US20230016597A1

US20230016597A1 - Method for arranging a fibre strand on a spinning device of a spinning station

Info

Publication number: US20230016597A1
Application number: US17/785,043
Authority: US
Inventors: Karoline Günther; Heinz-Josef Peuker; Dirk Schiffers; Chandrassekaran Seshayer
Original assignee: Saurer Intelligent Technology AG
Current assignee: Saurer Intelligent Technology AG
Priority date: 2019-12-18
Filing date: 2020-12-16
Publication date: 2023-01-19
Also published as: EP3839114A1; WO2021122669A1; JP2023507013A; CN115210420A

Abstract

A method for arranging a fibre strand on a spinning device of a spinning station, wherein the spinning device is fed the fibre strand in order to produce a spun thread from the fibre strand by means of a drafting unit having a plurality of roller pairs. The roller pairs of the closed drafting unit are each operated, in a manner corresponding to the predefined drafting ratio of the fibre strand, with an introduction speed lower than the operating speed of the drafting unit, the fibre strand is subsequently introduced into the clamping region of an input roller pair of the drafting unit and the drafted fibre strand, after passing through the closed drafting unit and exiting a clamping region of an output roller part of the drafting unit, is subsequently fed to the spinning device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 national stage filing of International Application PCT/EP2020/086319, filed Dec. 16, 2020, which claims priority from EP National Patent Application No. 19217660.0, filed Dec. 18, 2019, entitled “Verfahren zur Anordnung eines Faserbands an einer Spinneinrichtung einer Spinnstelle”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for arranging a fibre strand at a spinning device of a spinning station, wherein the fibre strand is fed, by means of a drafting system having several roller pairs, to the spinning device for the manufacture of a spun thread from the fibre strand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Spinning stations, at which a supplied fibre strand is drafted by means of a drafting system and then spun into a thread by a spinning device and wound onto a take-up package, are known in various embodiments from the prior art. A plurality of spinning stations arranged next to one another forms a textile machine, in which threads are spun simultaneously from supplied fibre strands.
Before the spinning process starts, it is necessary to pass the fibre strand through the drafting system and then to arrange the drafted fibre strand in a starting position at the spinning device, in which starting position the fibre strand can be received by the spinning device and spun into a thread. In order to previously arrange the fibre strand at the drafting system, it is currently necessary to open the drafting system, e.g. by disengaging the top rollers of the roller pairs, which top rollers are arranged on a weighting arm, from their associated bottom rollers. After the drafting system is opened by swivelling of the weighting arm, it is possible to insert the fibre strand into the drafting system in a predefined manner. This is followed by a return of the weighting arm to the closed position of the drafting system, in which closed position the drafting system is then started and the fibre strand is drafted in a predefined manner according to the rotational speeds of the roller pairs, which rotational speeds differ for the draft ratio to be achieved.
The necessity to open the drafting system to arrange the fibre strand results in relatively long downtimes at the individual spinning stations, which reduces the productivity of the spinning station. In addition, the need to open the drafting system requires an appropriate mechanical design that ensures reliable opening and closing movement.
Proceeding therefrom, the problem addressed by the present invention is one of providing a method for operating a spinning station that enables simple and efficient arrangement of the drafted fibre strand at the spinning device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problem by a method for arranging a fibre strand at a spinning device of a spinning station, wherein the fibre strand (3) is fed, by means of a drafting system (1) having several roller pairs (5, 5 a, 6, 6 a, 7, 7 a, 8, 8 a), to the spinning device (2) for the manufacture of a spun thread from the fibre strand (3), characterised in that: the roller pairs (5, 5 a, 6, 6 a, 7, 7 a, 8, 8 a) of the closed drafting system (1), which in particular are individually drivable, are each operated, in accordance with the predefined draft ratio of the fibre strand (3), at an insertion speed which is lower than the operating speed of the drafting system (1), the fibre strand (3) is then inserted into the clamping area of an input roller pair (5, 5 a) of the drafting system (1) and the drafted fibre strand (3) is then fed to the spinning device (7) after passing through the closed drafting system (1) and exiting a clamping area of an output roller pair (8, 8 a) of the drafting system (1).
