Apparatus and method for heat-setting carpet yarns with hot atmospheric air

Abstract

An apparatus and method for texture heat-setting bulk continuous filament (BCF) yarns in hot air heat-setting machines that includes a preheating device/step using a mixture of steam and atmospheric air to preheat a twisted BCF yarn bundle to develop crimp memory and provide cohesion to the twisted BCF yarn bundle. Yarn bundle cohesion during texture heat-setting helps to avoid frequent breaks at the winder of the hot air heat-setting machine. The addition of the preheating device/step significantly improves the ability of hot air heat-setting machines to maintain continuous operation during texture setting of BCF yarns and makes the hot air heat-setting method commercially viable for this application.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.