Patent ID: 7735204

Claim:
A textile processing assembly for texturing and heatsetting a moving length of ply-twisted yarn, said assembly comprising: (a) a pair of feed rollers adapted for engaging and moving the yarn downstream away from a supply creel; (b) a textile stuffer box downstream of said feed rollers, and comprising: (i) a housing having an entrance and an exit, and comprising cooperating chamber-forming surfaces defining an internal crimping chamber for receiving and accumulating the ply-twisted yarn; (ii) an adjustable sliding gate defining at least one of said chamber-forming surfaces adjacent the exit of said housing; and (iii) means for releasably locking a position of said gate to selectively enlarge and narrow the exit of said housing, whereby selective adjustment of said gate operates to control axial compression of yarn accumulating inside of said crimping chamber; (c) a climate chamber downstream of said stuffer box, and adapted for heat-setting the ply-twisted yarn; (d) means for conveying the yarn downstream from said stuffer box and through said climate chamber; and (e) a take-up winder downstream of said climate chamber for collecting the processed yarn.