EP3274495B1 - Fabric spreader of a finishing machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a fabric broadcaster according to the preamble of claim 1.

From the DE 42 37 841 A1 As is considered to be the closest prior art, such a fabric broadcaster is known.

Equipment machines serve to give a textile web the desired dimensional stability by means of a so-called heat setting. Within the scope of the present proposal, the term textile web encompasses various webs of different materials, in particular as an endless web, which, for B. natural or synthetic fibers may contain exclusively or possibly together with metallic wires, and which may be configured as a fabric, scrim, knitted fabric or as a so-called nonwovens. For example, first a fabric web of plastic threads may have been produced on a weaving machine, wherein this fabric web is not yet dimensionally stable after weaving. Since this is a very common application in practice, such a fabric is regularly mentioned below, without the present proposal being limited thereto. For certain applications of the fabric web may be incomplete dimensional stability be disadvantageous, for example, when the fabric web is sewn to a closed endless web and in a production machine, for example in the field of paper production, to be used as a circulating belt. Dimensional changes in the longitudinal or transverse direction within the production machine can lead to malfunctions.

The mentioned equipment machine serves to fix the textile material with the aid of heat. In addition, an elongation of the textile web can be provided in the finishing machine, for example, by the textile web is guided around two pulleys and their distance is gradually increased.

During the treatment of the textile web in the finishing machine, it must be ensured that the textile web does not shrink uncontrollably transversely to the longitudinal direction due to the tension and heat applied in the longitudinal direction, but rather retains a defined width or width stress. Serve this purpose, the fabric widths, which mechanically detect the two edges of the textile web in its passage through the thermal treatment zone and keep in the desired width. The needles used for this purpose are arranged on each of the two edges of the fabric web in a plurality of so-called needle carriages, which are guided on a chain. The individual needle carriage are movable relative to the chain, so that the distance between the individual needle carriage can be changed, for example, in adaptation to the longitudinal extension, which is conveyed to the textile web.

In the above-mentioned prior art cloth stretcher, springs are provided on the individual needle carriages, and the respective needle carriage is movable only by overcoming the spring forces relative to a drive chain provided to drive a plurality of needle carriages. Each needle carriage is connected to the chain via a driver, and between Driver and chain, the springs are provided. By means of the springs of the needle carriage is always maintained in a predetermined desired position on the chain, unless otherwise occur forces acting, for example, through the textile web on the needle carriage. Consequently, in order to effect elongation of the textile web in the longitudinal direction, a multiplicity of needle carriages currently in engagement with the textile web must be moved relative to the chain in the longitudinal direction thereof, and accordingly the stretching of the textile web at both its edges is made more difficult by the fact that there the plurality of individual spring forces must be overcome in order to allow the respective relative movement of the needle carriage to the chain. As a result, it can not be ruled out that textile fibers extending transversely to the longitudinal direction or running direction of the textile web thus extend in an arcuately curved manner and the uniformity of the structure of the textile web is thereby impaired. In technical applications, for example, if the textile web is to be used later as a sieve, a structure that is as uniform as possible is advantageous in order to ensure uniform properties over the entire surface of the textile web.

On both sides of the textile web run in the known fabric width two chains in each case a closed loop around two pulleys. Each chain can be mentally divided into two sections, namely a leader or workstring, which runs in the same direction as the textile web, and in a Rücklauftrum, which runs in the opposite direction. Within the roughing or working string, the needle carriages capture the textile web.

To guide the needle carriage, these run in a guide rail. The needle carriages have horizontally arranged guide rollers which are rotatable about an upright axis and bear against an upright guide surface and support the needle carriage against the tensile forces which it has sought to shrink Textile web acting on the needle carriage. each run in a groove, so that the needle carriage are secured against tipping forces. These tipping forces occur because the tension of the textile web causes tensile forces to act on the needle carriages in the region of the needles, and because the needles are arranged at a distance above the horizontal guide rollers. Due to the respective resulting moment the needle carriages are anxious to tilt their directed towards the textile web inner rollers while lifting the outer, further spaced from the textile web roles. Laying the roles not with its peripheral surface, but with its side surface to a leadership or support profile, so here occurs a relatively high friction, which also affect the relative mobility of the needle carriage to the chain and undesirably high, acting on the textile web forces can cause.

