Unwind and feed system for elastomeric thread
AssigneeOverEnd Technologies LLC
InventorRichard J. Hartzheim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An overend unwind system for unwinding tacky elastomeric fiber threads such as uncoated spandex thread, capturing the ballooning affect of the thread as the thread leaves the spool, applying a first-stage tension control on the thread adjacent where the thread leaves the spool, feeding the unwound thread to a nip in a downstream process, and applying a final tension increment to the thread adjacent where the thread enters the downstream process. All thread guide surfaces encountered by the thread after leaving the spool, and while the thread is under designed operating tension, are moving surfaces, such that the tensioned thread thereby experiences a reduced level of drag as the thread traverses its path of travel from the spool to the downstream process.
Claims57
An unwind and feed system adapted for overend unwinding of an elastic thread from a package of such thread, and adapted for feeding such unwound thread in a downstream direction, along a thread feed path, to a downstream process, said unwind and feed system comprising:
- (a) a thread package holder adapted to hold a package of such elastic thread;
- and
- (b) a plurality of thread guides disposed along the thread feed path, between such package of such elastic thread and such downstream process, said plurality of thread guides being adapted to guide such elastic thread as such elastic thread is moving along the thread feed path, said plurality of thread guides comprising
- (i) as first and second thread guides, respective first and second elongate rollers arranged at a generally common distance from said thread package holder, in upright orientations, said first and second elongate rollers being in close proximity to each other, and having axes of rotation parallel to each other,
- (ii) as a third thread guide, a third elongate roller disposed downstream, along the thread feed path, from said first and second thread guides, and
- (iii) as a fourth thread guide, a fourth elongate roller located proximate said third roller,
- said third and fourth elongate rollers being disposed in generally horizontal orientations, and parallel to each other
- said third roller being between said fourth roller and said first and second rollers, such that a thread advancing from such thread package first encounters at least one of said first and second rollers, and subsequently encounters said third roller, and after encountering said third roller, encounters said fourth roller.
An unwind and feed system adapted for drawing an elastic thread from a package of such thread, and feeding such unwound thread in a downstream direction, along a thread feed path, to a downstream process, said unwind and feed system comprising:
- (a) a thread package holder adapted to hold a package of such elastic thread;
- (b) a plurality of thread guides disposed along the thread feed path, between said thread package holder and such downstream process, said plurality of thread guides being adapted to guide such elastic thread as such elastic thread is moving along the thread feed path,
- said plurality of thread guides comprising
- as first and second thread guides, first and second elongate rollers arranged at a generally common distance from said thread package holder, in upright orientations, said first and second elongate rollers being in close proximity to each other, and having axes of rotation parallel to each other,
- as a third thread guide, a third elongate roller disposed downstream, along the thread feed path, from said first and second thread guides
- as a fourth thread guide, a fourth elongate roller located proximate said third roller,
- said third and fourth elongate rollers being disposed in generally horizontal orientations, and parallel to each other,
- said third roller being between said fourth roller and said first and second rollers, such that a thread advancing from such thread package first encounters at least one of said first and second rollers, and subsequently encounters said third roller, and after encountering said third roller, encounters said fourth roller;
- and
- (c) a terminal tensioning device which acts on such elastic thread in the thread feed path within 3 meters of a locus where the thread feed path joins such downstream process, said terminal tensioning device being adapted to modify tension in such elastic thread.
An unwind and feed system adapted for overend unwinding of a thread from a package of such thread, and feeding such unwound thread in a downstream direction, along a thread feed path, to a downstream process, said unwind and feed system comprising:
- (a) a package holder adapted to hold a package of thread;
- (b) a thread capture assembly adapted to capture loping thread being drawn overend off such package of thread, said capture assembly comprising
- (i) first and second elongate rollers arranged at a generally common distance from said thread package holder, in upright orientations, said first and second elongate rollers being in close proximity to each other, and having axes of rotation parallel to each other and reside in a common plane, and serving as initial contact elements for such thread being drawn overend off such package of thread,
- (ii) a third elongate roller disposed downstream, along the thread feed path, from said first and second elongate rollers, and
- (iii) a fourth elongate roller located proximate said third roller,
- said first, second, third, and fourth rollers having corresponding first, second, third, and fourth moving thread-engaging surfaces which are adapted to move in directions corresponding to a longitudinal direction of movement of such thread when such thread-engaging surfaces are driven by motive forces imposed on such thread-engaging surfaces by such thread, and which are adapted to capture such loping thread,
- said third and fourth rollers being disposed in generally horizontal orientations, and parallel to each other, said third roller being between said fourth roller and said first and second rollers, such that a thread advancing from such thread package first encounters at least one of said first and second rollers, and subsequently encounters said third roller, and after encountering said third roller, encounters said fourth roller
- said thread capture assembly being effective to capture both horizontal and vertical vectors of such loping thread, and
- (c) a plurality of dynamic thread guides disposed along the thread feed path downstream of said thread capture assembly, and between said thread capture assembly and such downstream process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.