Apparatus and method for conditioning air-entangled yarn

A yarn conditioning apparatus for removing interlace nodes from a multifilament, crimped yarn, comprising:

• (a) a first yarn roll assembly for accepting the multifilament, interlaced yarn from a yarn supply at a predetermined yarn feed rate and outputting the yarn, the first yarn roll assembly comprising:
• an entry roll for accepting yarn from a yarn supply;
• a tension roll positioned in spaced-apart relation to the entry roll downstream therefrom;
• a feed roll positioned between the entry roll and the tension roll for being driven by a motor at the predetermined feed rate;
• and
• a nip belt extending around a belt path defined by complementary peripheral surfaces of the entry roll, tension roll and feed roll, wherein the yarn is fed by the entry roll into a nip at an infeed point of contact between the nip belt and the feed roll, positively fed between the nip belt and the feed roll and delivered at an outfeed point of contact between the nip belt and the feed roll downstream of the feed roll;
• and
• (b) a second yarn roll assembly having a yarn feed rate greater than the yarn feed rate of the first yarn roll assembly for accepting the output yarn from the first yarn roll assembly and stretching the yarn to a degree sufficient to remove interlace nodes from the yarn and outputting the conditioned yarn to downstream processes.