Advantageous further developments of the present invention are stated herein.
The method according to the present invention is characterised in that the roller pairs of the closed drafting system, which in particular are driven individually, are each operated, in accordance with the predefined draft ratio of the fibre strand, at an insertion speed which is lower than the operating speed of the drafting system, the fibre strand is then inserted into the clamping area of an input roller pair of the drafting system and the fibre strand is then fed to the spinning device after passing through the closed drafting system and exiting the clamping area of an output roller pair of the drafting system.
According to the method according to the present invention, opening of the drafting system, in the case of which opening, for example, the top rollers of the roller pairs of the drafting system are lifted off the respective bottom rollers, is not required as it is in the methods known from the prior art. In the method according to the present invention, the fibre strand is inserted into the drafting system in its closed state. For this purpose, the stationary roller pairs of the closed drafting system are first set to an insertion speed that is significantly lower than the operating speed of the roller pairs during the regular spinning process. The possibility of having the roller pairs running synchronously at a low speed according to the draft ratio to be achieved for the fibre strand, in particular by means of an individual drive technology, allows the fibre strand to be inserted manually or in an automated manner into the clamping area of the input roller pair and subsequently to be passed through the drafting system in a controlled manner. Even at the lower input speed, the fibre strand is drafted by means of the specified rotational speed difference between the roller pairs according to the draft ratio to be achieved, the preferred individual drive of each roller pair responsible for the draft allowing extremely reliable synchronism and consequently an exactly set draft ratio to be achieved during the fibre strand feed toward the spinning device. Furthermore, the roller pairs can particularly preferably be operated individually, more preferably independently of each other, by means of the assigned individual drives in such a way that the speed of each roller pair can be variably adjusted in the driven state if necessary, for example to be able to adjust the draft ratio in an automated manner or manually at any time according to the requirement. According to a preferred embodiment, the bottom rollers of the roller pairs are individually driven. According to an alternative embodiment, however, the individual drive of the top roller of a roller pair can also be provided.
After the drafted fibre strand has exited the clamping area of the output roller pair, the fibre strand is fed to the spinning device in such a way that the fibre strand can be subjected to the spinning process there. In the course of starting the spinning process, the drafting system can then be operated at its operating speed again so that the spinning process can be carried out in a predefined manner at the spinning station.
The method according to the present invention makes it unnecessary to open the drafting system for a relatively long time, thus interrupting the spinning process. In addition, the fibre strand emerging from the drafting system already has the drafting required for the subsequent spinning process, so that the spinning process can be started immediately with the fibre strand emerging from the drafting system. The possibility of operating the drafting system at an insertion speed lower than the operating speed allows the fibre strand to be aligned exactly with the drafting system in a special manner. The arrangement in the clamping area can, for example, be carried out by the operating personnel, who also monitor the guidance of the fibre strand through the drafting system and the arrangement at the spinning device. The low insertion speed allows very accurate monitoring of the process of insertion into the drafting system and forwarding to the spinning device.
The method according to the present invention can in principle be applied to any spinning stations having drafting systems. For example, it is possible to carry out the method on a spinning device having a ring spinning apparatus. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, however, the fibre strand, after passing through the drafting system, is fed to a spinning device designed as an air-jet spinning device. In the air-jet spinning device of the spinning station, the outer free fibre ends are spirally wound around the core fibres, by means of a compressed air flow generated by a nozzle device, to form the thread. The free end of the fibre strand lying in front of the air-jet spinning device is sucked into the air-jet spinning device by a suction air flow.
