US1940748A - Yarn dyeing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 26, 1933.

E. C. GWALTNEY YARN DYEING APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TO Y;

Dec. 26, 1933. E. c. GWALTNEY YARN DYEING APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 INVENTOR. B

Patented Dec. 26, 1933 YARN DYEING APPARATUS Eugene C. Gwaltney, Laurel Hill, N. 0. application July 2, 1930. Serial No. 465,360

Claims.

Colored yarns and threads are employed for many different purposes in the textile industry. Before being colored, the yarns are spun in the regular way, from finely attenuated filments or fibers of cotton, wool, silk, cellulose or other material, and then wound upon bobbins from which they may subsequently be transferred to beams, reels or the like. Thereafter, the yarns or threads are colored by some dyeing process carried on as a separate operation. Of the many different dyeing processes which have been proposed, there are four which are most commonly practiced, namely, hank dyeing, package or cop dyeing, beam or warp dyeing, and long chain or rope dyeing.

In the process of hank dyeing, the spun yarn or thread is rewound on a collapsible reel from which it is then removed as a hank. A plurality of such hanks is then dipped and left immersed in a dye vat for a sufficient length of time to permit the dye to penetrate the fibers. The hanks are next transferred to a wash tank or fixing bath or both, after which they must be dried in a hydro-extractor (centrifugal machine) and suspended on poles in a steam-heated drying oven or chamber. The dyed and dried hanks are then again placed on reels, from which they are finally rewound on bobbins or the like. All of these operations require considerable labor and expensive apparatus, and are therefore not conducive to economical production. But another serious objection is that when the wet hanks are placed in the centrifugal hydro-extractor and whirled around at high speed, they frequently become snarled, making the rewinding difiicult and often resulting in knots and breaks in the yarn or thread.

In the package or cop dyeing process, the yarn or thread is wound on perforated hollow cores or bobbins, a plurality of which (usually fifty or more) is mounted upon a central tubular support or spider which is placed in a closed pot or tank. The liquid dye is then forced under pressure through the central tubular support and into the hollow cores or bobbins, and then outward through the windings of yarn or thread on said perforated hollow cores. After thus circulating the dye for a sufficient length of time, the pot or tank is drained, the spider removed, the cops or bobbins transferred to drying ovens, and later the yarn or thread is again rewound preparatory to subsequent operations or use. This process, too, requires expensive machinery and considerable labor-hence entailing high cost of production--and moreover fails to give uniformity of color.

The process of warp or beam dyeing involves drawing a multiplicity of relatively spaced, parallel yarns or threads continuouslythrough successive dye r and wash tanks. The yarns or threads are initially wound upon beams, usually from one h dred to three hundred yarns to a beam, and hey are all drawn off simultaneously and rewound on beams after they have passed through the dye and wash tanks. In the practice of this process, it frequently happens that some of the yarns or threads break in the tanks, and it is then necessary either to stop the feed of all of them in order to repair the break, or to con- 7 tinue the feed of the unbroken yarns and leave the broken ones to pile up in the bottom of the tanks. Stopping the machine means an economic loss for the whole unit as well as the labor cost of repairing the breaks, which, in most cases are difficult and troublesome to get at; and allowing the machine to continue without repairing the breaks, produces rewound beams with less than the standard number of yarns or threads, which obviously is very unsatisfactory. Furthermore, when the machine is stopped for repairs, those zportions of the yarns which are submerged in the tank, regardless of whether they are broken or not, become more deeply colored than when they are passed through a normal speed, so that the products of the machine are not uniform in color. For these and other reasons, this particularmethod is really only practical for dyeing coarse or comparatively thick yarns or threads having suificient tensile strength to withstand the heavy pull to which they are subjected in the use of the apparatus.

The long chain or rope dyeing process is similar to the beam dyeing process above described with the exception that instead of running the yarns or threads in spaced relation, they are brought together in a bunch or'loose rope form and in that condition passed through the dye vat, wash tank, driers, etc. They are afterwards separated, coiled, and rewound. With this process, the dyed yarns or threads are not uniform in color, because those in the interior of the rope are not so easily or so quickly penetrated by-the dye liquor as are those at the outside of the rope. Also, the tendency to snarl is present, giving rise to difliculties in the rewinding.