From the DE 31 39 722 A1 a fabric broader is known, which has horizontally arranged support rollers which support the needle carriage with lower friction losses - namely only with a negligible rolling friction - against the mentioned tilting forces. In this prior art, the individual needle carriages are connected to each other and to the chain so that they can not lead or lag relative to the chain running speed to accommodate the stretch of the textile web. This also causes relative forces between the textile web and the needle carriage, which are undesirable because this deformation in the textile web can not be ruled out. Similar are from the DE 26 46 802 A1 as well as from the DE 35 29 514 C1 respectively known so-called clip-on wagon, which also do not allow relative movement to the chain in the longitudinal direction and support rollers for supporting the tilting forces.

From the WO 2015/033755 A1 For example, a fabric dispenser is known in which the needles are centered by means of springs, that is, in two opposite directions are each supported by the springs against the rest of the needle carriage.

From the DE 927 984 C and the US 3 469 291 A are each known Kluppenwagen that hold the material to be detected not with the help of needles, but by a clamping device. According to the DE 927 984 C each clip is attached to a chain link. According to the US 3 469 291 A The individual clips themselves form the links of the clip chain.

The invention has for its object to improve a generic fabric broader to the effect that this allows the smoothest possible adjustment of the position of the needle carriage to the expansion conditions of the textile web and thus allows the smoothest possible Verschiebebeweglichkeit the needle carriage against the chain on which the needle carriage are performed.

This object is achieved by a fabric broadcaster having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the subclaims.

In other words, the invention proposes that the rollers which support the needle carriage against tilting forces are not arranged horizontally, that is to say are rotatable about an upright axis, but rather are mounted rotatably about a horizontal axis, so that these rollers are referred to as upright rollers , In order to secure or guide these rollers against tilting forces acting on the needle carriage, guide surfaces are provided above or below the rollers, on which the upright rollers are supported. The upright rollers are, for example, from below a guide surface, which is provided above the upright rollers, so that the outside of the needle carriage is secured against lifting forces or against moments, which seek to lift the outside of the needle carriage. In known needle carriage this fuse happens in that the horizontally arranged rollers are not guided with their peripheral surface, but with their side surface by means of sliding friction in said groove. According to the proposal, however, occurs in this area no sliding friction, but only rolling friction, so that the needle carriage runs much smoother in the respective guide profile and thus optimally smoothly adjusted and can be moved, for example, according to the longitudinal extent of the textile web relative to the chain.

If each upright rolls are arranged side by side on the needle carriage, for example, arranged on a common imaginary or physically realized axis, so in the context of the present proposal to the textile web closer upright role of a run in Vorlauf- or Arbeitstrum needle carriage as the inner upright role and the the textile web further removed upright role called outer upright role. For example, the inner upstanding rollers run on a guide surface located below these rollers while the outer upright rollers run on a guide surface located above these rollers.

In the known Breithaltern the driver is supported by means of compression springs to both end sides of the needle carriage, so that a relative movement of the needle carriage against the chain, ie against the driver, overcoming the respective spring force is possible and to such an extent that the corresponding spring, which is usually designed as a helical compression spring, goes to block. According to the proposal, in contrast, it is provided that the driver has a slider which is movably mounted and guided on the needle carriage, so that the needle carriage is movable relative to the driver and this slider back and forth and accordingly can be moved back and forth with respect to the chain, for example opposite the speed speed with which the chain can run, lead or run. The slider is freely movable in this advantageous embodiment of the temple, so free of spring forces, so that the displacement of the needle carriage relative to the chain solely due to the movements within the textile web takes place, for example due to the stretching of the textile web. The needle carriage can thus be moved particularly sensitively relative to the chain, because apart from the improved friction of the rollers of the needle carriage in their guide rails no spring forces are overcome before the needle carriage can follow corresponding forces acting through the textile web on the needle carriage.

