gripper to reduce said separation bringing said first location closer to said second location thereby producing a loop of filament between said first gripper and said second gripper.

An apparatus for removing resin from a resin coated filament, said apparatus comprising:

• a container including a front wall having a front guide slot formed therein and a rear wall having a rear guide slot formed therein coplanar and parallel to said front guide slot, each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot having opposing ends, said container further including a floor containing at least one slit formed between said front wall and said rear wall and parallel thereto;
• a first gripper holding a filament at a first location thereof, said first gripper mounted from said front wall to said rear wall at an end of each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot;
• a movable gripper holding the filament at a second location thereof, said movable gripper having a separation from said first gripper, said movable gripper mounted from said front wall to said rear wall adjacent to the opposing end of each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot to move towards said first gripper to reduce said separation bringing said first location closer to said second location thereby producing a loop of filament between said first gripper and said moveable gripper, said loop of filament extending through said at least one slit to below said floor;
• and
• a reservoir having a solvent therein to surround at least a portion of said loop of filament, extending below said floor to dissolve resin from said portion of said loop.

An apparatus for removing resin from a resin coated filament, said apparatus comprising:

• a container including a front wall having a front guide slot formed therein and a rear wall having a rear guide slot formed therein coplanar and parallel to said front guide slot each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot having opposing ends, said container further including a floor containing at least one slit formed between said front wall and said rear wall and parallel thereto;
• a first gripper including a stationary elastomer roller and a positionable cylinder holding a filament therebetween, at a first location thereof, said stationary elastomer roller rotatably mounted from said front wall to said rear wall adjacent one end of each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot, said positionable cylinder mounted, adjacent said stationary elastomer roller, between said front guide slot and said rear guide slot for repositioning therein;
• a second gripper including a movable elastomer roller and a movable cylinder holding the filament therebetween, at a second location adjacent the opposing end of each of said front guide slot and said rear guide slot, said second filament gripper having a separation from said first filament gripper, said second gripper moving in said guide slot towards said first gripper to reduce said separation bringing said first location closer to said second location thereby producing a loop of filament between said first gripper and said second gripper, said loop of filament extending through said at least one slit to below said floor;
• and
• a reservoir having a solvent therein to surround at least a portion of said loop of filament, extending below said floor to dissolve resin from said at least a portion of said loop.