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US 6,869,004 B2Granted
High-speed fiber feed assembly
AssigneeNeptco JV LLC
InventorsJames R. Priest, Frederick R. Vees, Christopher S. Garrett, David V. Stotler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The fiber feed assembly includes one or more dampening bars arranged between a fiber source and an intake assembly that guides the fiber into an elongated feed tube through which the fiber is transferred for additional processing. The spacing and orientation of the dampening bar(s) relative to both the fiber source and the intake assembly may adjusted to control the fiber tension and remove fiber loops before the fiber enters the feed tube to reduce fiber breakage and machine downtime.
Claims42
A fiber feed system comprising:
- a fiber source from which a fiber is drawn;
- a dampening bar assembly having a surface portion for receiving and contacting the fiber being drawn from the fiber source;
- an intake housing arranged to receive the fiber from the dampening bar assembly, the intake housing providing a large front opening through which the fiber enters the intake housing and a small rear opening through which the fiber exits the intake housing;
- a feed tube having an inlet arranged adjacent the rear opening of the intake housing to receive the exiting fiber and an outlet;
- and
- a fiber processing apparatus to receive and process the fiber exiting from the feed tube outlet;
- wherein,
- the dampening bar assembly comprises a first dampening bar and a second dampening bar, each of the dampening bars being generally cylindrical and characterized by a longitudinal axis and a diameter,
- the first and second dampening bars being arranged so that their longitudinal axes are both substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the fiber being drawn from the fiber source, the fiber making contact with both a first rounded outer surface on the first dampening bar and with a second rounded outer surface on the second dampening bar before entering the intake housing.
6 more elements
A fiber feed system comprising:
- a plurality of fiber sources fro which a plurality of fibers are drawn;
- a dampening bar assembly having a plurality of rounded surface portions across which the fibers are drawn from the fiber sources;
- a plurality of intake housings arranged to receive one or more of the fibers from the dampening bar assembly, each intake housing providing a large front opening through which one or more fibers enters the intake housing and a small rear opening though which the one or more fibers exits the intake housing;
- a plurality of fee tubes, each feed tube having an inlet arranged at the rare opening of one of the intake housings to receive the exiting fiber or fibers and an outlet;
- and
- a fiber processing apparatus arranged to receive the fiber or fibers exiting from one or more of the feed tube outlets;
- wherein,
- the plurality of fiber sources are arranged in a creel that holds the fiber sources in a predetermined orientation with respect to the intake housings;
- the fiber sources, dampening bar assembly and intake housing are arranged in a generally vertically aligned orientation wherein
- the fiber sources are arranged generally below the dampening bar assembly and
- the dampening bar assembly is arranged generally below the intake housing;
- and further wherein,
- a first ratio between a first distance between the fibers sources and the dampening bar assembly and a second distance between the dampening bar assembly and the intake housing is at least 10.
10 more elements
A fiber feed system comprising:
- a fiber source from which a fiber is drawn;
- a dampening bar assembly including at least a first dampening bar, the first dampening bar defining an elongate member between a first terminal end and a second terminal end and being generally cylindrical and characterized by a longitudinal axis, the first dampening bar having at least a portion of a first outer surface configured to receive and to contact the fiber being drawn from the fiber source;
- an intake housing arranged to receive the fiber from the first dampening bar, the intake housing providing a front opening through which the fiber enters the intake housing and a rear opening through which the fiber exits the intake housing;
- and
- a feed tube having an inlet arranged adjacent the rear opening of the intake housing to receive the exiting fiber and an outlet.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.