Speaking generally, the apparatus necessary for practicing theprior art dyeing processes is of high first cost, occupies a large amount of space,

and. requires considerable time and labor in handling the materials. In fact, the dyeing of yarns and threads is really a distinct industry in itself, contributing largely to the high cost of textile products; and in most cases, the dye house is the bane of the textile mill. But the foregoing and other objectionable features of the prior art are overcome by the present invention which has for its principal object, the provision of a novel and simplified method and apparatus for dyeing yarns or threads more rapidly and more economically than has heretofore been possible, and this in a way which will give absolute uniformity in color.

In its broader aspects, the invention contemplates the dyeing of textile elements, i. e. either yarns or threads, by passing them continuously through a dye bath and a cleansing bath, as by feeding or drawing them .from bobbins, reels or other suitable sources of supply and rewinding them on bobbins or spools or otherwise disposing them. An important feature of the invention is that the individual yarns or threads are under independent control during the dyeing operation, so that repairs can be made easily and quickly and without stopping the feed of the unbroken elements. liquid dye is mixed with a surface tension reducer by virtue of which the dye can penetrate the textile fibers very quickly, thus enabling the process to be carried out at extremely high speed.

More specifically, the invention provides relatively narrow dye and wash troughs arranged one in front of the other, and of such length that a great many yarns or threads in spaced parallel relation can be fed through them' at the same time. Theindividual yarns-or threads are fed through the dye and wash troughs under the guidance of suitable means, such as guide pulleys or rollers, which are independently controllable and movable selectively int5 or out of the troughs. The dye liquor, which should preferably contain some kind of surface tension reducer or wetting out agent, is circulated through the dye trough while the yarns are passing through it, the dye being pumped from a supply tank into one end of the trough and drawn out at the other end through an overflow pipe which conducts it back to the supply tank. In order to obtain the best results, the dye is heated and maintained at a substantially constant temperature by means of a small steam pipe which lies in the bottom of the dye trough, the direction of flow of the steam being preferably opposite to that of the flow of the dye in the trough, and the steam supply being regulated by a thermostatic valve subject to the heat of the circulating dye solution.

Means are also provided to remove excess surface moisture from the yarns or threads as they leave the dye trough and wash trough successively. Such means may be in the form of squeeze rolls, but it is preferred to make use of soft rubber wipers provided with slits through which the yarns pass. These wipers are particularly desirable, not only because of their simplicity, but because they function without splashing the dye and without exerting excessive friction on the passing yarns.

While the improved method can be practiced as a separate operation, the necessary apparatus is so simple and compact as to be adaptable to various types of existing machinery, such as twisters, spoolers, and the like, and so that the yarns or threads can be dyed simultaneously with or as a part of some other necessary operation. In this connection, reference may be had to my copending application Serial No. 465,361, filed of Another important feature is that the even date herewith showing the adaptation of the invention to a twister of well-known form.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understoodfrom the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein one form of apparatus for carrying out the improved method has been shown by way of illustration. In the drawings- Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view through a spooler equipped with the improved dyeing apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the dyeing apparatus;

v Fig. 3.is a fragmentary elevation of one side of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail .face view of one of the wipers per se; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view therethrough, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the inven tion is shown as applied to a conventional spooler, although it is to be understood as being equally applicable to other types of machines, such as twisters, slashers, and the like, or as embodied in some special machine designed for practicing the invention. The yarn or thread elements A to be dyed, are fed at high speed continuously from a multiplicity of supply units B to a corresponding multiplicity of delivery or rewinding units C, and in their passage they are led successively through a common dye trough 10 and a common wash trough 11.

In the illustrated embodiment, each supply unit B comprises a single warp wind bobbin 14, which is freely rotatable in a holder 15, in front of and slightly below the troughs, while the delivery unit C comprises a single straight wind spool or bobbin 16 mounted on a rotatable spindle 17 behind and slightly higher than the troughs. In the present instance, therefore, a single yarn or thread element passes from each supply unit to each delivery unit, and the description throughout will refer to an individualyarn unit as constituted by such a single yarn or thread element. However, it is pointed out that more than one yarn or thread may be comprised within a single yarn unit as referred to in the appended claims, the invention contemplating the passing of a multiplicity of individual yarn units through the dye bath so long as the units are under independent control. For example, in twisters, it is customary to draw two or more yarns from as many difierent bobbins and twist them together into a single thread which is wound upon a single spool. In such case, according to this invention, the-two supply bobbins would constitute the supply unit herein intended, while the single winding spool would constitute the delivery unit- This illustration is given only by way of example, there being many other instances which might also be cited.

