Patent ID: 7120976

Claim:
A process for laying fiber bands of filaments to form fiber arrangements via changeably moveable weft layers or diagonal layers composed of fiber bands that are stretched in different laying directions between two transport chains equipped with guide hooks and retainer needles, said process comprising: individually spreading the fiber bands, which are guided by guide elements of the weft layer or diagonal layer, crosswise over both transport chains; depositing the fiber bands onto the transport chains; forming into each of the fiber bands a direction change fold that has a lower strand, an upper strand and an apex, wherein a start of the lower strands and an end of the upper strands of the direction change folds are fixed in gaps between the guide hooks; the formation of the direction change fold comprising: executing a racking for the fiber bands in a direction change phase of the weft layer or diagonal layer; and spreading out and hanging next to one another the apexes of the change direction folds into a row of retainer needles arranged close together and mainly directed horizontally outwards, wherein the retainer needles are wrapped through lowering and raising of the guide elements to fix the apexes of the change direction folds; and the formation of the upper strands of the direction change folds of a group comprising: inwardly moving a spreading edge of a stitch spreader, which is aligned parallel to a movement direction of the transport chains, from an outside position to directly above the retainer needles, such that the inward movement is crosswise to the movement direction of the transport chains and fixes the apexes in the gaps between the retaining needles; and moving the guide elements of the weft layers or diagonal layers, such that the upper strands are formed between the retainer needles and the guide elements of the weft layers or diagonal layers, wherein, during the execution of the racking, a width of the fiber bands is reduced, and, during the formation of the upper strand, the reduced width of the fiber bands is enlarged; and guiding cross sections of the upper strands of the direction change folds parallel to a plane of the retainer needles while generally keeping the sections of the fiber bands between the spreader edge and the guide elements pinned.