Patent DE-19945527-A1 (DE)
Title: Feed system for thermoplastic filaments at a texturizing assembly has at least one feed unit on a slide linked to a drive with a feed roller fitted with a peripheral zigzag filament track
Inventor: JASCHKE KLEMENS
IPC: D02G1/20
Filed: 1999-09-23
Abstract: The assembly to texturize a number of thermoplastic filaments has at least one filament feed (13) on a slide (32) which rides with a sliding unit (36) on a guide rail (33). The sliding unit (36) has a moving coupling (37), parallel to the guide rail (33), linked to the drive (38).  The coupling can be a magnet piston, moved by compressed air in a cylinder, with a magnetic bond at the sliding unit (36). Or the coupling is a draw cable (37). The drive (38) has a cylinder and piston connected to the draw cable (37), and the compressed air in the cylinder moves the piston to shift the cable (37). The draw cable (37) is of two cables, each passing round an upper (40) and a lower (39) roller, with one end attached to the drive piston and the other end secured to the sliding unit (36). The cylinder has an opening at each end, with a seal, for one of the cables to pass through. A control valve sets the speed and direction of the drive piston movement. A swing unit gives a relative movement between the slide and the sliding unit (36), to move the slide in and out of its working position. The slide unit (36) and a push unit are in succession at the guide rail (33), linked together by the swing unit. The swing unit has a swing axis and a swing arm, to link the slide and the push unit, with swivel joints at the ends of the swing arm. To give the relative movement, the push unit is moved to a limit stop at the end of the guide rail (33) in the working position. When the moving sliding unit (36) is at the push unit, the slide is deflected and is held in the deflected position by a self-clamping action of the sliding unit (36) and the push unit at the guide rail (33). The drive for the filament feed (30) is connected to an energy supply point in the working position. The filament feed (30) has a feed roller, with a zigzag yarn guide track round its circumference, as described in DE19652620. When in the working position, the feed roller is directly in front of the entry into a heating stage (18). When the feed roller (30) is in the deflected position, the filament length wound round it is more than when in the working sliding position. A filament guide alters the winding round the feed roller, with a relative movement in relation to the feed roller to move the filaments in and out of contact with the guide track round the roller. The guide and the feed roller transfer the filaments between them. The guide mechanism can have a guide plate extending to the zone where the filaments (4) are wound round the feed roller (30), with a symmetrical shape to the roller circumference. The guide plate has an entry and an exit filament guide, at a gap from each other round the periphery of the feed roller (30). The guides are at least partially at the feed roller circumference, where the filaments are wound round it at the peripheral guide track. The guide is connected to a swing arm, on a pivot bearing mounting on an extension of the feed roller (30) axis. The guide rides in a guide groove, concentric to the circumference of the feed roller (30). An Independent claim is included for a filament texturizing process, where the filaments are drawn by the effect of different filament feed speeds. The roller guide tracks apply friction contact to the filaments to give them a continuous feed movement, without slippage.