There are two series of supply and delivery units, arranged as best shown in Fig. 1, with one series at each side of the vertical longitudinal centerline of the machine, and with a plurality (usually one hundred or more) units in each series. A separate dye trough and a separate wash trough are employed for each series, but

these troughs extend longitudinally and are common to all of the supply and delivery units of the corresponding series.

The rewinding spindles 17 are journaled in rolled steel or cast iron angle bars 18 constituting portions of the main frame of the machine and which extend longitudinally between the frame end castings 19. Each of said spindles 17 is provided with a small grooved pulley 20 connected by an endless belt 21 with a central longitudinally extending driving drum or pulley 22, and by means of brakes 23 pivoted on the frame .bars 23 the individual spindles can be independently stopped as will later be explained, while the belt 21 slips around the corresponding spindle pulley 20. Each belt 21, as shown, drives two spindles, one on each side of the machine, but the details of' these driving connections are, of course, susceptible of many variations. Since the units at opposite sides of the machine are alike in construction, only one of them need be described in detail.

In one type ofspooler (e. g. the so-called Foster winder or drum spooler), the rewinding spindles are driven from a drum by surface contact with the spool or package, and hence in this type of spooler the various individual yarns or threads travel through the machine at a constant linear speed. This particular type of spooler is preferred for the practice of the present invention for that reason. since a constant linear speed of the yarns or threads through the dye bath is desirable for the sake of absolute uniformity and levelness of color. Except in this respect, the conventional type of spooler illustrated will serve equally well in explaining the invention, although it is repeatedthat the invention is also applicable to many other types of known machines or to any type of machine capable of carrying out the novel process described. 7

The dye trough l0 and wash trough 11 (which can be of any suitable material, e. g. sheet metal) are comparatively narrow (see Fig. 1) and may be integrally formed as shown, or made separate if desired. In the form shown, they comprise tapered side walls 25 and 26, end walls 27 and 28, and curved bottoms 29 and 30, respectively. The tops of the troughs are entirely open, and the upper edges of the side walls 25 and 26 may be beaded or flanged, as indicated at 31. A plurality of spaced cradles 32, having concave seats 33, are employed to support the troughs 10 and 11, said cradles being secured to the upper flange 34 of a Z-bar 35 which extends longitudinally between the frame end castings 19. From the foregoing it will be clear that the troughs, supply units, and delivery units are very compactly arranged, giving ready access to all parts thereof, and thus promoting maximum efliciency at low cost. This compactness is desirable not only from the standpoint of occupied floor space, but also because it facilitates the independent control of the yarn guiding means, as will now be described.

A plurality of upright posts 37, arranged at spaced intervals, are supported by feet 38 resting on the angle bars 18, and said posts themselves constitute supports for spaced longitudinal rails 39 and 40 which are similar to the skewer rails so well-known in the art. Upper and lower parallel motion arms 41 and 42 have the'r inner ends pivotally attached to the rails 39 and 49 with friction joints, as at 43 and 44, and adjacent their outer ends, these arms 41 and 42 are pivotally connected, as at 45 and 46, to a downwardly extending bar 47. The outer end of the arm 41 extends beyond the point 45 so as to provide a convenient handle 48, while the lower end of the bar 4'7 extends a substantial distance below the point of attachment 46 to support a substantially horizontal bar 50. This bar 59 extends transversely across the troughs 10 and 11, and in its lowermost position-it may actually rest upon the upper edges of the trough walls 25 and 26.