Advantageously, the chain can be configured as a roller chain. This represents a low-cost and robust design of the chain. Since the chain is guided in a lying, O-shaped endless loop, the outer and inner flaps of the roller chain are arranged horizontally, while the bolts or rollers of the roller chain are arranged upright , It is known to extend some bolts of the roller chain upwards, so that they protrude as a so-called drive pin or driving pin on the overhead flaps of the roller chain. To the driving pins connect the carriers of the respective needle carriage, ie at a distance above the plane in which the rest of the roller chain runs, namely above the sleeves or rollers, the remaining bolts and the tabs. The forces which act through the textile web on the needles on the needle carriage and endeavor to effect a relative movement between the needle carriage and the chain, therefore cause shear forces acting on the extended pin of the chain. Because the forces of the driver attack above the center of the chain, also occurs on a torque load, on the one hand can increase the drive resistance of the chain and on the other hand causes an additional burden on the driving pin.

In comparison to this known embodiment can be advantageously provided that a designed as a finger driver extends into the space between two rollers of the chain. As a result, the tensile forces are absorbed by the both sides of the roller arranged tabs of the roller chain, so that the load of the respective bolt, which runs through the roller, is considerably reduced. avoided by the central positioning of the driver moments that would otherwise act on the driving pin. In addition, this embodiment makes it economically advantageous to use commercially available roller chains that do not have extended bolts as driving pins.

In an alternative embodiment, it can be advantageously provided to let the drive pin of the chain project on both sides, so let both ends protrude beyond the tabs of the roller chain to the outside. The drivers of the needle carriage have two tabs in this case, so that they embrace the chain on both sides. As a result, not only the attacking forces are distributed in two places, so that the local load of the driving pin can be approximately halved, but by the symmetrical distribution of the attacking forces and the moments occurring can be minimized or even eliminated. Given the horizontal orientation of the roller chain this means that each driver has an upper and a lower tab.

In addition, the two tabs of the driver attack outside the middle chain plane. This is advantageous in that, for example, drive wheels are immersed in this middle chain plane between the rollers. Drivers which engage in the chain in this central chain plane, therefore, can only have a limited penetration depth or require special chain drive wheels with recesses into which the driver can dip. However, if it is advantageous to allow different distances of the needle carriage from the chain, so the two tabs can be configured to be correspondingly long and overlap the chain accordingly far without colliding with obstacles such as the mentioned drive wheels to get to. For example, if at the two ends of the temple, where the chain is deflected by 180 °, this deflection takes place with a small radius, there may be skewed positions of a needle carriage relative to the chain, and correspondingly different distances between the needle carriage and the chain. Correspondingly long driver can easily compensate for such changes in distance.

In order to reliably enable such a distance compensation with the simplest possible means, it can be provided that at least one of the two lugs of a driver has a slot which extends transversely to the chain, so that the extended driving pin of the chain can dive into this slot. When changes in distance between the needle carriage and the chain of Mitnehmerbolzens the chain moves within the slot, the power transmission is ensured by the chain on the needle carriage at any time by means of the driver. Due to the simple and reliable operation can be advantageously provided that connect both tabs with slots at the respective end of the driving pin.

In at least one of the two tabs the slot is surrounded on all sides by the material of its tab, so that tensile forces can be transmitted across the chain. In this way it is ensured that the needle carriage always remains captive connected to the chain. If at the opposite tab the slot ends freely, this allows a particularly smooth and fast connection of the needle carriage to the chain, the free-ending slot allows no tensile forces, but at least the transmission of driving forces in the longitudinal direction of the chain.

Advantageously, it can be provided that the slider is movable almost over the full length of the needle carriage. hereby a so wide adjustment of the slider is made possible that under the relative movements occurring in practice there is a virtually unrestricted movement of the needle carriage against the chain. This wide adjustment of the slider on the needle carriage can be realized for example by a guide rod or guide rail, along which the slider can be moved, wherein at the two front and rear ends of the needle carriage stops are provided, for example, for holding the guide rod or guide rail serve, and also limit as a stop the mobility of the slider, so that this is held captive on the needle carriage.

