EP0259299A1 - Partial dyeing of yarns in wound form - Google Patents

Abstract

The thread presented on cattails is placed in supports on a rotary system (26) which alternately introduces the cattails into the printing means (36). There, the cattails are subjected to the injection of colored solutions by means of needles (35), and then to a clamping action by compression. After printing, the cattails are removed successively in synchronization with the system and are placed on a carriage (46) which arrives at a horizontal cylindrical autoclave (18) where the subsequent spraying operations are carried out for fixing the dye, the washing to remove residues of unfixed colors, and finally the extraction of most of the water still present in the cattails, by means of a combined vacuum and compressed air system.

Description

Partial dyeing of yarns in wound form.

The invention refers to improvements and modifications in the polychromatic printing systems of yarn on distaffs. The machine carries out in synchronism and automatically, with continuous cycle, the subsequent polychromatic printing operations, the colour fixing, washing and extraction of the most part of water present in the distaffs with yarns of any type of fibres whatever.

At present, in order to carry out all the above operations, separate machines are required which carry out printing, fixing, washing and the distaff extraction. The machinery now used for printing distaffs foresees but one injection phase and, consequently, it allows but limited printing results. All that because by means of only the injection, to avoid blank spaces, i.e. not coloured ones, in the inside of the distaffs, solutions in excess must be used. This causes colour leaking from the distaffs with consequent remarkable problems of colour percolation. In particular, the easy storing and trasport of the distaffs to the subsequent working phase are not possible. Moreover, this causes a medly of the coloured solutions with consequent unprecise and distontinuous printing effects. The invention device enables to avoid the present differentiated working compartments by adopting a machine which carries out the complete operating cycle of the polychromatic printing with variable sections of yarn in distaffs, thus obtaining a general operating simplification with consequent saving of costs, time and labour. In addition, it carries out a printing system which does not require the employ of the above solution in excess.

The machine synthetically consists of: a) an injection needle assembly which lays down the colour solutions by penetrating into the distaff inside; b) a squeezing and compressing device which equilizes the distribution of the coloured solutions; c) a colour cooking device consisting of some stocking containers and of as many dosing ones (a little smaller than the previous ones) for distributing the coloured solutions to the injecting needles; d) an autoclave foreseen for the different fixing, washing and print ed distaff extracting operations; e) a robotized and centralized system for automatic distaff charging and discharging.

Substantially the operation cycle foresees the positioning of the distaffs on housings 49 fitted in a rotating system 26 by means of a robot system 44 with arms, which carries out three different operations at the same time: taking up the distaff to print, in position 43, from the accumulation store 48; drawing of the printed distaff, in position 42, from the rotating system of the printing bench, and the laying down of the distaff separating plate in position 41. By means of a 45º rotation, the robot then carries out other three operations: it lays down the printed distaff on the distaff carrying chariot 46 of autoclave 18; it lays down the distaff to print on the seat fitted on the rotating system now become free after the previous operation; it draws away the plate separating the distaffs from the relevant plate store 45. The rotating system. foresees four positions: two working ones intercaleted with two other waiting ones. The distaff to print, fitted on the rotating system for charging and discharging 28, after the first waiting position 27, is raised by means of a piston 37 as high as the printing bench 24 and it here undergoes an injection action by means of four pneumatic assemblies 36 with needle injectors 35 and subsequently a squeezing and compression action by four pneumatic groups 31 complete with jaws 32. The distaff thus printed is laid down on the housing of the underlying rotating system by means of the same piston 37 which previously had taken it. From here, after a clockwise rotation of one place, it stops in the second waiting position 25, before returning into the charging-discharging position 28, while another distaff to print, coming from the first waiting position 27, reaches the printing position and from here it is drawn by the same piston 37 and brought up to the height of the printing bench 24, and it undergoes the injection and compression squeezing like the previous distaff. The printed distaff after a stop in the second waiting position 25, arrives in the loading-unloading position 28, is then taken away by the robot system 44 and put into the special lodging 47 of the distaff bearing chariot 46. In the now free lodging 28, a new distaff to print is positioned by the same robotized system 44 which cones from the distaff store 48, and a new printing phase is thus started. In this way, a distaff after the other is deposited in continuous cycle, printed, discharged from the printing machine and loaded on the chariot 46 of autoclave 18. The said distaff bearing chariot is foreseen for positioning more distaffs which are deposited by the robot system 44; when the load ing of the chariot is completed, this one is put into autoclave 18 to undergo the different operations, namely vaporization, washing and extraction. This because autoclave 18 is foreseen for carrying out these three operations automatically and in succession. As soon the distaff carrying chariot 46 has been introduc ed into autoclave 18, this one is hermetically closed, and the first operation starts, namely the vapourization for fixing the colouring materials.