Two guide supporting members 51 and 52 are secured intermediate their ends to the horizontal bar 50 in such manner that they depend substantial distances into the troughs when the bar 50 is in its lowermost position, as shown at the lefthand side of Fig. 1. Groovedguide rollers'or pulleys 53 and 54 are rotatably mounted at the upper and lower ends respectively of the member 51, said pulleys being formed of porcelain or other suitable material, and similar pulleys 55 and 56 are mounted at the upper and lower ends of the companion member 52. The yarn or thread A in passing fromthe supply unit B to the rewinding unit C passes over these guide pulleys, that is to say, over the pulley 53, thence downward into the dye bath, under the pulley 54 and upward over the pulley 53, thence across to the pulley 55, downward in the cleansing bath, under the pulley 56 and upward over the pulley 55 again. The yarn can, of course, run over the respective pulleys and throughthe baths more than once, and in fact it will be so run in most instances, the number of times depending upon the nature of the textile material and the dye being used. For this reason, the guide pulleys are each provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves, so that the yarn may be given two or three immersions with a possibility for slight oxidation between each immersion as the yarn travels over the upper pulley 53. In order to guide the yarn to the pulley 53 without contacting with the edge of the tank or trough 10, a small guide rod or wire 58 is carried by the front end of the horizontal bar 50, and an auxiliary guide roller 59 may be employed to lead the dyed yarn away from the wash trough 11. 1

It will now be seen that the yarns are individually guided through the cLve bath and through the cleansing bath, and that the guiding means for the respective units are under individual control. Thus, by means of the handle 48, the parallel motion arms 41 and 42 of any one of the various pulley sets can be swung either up or down to move the guide pulleys of that set out of or into dyeing position, at will. When they are in their upper position, as shown at the right in Fig. 1, the yarn can be readily threaded through or over the guide pulleys, facilitating the initial set-up of the machine as well as rendering the repair of broken threads easy of accomplishment. The brakes 23 may be actuated in any desired manner, those shown in Fig. 1 being controlled automatically by the raising and lowering of the yarn guide means. Thus each brake is formed with a forward extension 24 in the path of movement of the bar 50 for the corresponding spindle, and as said bar reaches its lowermost position, its rear end engages said extension 24 and rocks the same slightly to disengage the brake from the spindle, but as the bar 50 is raised, it disengages said extension 24, leaving the brake free to be applied by a spring.

In order to remove excess surface moisture from the yarn and to prevent splashing, series of wipers such as shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5 are employed, two for each guide pulley set, though squeezing rolls may be substituted for them, if desired. Each of these illustrated wipnotches 65 extending downwardly from their upper edges, and the rubber sheet 62, which extends entirely across and between said notches, is formed with an incision or slit 66 through which the yarn is adapted to pass, and by the side walls of which the yarn is squeezed in its passage. The plate 60 extends below the plate 61 and is formed with a notch 67 which, in cooperation with a notch 68 in the upper edge of the horizontal bar 50, provides a simple means of attachment for the wiper to each guide pulley set. Thus, when in place, the wiper is disposed in a plane perpendicular to that of the member 50, and with the slit 66 substantially in line with the central plane of rotation of the upper guide pulleys 53 and 55. There are two of such wipers mounted on each bar 50, one being disposed over the dye trough 10 and at the delivery side of the guide pulley 53, and the other being disposed over the wash trough 11 at the delivery side of the guide pulley 55.

' The sheet rubber 62 of each wiper is, of course, non-absorbent and is sufilciently yieldable to embrace the yarn and wipe its surface cleanly and uniformly, yet without imposing any appreciable tension on the yarn or offering resistance to its passage. The latter feature is particularly important and arises from the fact that the moisture, carried by the yarn and coming in contact with the rubber, acts as a lubricant to eliminate friction between the yarn and the rubber. This is one of the peculiar properties of rubber which renders it particularly well adapted for use in the present invention. Furthermore, a wiper of this kind does not produce any splashing, and the moisture which it removes from the yarn drips back into the trough whence it came.

It is desirable in most instances, though not necessary in all cases, to dry the yarn thoroughly before it reaches the spool or bobbin 16 of the rewinding unit, and for this purpose the yarn may be led over a long route or circuitous path for exposure to the atmosphere as it travels from the wash trough to the rewinding unit. In the illustrated embodiment, this is accomplished by running the yarn upward a substantial distance from the guide 59 and over an idler pulley '70 supported by a bracket 70 on a longitudinal rail 70 at the upper end of the post 37, and thence downwardly under a reciprocating guide '71 which directs it properly to the bobbin 16. The guide 71 is secured to the upper end of a rod '72 slidably mounted in a fixed bracket '73 and which is reciprocated by a link 74 and cam (not shown) as is well known to those skilled in the art. As the yarn thus passes through the air, it is dried by evaporation, and the dye is oxidized, giving a completely and uniformly dyed and dried product of fast color. Other means may, of course, be employed for drying the yarn if desired, as for example any suitable steam or electrical heating devices arranged between the wash trough and the rewinding unit.