Fig. 1

eine Draufsicht auf einen Breithalter,

Fig. 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht in gegenüber Fig. 1 größerem Maßstab auf ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel eines Nadelwagens,

Fig. 3

eine Ansicht ähnlich Fig. 2, jedoch auf ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel,

Fig. 4

eine Draufsicht auf einen Breithalter mit Nadelwagen des zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels, und

Fig. 5

einen Vertikalschnitt quer zur Fahrtrichtung durch einen Nadelwagen.

Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the purely schematic representations. It shows

Fig. 1

a top view of a spreader,

Fig. 2

a perspective view in opposite Fig. 1 larger scale on a first embodiment of a needle carriage,

Fig. 3

a view similar Fig. 2 but to a second embodiment,

Fig. 4

a plan view of a spreader with needle carriage of the second embodiment, and

Fig. 5

a vertical section transverse to the direction of travel through a needle carriage.

In Fig. 1 is generally designated 1 a spreader in which a part of its total length is not shown and a plurality of needle carriage 2 along a revolving chain 3 are arranged. The needle carriage 2 are indicated purely schematically, their construction is rather later on the basis of Fig. 2 to 5 explained in more detail.

The in Fig. 1 illustrated spreader is used to hold a longitudinal side of a textile web along a predetermined line, so that a textile web retains its desired width even during a heat treatment. For this purpose, on the opposite longitudinal side of the textile web mirror-symmetrical, a same spreader as in Fig. 1 shown wide holder 1 is provided so that both longitudinal edges of the textile web are detected and thus the width of the textile web is maintained even under the action of heat.

In the embodiment of the Fig. 1 is provided that several in Fig. 1 Needle cars 2 shown below capture the textile web, while the needle carriage 2 shown above are in the return. At or just before the designated N point, the needles, so the engagement of the needles of a needle carriage 2 takes place in the textile web, while at or shortly after the designated A point, the needling takes place, so the separation of the needle carriage from the textile web. Between these two needle and Ausnadelstellen N and A is a heat zone W, in which the desired heat treatment, for example, a so-called heat-setting takes place.

Out Fig. 1 It can be seen that the distance of the needle carriage 2, where the needle carriage 2 between the needling and the needling are in engagement with the textile web, in the strip running direction becomes larger. The tape running direction of the textile web leads according to Fig. 1 From left to right through the heat zone, and due to the progressive stretching of the textile web, the distances between each two adjacent needle carriage 2 increase accordingly.

Below the temple 1 is in Fig. 1 a textile web 29 shown in fragmentary form, whose direction is illustrated by an arrow marked "L" arrow. Arrows labeled "S" pointing from the spreader 1 to the central or longitudinal axis of the textile web 29, in FIG Fig. 1 So down, clarify the shrinkage force with which the textile web 29 acts on the temple 1. The needle carriages 2 develop a respectively equal but opposite spreading force, which tends to pull the textile web 29 to the outside, so that the shrinkage force is compensated and as a result the width of the textile web 29 remains unchanged.

Fig. 2 shows a needle carriage 2 on a larger scale than Fig. 1 , Guide rails, which are provided above and below the rollers 4, but not shown in the drawing are used to secure the needle carriage 2 against tipping forces. These rollers are the rollers 4 with their peripheral surfaces, so that the rollers 4 can roll relative to these guide rails and only rolling friction between the needle carriage 2 and the guide rails occurs. Lying side guide rollers 12 are rotatably supported about upright axles 5 and serve to guide the needle carriage 2 in the lateral direction. The side guide rollers 12 are arranged above the upright rollers 4 on the needle carriage 2.