By means of the pump 22 just foreseen for this purpose, the vacuum is obtained, checked by means of the relevant vacuumgauge 1; steam is then introduced directly through the opening of valve 11 into the autoclave until the pressure has been reestablished and as long as wished. As the vapourization is ended, the operation of the distaff washing starts, the discharge valve 14 is opened, then closed, and the breathing valve 3 opened. The required water quantity is introduced through valve 8, checking it by means of level probe 6. As the bath recirculation pump 23 is started, the water begins to be warmed through the heat exchanger 19, then is cooled and rinsed. After having discharged the machine through valve 14, the operation is started for extracting the most part of the water still remained on the distaffs. After having started the pump 22 with no load until the wished depression has been reached, checking it with the vacuum gauge 1, compressed air is introduced until the disired pressure has been reached by opening the valve 13 and checking it with gauge 2. The discharging valve 14 is then opened which allows the water exit. If necessary, this extraction operation can be repeated, otherwise the chariot 46 is extracted from the autoclave 18 and the distaffs sent to drying. The autoclave 18 is then ready for receiving another carriage 46 complete with printed distaffs for repeating the cycle.

The coloured solutions to the injecting needles 35 are fed by a colour kitchen consisting of some cylindrical containers 30 far the coloured solution stocking and through the relevant dividing containers 29 foreseen for establishing in advance the exact quantity of solution to inject. This occurs by means of the electronic preselectors, level gauges 40 and sensors 38. As soon as in the dividing containers 29 the wished level has been reached, compressed air is let into them determining a pressure established in advance and checked by means of gauges 39. This allows to transfer the whole quantity of solution selected in advance to the injecting needles 35 and from here on the distaff to print 5.

The input of the different coloured solutions to the needles 35 can be changed by exchanging, by means of quick connectors, the pipes coming from the colour kitchen and containing coloured substances, so as to obtain a variety of combinations. The possibility of establishing in advance the exact quantity of liquid on the distaff enables to avoid an exceeding quantity of solution on the distaffs alltogether and in combination with the compression squeezing and, therefore, to avoid the inconveniencies of the colour percolation.

A form of execution is illustrated, in a merely indicative way, in the drawings of the tables from 1 to 9. Referring to these ones, the autoclave installation can be observed from different positions in the drawings of the tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 4 is the representation of the distaff bearing chariot. Table 5 is the representation of the printing device and of the colour kitchen. Table 6 is the schematic view of the rotating system 46 with the distaff in ist positioning. Table 7 is the representation of the colour kitchen; table 8 points out a particular of the colour kitchen concerning the dosing system of the dosing containers; table 9 is the representation of the robotized system for the distaff loading and unloading.

When realizing the components, their form and the materials may be foreseen in different way.

Claims

Claims.

1 ) Machine for polichromatic printing with variable sections of yarn on distaffs, characterized by the fact that the distaff (5) in the printing phase, is at first compressed by the squeezing system (31) and jaws (32), and subsequently underlaid to injection by means of the needle system (35). During the injection, the jaws (32) are releasing compression, so as to obtain a sponge effect which increases the absorbing power and penetration into the distaff. After the injection, a set of massages is performed with the same jaw system (32) with a view to favouring the cover of the threads of the whole distaff section. During this phase and in the intervals between one compression and the other, the distaff (5) is turned by means of an actuator (33) to allow a uniform squeezing action of the jaws (32). During the penetration rnovement of the needles into the distaff they are sustained by a system of guides (34) which avoids flexions and, consequently, easy breaks particularly in the early phase of the penetration.

2) Machine for polichromatic printing with variable sections of yarn on distaffs, as to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the slant of the injection assembly (36) and the one of the compression group (31 ) can be adjusted and adapted according to the farm of the distaff (5) to print.

3) Machine for polichromatic printing with wariable sections of yarn on distaffs, as to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it is allowed to obtain more colour combinations by changing the position of the pipes (50) coming from the colour kitchen and containing the coloured solutions up to the height of the injecting needles by means of quick connectors.