The specific dye stufl used is selected in accordance with the color desired and the nature of the yarn material. After the dye has been selected, it is mixed with some other suitable medium which will reduce the surface tension to a minimum. This makes possible a rapid penetration of the fibers by the dye, and furthermore it effects a very substantial and unexpected saving in the amount of dye used per weight or volume of yarn operated upon. In order further to insure uniformity in color of the product, the dye liquor is circulated continuously through the dye trough during the dyeing operation, and it is automatically maintained at a constant level. in the trough and at full predetermined strength, as well as at uniform temperature.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the dye liquor enters the trough 10 at one end thereof through an inlet or supply pipe 76, and overflows from the other end of the trough through a return pipe 77. The supply pipe '76 is connected with a small rotary pump 78 which forces the dye liquor through said pipe 76 from a supply tank 79, while the return pipe 77 drains back into the said tank 79, so that the dye liquor is circulated round and round and used over and over again.

The speed of the pump '78 is, of course, regulated to deliver the dye liquor in a volume equal to the capacity of the overflow pipe, and by reason of this arrangement, the dye liquor in the trough will be maintained at a constant level. It is to be noted, however, that the dye trough, being very narrow and shallow, contains only a small volume of dye liquor as compared with the amount of yarn adapted to pass through it in a given time period or in a complete run of the apparatus, but nevertheless, the volume and strength of the liquor are always maintained at definite, predetermined values. Thus, in order to compensate for the dye consumption and evaporation losses, additional dye liquor is continuously added to the circulation system from a replenishing tank 80 under the automatic control of a float valve 81 which is responsive to fluctuations of volume in the circulation system as reflected by the level of the liquor in the supply tank 79. The dye solution in the replenishing tank is of such strength that until this tank becomes empty, there will be no reduction in the strength of the dye liquor in the circulation system, so that a given quantity of dye liquor may be provided for a given quantity of yarn elements to be dyed, thus rendering the dyeing of the material absolutely uniform. In passing through the dye trough, the yarns absorb more water than they do dye, and it is to compensate for this fact that the dye solution in the replenishing tank 80 is of much less strength than the original mix started with in the dye trough and circulation system. The necessary difference between the two solutions can readily be determined by those skilled in the art, the relative proportions being dependent upon the particular dye used, the absorption properties of the yarn, and the volume and speed of travel of the yarn.

The high speed penetration of the dye solution is further facilitated by heating the liquor in the circulation system and by maintaining its temperature substantially uniform. While the heating may be efiected in other ways, such as by electrical heating elements, it is preferred to employ steam for this purpose, the steam being passed through a small pipe 82 which is submerged in the bottom of the dye trough 10 and runs from end to end thereof. The steam preferably enters the pipe 82 at the dye discharge or overflow end of the trough, so that the passage of the steam is in a direction contrary to the fiow of the dye solution, and so that the hottest part of the steam pipe comes in contact with the coolest portion of the active dye liquor. In order to maintain the dye liquor at a substantially constant temperature, the supply of steam to the pipe 82 is regulated automatically by a valve 83 under the control of a thermostat 84 which is subject to the heat of the-circulating dye liquor.

in the illustrated embodiment, the thermostat 84 is arranged in the supply pipe 76, although it could be disposed within the trough 10 or otherwise. Hence, as the temperature of the dye liquor drops below a predetermined point, more steam is admitted to the pipe 82, and vice versa.

It is pointed out that both of the dye troughs 10 are included in the circulation and heatingsystems just described (see Fig. 2), so that all of the yarn handled by the machine undergoes the same treatment. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the replenishing tank may be large enough to serve a whole battery of machines, in which case the product of each machine will be of the same high and uniform quality as that of the other machines. In fact, it is possible to run the entire production of a large mill without the slightest deviation in color or levelness of color, and this with a low dye consumption and with great saving in cost.