Fig. 2 further shows a driver 23 which connects the needle carriage 2 with the chain 3, as will be explained later. Fig. 1 shows in the region of the two deflecting the wide holder 1 two guideways 11. When the needle carriage 2 are ausgenadelt, so separated from the textile web, this can be done by, for example, are performed in a deeper level and thus the needles are pulled out of the textile web. At its top, the needle carriage 2 has a plurality of needles 14 which are not in Fig. 2 but for example in Fig. 5 can be seen. Below the side guide rollers 12, the lying aligned axes are marked with 15, around which the upright rollers 4 are rotatable.

Fig. 5 shows a vertical section through the needle carriage 2 transverse to the direction of travel. The needles 14 extend through the textile web 29 and the shrinking force S acting on the needle carriage 2 from the textile web 29 acts in the direction of the associated arrow marked S. Against this shrinking force S, the needle carriage 2 is supported with its side guide rollers 12. Since the shrinkage force S acts above the upright rollers 4 and also above the lying side guide rollers 12 on the needle carriage 2, tilting forces act on the needle carriage 2, against which the needle carriage 2 is supported with its upright rollers 4. For this purpose, the needle carriage 2 runs in a guide profile 30, whose cross section is formed of a plurality of separate profile sections. The areas where the upright rollers 4 and the side guide rollers 12 exert pressure on the guide profile 30 and the needle carriage 2 initiates the shrinking and tilting forces in the guide profile 30 are in Fig. 5 indicated by arrows "D".

In the FIGS. 2 and 3 In each case, a needle carriage 2 is shown in perspective, but in each case without the needles 14 provided on its upper side. The upright rollers 4 are located in a lower plane, while the lying side guide rollers 12 are arranged in an upper plane of the needle carriage 2. To the chain 3 out - which runs along the right side of the needle carriage 2 in these two drawings, but not shown - a driver 6 is provided in each case, which in the two embodiments of the FIGS. 2 and 3 is configured in each case as a slider 19 which is movable by means of a brass sleeve 20 on a steel guide rod 21 in the longitudinal direction of the needle carriage 2. The guide rod 21 is attached to the two ends of the needle carriage 2 to support arms 22, which also each form a stop for the mobility of the slider 19 along the guide rod 21. The slider 19 is therefore movable almost over the entire length of the needle carriage 2. In the illustrated embodiments, this adjustment is not reduced by spring elements, since the guide rod 21 between the stops 22 and the slider 19 is in each case free of additional elements, such as the aforementioned spring elements.

The embodiments of the FIGS. 2 and 3 differ in the embodiment of the sliders 19: in the embodiment of Fig. 2 a finger 23 is provided which extends between two adjacent rollers of the chain 3 designed as a roller chain. A so-called Mitnehmerpunkt 31 is located where the two intersect by the guide rod 21 and extending through the finger 23 respective longitudinal axes. Due to the mobility of the slider 19 along the guide rod 21, the driving point 31 is movable in the longitudinal direction of the needle carriage 2 and, as explained above, can travel almost over the entire length of the guide rod 21. Due to the fact that the finger 23 can diverge to a different extent into the chain 3, namely between two adjacent rollers, a mobility of the driving point 31 in transverse to the chain 3 is also possible, as will be explained in more detail later.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3 the driver 6 has an upper tab 24 and a lower tab 25. In both tabs 24 and 25 each have a slot 26 and 27 is provided. The slot 26 in the upper flap 24 is surrounded by the material of the tab 24, so that the driver 6 can also transmit tensile forces acting transversely to the longitudinal axis or direction of movement of these two elements between the chain 3 and the needle carriage 2. In the lower flap 25, the slot 27 is open towards the chain 3 and has at its mouth also insertion bevels 28, so that the assembly of the needle carriage 2 on the chain 3 in a particularly simple manner possible. The needle carriage 2 is this obliquely attached to the chain 3, so that the slot 26 of the upper flap 24 engages around the upper projection of a driving pin of the chain 3. Subsequently, the needle carriage 2 is pivoted downward until the slot 27 of the lower flap 25 engages around the lower projection of the same driving pin.