The use of the method according to the present invention in connection with an air-jet spinning device, which use is advantageously provided, is thus characterised in that the spinning process can be started without any significant delays after the drafting system has been passed through, whereby the effectiveness of the spinning station is additionally increased.
According to a further embodiment of the method, a suction air flow generating device is activated to generate a suction air flow in the area of the air-jet spinning device before or during the arrangement of the fibre strand at the air-jet spinning device. According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a compressed air source, which normally interacts with the air-jet spinning device, and more preferably also a vacuum source are activated as the suction air flow generating device even before or during the arrangement of the fibre strand at the drafting system, so that the fibre strand subsequently fed from the drafting system to the air-jet spinning device is subjected to a suction air flow, which is used to insert the fibre strand into the air-jet spinning device and/or to remove loose fibre material from the area of the air-jet spinning device. The suction air flow generating device ensures in a particularly reliable way that the loose fibre material does not cause blockage of the inlet or entry area as well as the spinning nozzles of the air-jet spinning device. The air spinning process can thus be started without any problems, in a particularly reliable way.
This further development of the present invention consequently makes use of the circumstance that known air-jet spinning devices usually already have corresponding suction air flow generating devices, which, in the context of the further development of the method, are activated at the appropriate time according to the process of inserting the fibre strand into the drafting system, so that loose fibre material that is present is reliably removed by suction. Alternatively or additionally, suction air flow generating devices other than those mentioned above can be provided for generating a suction air flow in the area of the air-jet spinning device. What matters most is that fibre remains in the area of the air-jet spinning device can be removed and/or the fibre strand emerging from the drafting system can be fed to the air-jet spinning device in a suitable manner.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, it is also provided that the air-jet spinning device is opened before or during the arrangement of the fibre strand at the air-jet spinning device. Known air-jet spinning devices usually have at least two components. The first is a nozzle device with nozzles connected to a compressed air source via a line, the air that flows out of the nozzles serving to generate the rotational flow by means of which the drafted fibre strand is acted upon. The second component of the air-jet spinning device has a thread-forming element, e.g. a hollow spinning cone, which in cooperation with the nozzle device forms the thread, which is drawn off from the spinning device through the hollow spinning cone. Opening the air-jet spinning device, in conjunction with the advantageously provided activation of the suction air flow generating device, particularly reliably guarantees, for example, that loose fibre material does not accumulate in the area of the spinning nozzle and does not lead to a malfunction in the spinning process, but instead that it is removed by means of the suction air flow generating device. This embodiment of the present invention thus ensures, in a supplementary manner, that the spinning process can be started and carried out without problems after the arrangement of the drafted fibre strand.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, it is also provided that, after the fibre strand has been transferred to the air-jet spinning device, the drafting system is stopped, the air-jet spinning device is closed and the suction air flow generating device is deactivated. The feeding process can be interrupted manually by the operating personnel or in an automated manner. For this purpose, for example, a fibre strand length or a time interval can be defined, after which the drafting system is automatically stopped.
This embodiment of the present invention provides for the insertion process by means of the drafting system to be stopped after the fibre strand has been arranged in the entry area of the air-jet spinning device. After a subsequent, advantageously provided suctioning, possibly in connection with opening of the air-jet spinning device which is also provided, contamination by loose fibre material can then be removed and subsequently the air-jet spinning device can be adjusted to its position required for the spinning process. The spinning process can then be started, malfunctions being avoided particularly effectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment example of the present invention is explained below with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for arranging a fibre strand at a spinning device of a spinning station;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of an air-jet spinning device with an upstream drafting system and

FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the air-jet spinning device in FIG. 2 in the open state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a method sequence for arranging a fibre strand 3 via a drafting system 1 at an air-jet spinning device 2 of a spinning station (not shown here), with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 , in which the arrangement of the drafting system 1 and the air-jet spinning device 2 of the spinning station is shown schematically in two positions.
To provide a drafted fibre strand 3 at an inlet of the air-jet spinning device 2, the individually drivable roller pairs 5, 5 a, 6, 6 a, 7, 7 a, 8, 8 a of the drafting system 1 are operated in the closed state at an insertion speed which is significantly below the operating speed of the drafting system 1. At the same time, a compressed air source 13 connected to a spinning nozzle unit 10 via a line 12 is activated to generate a suction air flow in the area of the inlet of air-jet spinning device 2, and the air-jet spinning device 2 is moved from its closed position shown in FIG. 2 to its open position shown in FIG. 3 , in which a spinning cone unit 15 is displaced relative to a nozzle device 4 in comparison with the operating position shown in FIG. 2 .
After the activation of the individually drivable roller pairs 5, 5 a, 6, 6 a, 7, 7 a, 8, 8 a of the drafting system 1 and the provision of compressed air by means of the compressed air source 13 in the open state of the air-jet spinning device 2, the fibre strand 3 is inserted manually by the operating personnel into the clamping area of the input rollers 5, 5 a. From there, after passing through the drafting system rollers 6, 6 a, 7, 7 a, the fibre strand 3 is transferred, at a considerably reduced speed in comparison with the regular operation of the spinning station, to the output rollers 8, 8 a, at which the drafted fibre strand 3 emerges from the drafting system 1. The insertion speed of the drafting system rollers 5, 5 a, 6, 6 a, 7, 7 a, 8, 8 a is defined according to the drafting of the fibre strand 3 to be achieved, so that the fibre strand 3 emerges from the drafting system 1 in accordance with the specified draft ratio. Because of the alignment of the nozzles 10, 11 assigned to the spinning nozzle unit 9 in a direction leading away from the inlet of the air-jet spinning device 2 or in a direction leading toward the spinning cone 16, the activated compressed air generates a suction air flow in the area of the inlet of the air-jet spinning device 2, by means of which suction air flow the fibre strand 3 emerging from the drafting system 1 can be reliably fed to the air-jet spinning device 2. The suction air flow can preferably be supported by switching on the vacuum source 19 as required. Switching on the vacuum source 19 also promotes the removal of fibre remains from the area of the air-jet spinning device 2, in particular from the area of the spinning cone 16. Via the output roller pair 8, 8 a, the drafted fibre strand 3 is guided as required into the inlet of the air-jet spinning device 2 by means of the suction air flow that is present. After a defined position of the free end 24 of the fibre strand 3 within the air-jet spinning device 2 has been achieved, the drafting system 1 is stopped and the compressed air source 13 and, if switched on, also the vacuum source 19 are deactivated. Then the air-jet spinning device 2 is moved from its open position shown in FIG. 3 to the operating position shown in FIG. 2 .
The compressed air source 13 activated during the arrangement of the free end 24 of the fibre strand 3 in the area of the air-jet spinning device 2 and optionally the switched-on vacuum source 19 ensure, among other things, that loose fibre materials are reliably removed from the area of the air-jet spinning device 2 and thus cannot lead to malfunctions in the operation of the air-jet spinning device 2. After the air-jet spinning device 2 has been closed, the spinning process can be started by continuing the fibre strand feed and applying a spinning pressure by means of the spinning nozzle unit 9 and its associated nozzles 10, 11.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1 Drafting system
2 Air-jet spinning device
3 Fibre strand
4 Nozzle device
5, 5 a Input rollers
6, 6 a Drafting system rollers
7, 7 a Drafting system rollers
8, 8 a Output rollers
9 Spinning nozzle unit
10 Nozzles
11 Nozzles
12 Line
13 Compressed air source
15 Spinning cone unit
16 Spinning cone
17 Vortex chamber
18 Line
19 Vacuum source
24 Free end of the fibre strand

Claims

1. A method for arranging a fibre strand at a spinning device of a spinning station, wherein the fibre strand is fed, by a drafting system having several roller pairs, to the spinning device for the manufacture of a spun thread from the fibre strand,

characterised in that

the roller pairs of the closed drafting system, are each operated, in accordance with the predefined draft ratio of the fibre strand, at an insertion speed which is lower than the operating speed of the drafting system,

the fibre strand is then inserted into the clamping area of an input roller pair of the drafting system and

the drafted fibre strand is then fed to the spinning device after passing through the closed drafting system and exiting a clamping area of an output roller pair of the drafting system.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the fibre strand, after passing through the drafting system, is fed to a spinning device designed as an air-jet spinning device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that a suction air flow generating device of the air-jet spinning device is activated before or during the arrangement of the fibre strand at the air-jet spinning device.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the air-jet spinning device is opened before or during the arrangement of the fibre strand at the air-jet spinning device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterised in that, after the fibre strand has been transferred to the air-jet spinning device, the drafting system is stopped, the air-jet spinning device is closed and the suction air flow generating device is deactivated.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the roller pairs are individually drivable.