The cleansing liquid in the wash trough 11 may be water or any desired chemical solution, and

it is circulated from an inlet pipe 86, through the trough, and out through an overflow or drain pipe 87.

It should be understood; that the invention is not limited to the use of one dye trough and one wash trough as herein specifically illustrated and described, but it contemplates any desired number of troughs with a corresponding number of sets of yarn guiding pulleys. For example, a third trough might be used for a fixing or sizing solution if desired, or there might be two dye troughs with an intermediate wash trough, or a single dye trough and two wash troughs, and so forth. In other words, the number of troughs is dependent only upon the number of reactions necessary for the particular dye stuff being used.

The invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description, so that only a brief summary will now be given byway of recapitulation. Before commencing'the operation of the machine, the supply bobbins 14 are mounted in their holders 15, and the yarns A are threaded through the guiding means and secured to the bobbins 16. The dye liquor is then set in circulation through the dye troughs 10, and the water or other cleansing liquid through the troughs 11. Then the power is applied to rotate the central drum 22 which drives the spindles 1'7 of the rewinding units. The arms 41 and 42 of the various pulley sets having been swung down to their lowermost positions, the yarns are now fed through the successive dye and wash troughs and rewound on the bobbins 16. In the event that any one of the yarns should break, it can readily be repaired by raising its particular set of guide means, so as to give ready access to the parts thereof, without interrupting the feed of the other yarns. The travel of the yarns is continuous and at high speed, and the product is absolutely uniform in color and levelness. The apparatus is so simple as to be of low first cost, and requires a minimum of labor in attendance. The result is that yarns or threads can be dyed more rapidly and more economically than in the past, and with much greater uniformity in quality.

The invention is, of course, susceptible of numerous modifications in the details of construction and in the steps of the method, and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

through the dye bath in their 1. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dye bath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units, and independently manipulatable guide sets for directing the .yarn elements through the dye bath in their passage from the supply units to the delivery units.

2. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dye bath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units, independently manipulatable guide sets for directing the yarn elements through the dye bath in their passage from the supply units to the. delivery units, and means for controlling the feeding operation of the individual yarn units independently.

. 3. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dye bath container and an intermediate cleansing bath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units, and independently manipulatable guide sets common to both the dye bath and the cleansing bath for directing the yarn elements successively through said baths in their passage from the supply units to the delivery units.

4. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dye bath container and an intermediate cleansing bath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units, independently manipulatable guide sets common to both the dye bath and the cleansing bath for directing the yarn elements successively through said baths in their passage from the supply units to the delivery units, and means for controlling the feeding operation of the individual yarn units independently.

5.. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dye bath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units, independently manipulatable guide sets for directing the yarn elements passage from the supply units to the delivery units, and a wiper or squeezer carried by each guide set for acting upon the yarn elements after they leave the dye bath.

6. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dye bath container and an intermediate cleansing bath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units, independently manipulatable guide sets common to both the dye bath and the cleansing bath for directing the yarn elements successively through said'baths in their passage from the supply units to the delivery units, and two wipers or squeezers carried by each guide set and arranged to act upon the yarn elements after they leave the dye bath and cleansing bath respectively.

7. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a liquid dye bath container, means for passing yarn elements at high speed through said bath, said means including guide rollers for causing the yarn elements to pass back and forth through the dye bath a plurality of times in .efiectin the dyeing operation,. and means for moving the guide rollers for the different yam elements independently into and out 01' the dye hath container.

8. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a liquid dye bath container, means for passing yarn ele ments through saidbath, said means including guide rollers'for causing the yarn elements to pass into and out of the bath a plurality of times in efieoting the dyeing operation, and means for moving the guide rollers for the different yarn elements independently into and out of the dye bath container. 1

eeogms 9. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a tank or trough for containing liquid dye, means for guiding an individual yarn element through the dye, and means for moving said guide means into and out of the tank.

10. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a tank or trough for containing liquid dye, a series 0! guide units for directing the passage of individual yarn elements through the dye tank, and means for independently moving said guide units into and out of the tank.

EUGENE C. GWALTNEY.

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