In Fig. 4 is a spreader 1 in a schematic plan view and compared to Fig. 1 shown on a larger scale, wherein a part of the temple 1 is broken away and essentially only the two areas are shown, in which the chain 3 is deflected. The chain 3 is indicated by dash-dotted lines, as are the guide rods 21, which are thus represented only by their respective longitudinal axis. Intersection points of these longitudinal axes of the guide rods 21 with the longitudinal axes of the driver 6 mark the respective driving points 31. The needle carriage 2 are according to the second embodiment the Fig. 3 designed. In the area of the left-hand guideway 11, the needle carriages 2 are driven exclusively by the revolving chain 3. Due to the driving resistance of the needle carriage 2 are the sliders 19 and the driver 6 at the front in the direction of movement stop 22. After the needles 14 of the needle carriage 2 are immersed in the tissue, behind the station N, the drive of the needle carriage 2 takes place through the Tissue, and due to the longitudinal expansion of the fabric of the needle carriage 2 leads the chain 3 ahead. Since the drivers 6 run at the speed of the chain 3, the front stop 22 moves forward relative to the slider 19, so that the slider 19 until shortly before the opposite - Fig. 4 : the right - deflection of the chain 3, namely approximately to the Ausnadelstation A, almost or even completely up to the rear end 22 in the direction of travel is approximated.

From the Ausnadelstation A then turn the drive of the needle carriage 2 exclusively by the chain 3. In Fig. 4 It can be seen how the configured as sliders 19 driver 6 are moved along the guide rod 21 until they rest against the front stop 22 in the direction of travel.

Out Fig. 4 Furthermore, it can be seen that during a revolution of the chain 3 significantly different distances between the needle carriage 2 - and thus the driving point 31 - and the chain 3 result. Since the driving point 31 always lies on the guide rod 21 and the distance from the driving point 31 to the slot 26 is always unchanged, the variable distance from the driving point 31 to the chain 3 is clearly recognizable from the different points where the chain 3, the slot 26 traverses. In the region of the left deflection of the chain 3, the length of the upper tab 24 and the elongated hole 26 - and thus the mobility of the Mitnehmerpunktes 31 transverse to the chain 3 - almost completely exhausted. Otherwise, and especially in the areas between the two deflections are the driving pin of the chain 3 almost at the opposite end of the slot 26, since the respective distance between the chain 3 and the needle carriage 2 is the lowest.

Claims (5)

1. Fabric spreader (1) of a finishing machine having a chain (3) extending all the way around it and having a large number of needle carriages (2) that are fitted with perpendicularly arranged needles (14) the free ends of which point upwards,
   and a driving means (6) that extends drive-effectively between a needle carriage (2) and the chain (3),
   in such a way that the needle carriage (2) is driven by the chain (3) and is carried along with the chain (3),
   where the needle carriage (2) can be moved relative to the chain (3) in a lengthwise direction of the chain (3) in that the position of the driving means (6) relative to the chain (3) and/or the needle carriage (2) can be changed
   and where rollers (4) are provided for on the needle carriage (2) to steady the needle carriage (2) against pulling and tilting forces on a guide rail,
   characterised in that each of the rollers (4) that steadies the needle carriage (2) against tilting forces is rotatably mounted about a horizontal axle (15)
   and in that the driving means (6) incorporates a sliding piece that is without spring force freely moveably mounted on and guided by the needle carriage (2) in the lengthwise direction of the chain (3).
2. Spreader in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the chain (3) is designed as a roller chain and the driving means (6) projects into the free space between two rollers of the chain (3).
3. Spreader in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the chain (3) is designed as a roller chain and the driving means (6) incorporates two link plates of which one extends to an end of a chain pin on the one side of the chain (3) and the other to an end of a chain pin on the other side of the chain (3).
4. Spreader in accordance with claim 3, characterised in that at least one of the two link plates incorporates a slot that extends at right angles to the chain (3) in such a way that the distance between the needle carriage (2) and the chain (3) can be altered while maintaining a drive-effective transmission of forces from the chain (3) to the needle carriage (2).
5. Spreader in accordance with any one of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the sliding piece can be moved along essentially the whole length of the needle carriage (2).

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