Patent ID: 7363842
Filing Date: 2008-04-29
Classification: C03B,D01G,Y02P,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A system for separating long lengths of unwound item(s) selected from the group consisting of fibers, fiber strands, string, yarn, wire, tape and ribbon into short pieces comprising a frame, a rotatable backup roll outboard of one side of the frame, the backup roll having a peripheral working layer with a peripheral working surface, a rotatable blade roll outboard of the side of the frame, a blade roll having a plurality of sharp edges spaced apart around its periphery for contact with and penetration of said items and into the peripheral working layer, a pivoting arm holding a starter roll near the end of the arm, an idler roll, and a set of pull rolls comprised of two rolls that form a nip where an outer peripheral surface of one of the two rolls makes contact with an outer peripheral surface of the other roll, the system capable of starting a new unwound item into the system with the pivoting arm and starter roll without interfering with other lengths of unwound item(s) running into the system, the improvement comprising one or both of the features of (a) a second starter roll located on a dogleg arm attached to or integral with the pivoting arm to keep a waste portion of the new unwound item off of a working surface of the peripheral working layer of the backup roll and, (b) an item guide aid mounted above and close to one of the rolls of the set of pull rolls, the item guide attached to a pull roll frame or a guard for the set of pull rolls and comprising an angled member having a strand contacting surface extending downward at an angle towards the nip for guiding a new item coming from the starter roll into the nip.