WO2020183363A1

WO2020183363A1 - A tumbler and related method for treating a fabric web

Info

Publication number: WO2020183363A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/052059
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro ZUCCHI
Original assignee: Ferraro S.P.A.
Priority date: 2019-03-13
Filing date: 2020-03-10
Publication date: 2020-09-17
Also published as: IT201900003669A1

Abstract

A tumbler machine has been created with a relaxation conduit, through which a fabric web to be treated is destined to pass, delimited above and below by grids that allow air jets generated by generators of upper and lower air blades to pass, located outside the relaxation conduit, configured to flap forward and backward so as to direct air blades alternately in the direction of advancement of the fabric and in the opposite direction, so as to alternately push and brake the fabric web away from the grids and creating loops in the fabric web that move forward and backward longitudinally in the duct. According to an embodiment, the tumbler machine comprises a motorized output drive roller and a pivoted feeler bar defining, together with the lower grid, an exit opening of the fabric web from the conduit, as well as a sensor that detects rotations of the pivoted feeler bar and provides a signal indicative of the length of the fabric web which presses against the feeler bar. A method of treating a fabric web in a tumbler machine of this disclosure is also disclosed.

Description

A TUMBLER AND RELATED METHOD FOR TREATING A FABRIC WEB

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to machines for the treatment of fabrics and more particularly a so-called "tumbler" machine for flapping and shrinking a fabric web and a related method of treating a fabric web.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

The finishing of fabrics is typically carried out with machines, called "tumblers", which confer a swelling of the fibers of the fabrics, so that they are softer to the touch. The tumbler machines have a straight conduit that is longitudinally crossed by a ribbon of tissue to be treated, hereinafter called "relaxation conduit" of the fabric, and means for blowing air inside the conduit toward the fabric and deviate it in different directions. Air that impacts against the fabric web flaps and relaxes fibers which leads to a shrinking of the fabric, improves its stability during washing and cleaning and removes the dust possibly retained by it.

In known tumbler machines, the fabric belt is transported inside the relaxation conduit supported by a transport belt, in some cases even caught between the transport belt and an upper counter-belt, which defines a sinuous path for crossing the conduit. While the fabric web passes through the relaxation conduit, air jets strike the fabric at different inclinations because the path followed by the fabric is non-rectilinear.

Machines of this type produce suboptimal results, so there is a need for tumbler machines that allow for a deeper cleaning of the fabric and greater shrinkage, which is an indicator of greater relaxation of the fibers.

SUMMARY

Tests carried out by the Applicant have shown that the performance in terms of cleaning the fabric web and especially its shrinkage, as a consequence of a relaxation of tensions induced in the fibers, can be significantly improved by leaving the fabric web free while passing through the relaxation conduit. To allow this and at the same time flapping the fabric web in a controlled manner, a tumbler machine has been realized with a relaxation conduit, through which a web of fabric to be treated is destined to pass, delimited at the top and at the bottom by grids that let pass through air jets generated by generators of upper and lower air blades, placed outside the relaxation conduit, configured to swing forward and backward so as to direct air blades alternately in the direction of advancement of the fabric and in the opposite direction, so as to alternately push and brake the fabric web keeping it away from the grids and create loops in the fabric web that move forward and backward longitudinally in the conduit.

According to an embodiment, the tumbler machine comprises a motorized output drive roller and a feeler bar pivoted or mounted on a guide transverse to the relaxation conduit defining, together with the lower grid, an opening for the exit of the fabric web from the conduit, and a sensor which detects displacements of the feeler bar and provides a signal indicative of the length of the fabric web which presses against the feeler bar.

A method of treating a web of fabric in a tumbler machine of this disclosure is also disclosed.

Other embodiments are defined in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a relaxation conduit of a tumbler machine partially in section according to an aspect of the present disclosure, with a web of fabric to be flapped.

Figure 2 shows a tumbler machine incorporating the relaxation conduit of Figure 1.

DETAIFED DESCRIPTION

A conduit of a tumbler machine according to an aspect of the present disclosure is shown in the sectional view of Figure 1. A strip of fabric 1 to be flapped enters the conduit 1 fed by a motorized feed roller (not shown) and pulled by a output drive roller

2.

According to one aspect, the web of fabric 1 enters the conduit by sliding along a slide 3 and crosses the conduit thanks to the output drive roller 2.

According to one aspect, the output drive roller 2 is motorized with a motor distinct from that of the feeding roller of the fabric web 1, so as to be able to determine the length of the fabric web 1 in the conduit by controlling separately input and output of fabric web 1 from the conduit.

Unlike some known "tumbler" machines, the fabric web 1 is not interposed between guide belts which tighten it in a sandwich, but is free to move within certain limits and to make loops, as shown in figure 1. The conduit it is internally bound by grids 4a and 4b, which limit the oscillations of the fabric 1 above and below, respectively, and allow air jets to pass through them which cause the fabric 1 to bend forming loops.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, besides the grids 4a and 4b, on the opposite side with respect to the web of fabric 1 to be flapped, generators of air blades 5a and 5b of substantially cylindrical shape are installed, which are configured to rotate on itself around a central axis by emitting air blades in a radial direction passing through the grids 4a and 4b.

According to one aspect, the air knife generators 5a and 5b oscillate back and forth around their central axis so as to direct the air jets alternately in the direction of advancement of the fabric 1 and in the opposite direction, so as to push and alternately brake the fabric web 1 keeping it away from the respective grid 4a and 4b, creating loops that move longitudinally forward and backward in the conduit increasing the flapping of the fabric 1.

During the flapping of the fabric web 1, dust will detach from it. To prevent it from re depositing on the fabric, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, the "tumbler" machine is provided with a suction system 7 for "dirty" air in the conduit. This suction system is shown in figure 2, in which the lower cover of the tumbler machine is shown in semi- transparency to highlight the lower grid 4b.

According to one aspect, the suction system 7 has at least one filter which allows air to pass and retains dust, so as not to discharge dust which detaches from the fabric web 1 into the external environment. The suction system can also be of the type with a closed loop, configured to suck air from the conduit, to filter it from dust, and to feed filtered air to the air blade generators 5a and 5b.

According to one aspect, the suction of the air from the conduit to remove the dust occurs from the inlet opening of the conduit.

According to one aspect, at the exit from the conduit there is a feeler bar 6 which defines, together with the lower grid 4b, an exit opening of the fabric web 1 from the conduit, which is dragged by the output drive roller 2. The feeler bar 6 can be pivoted so that it can move by rotating around a pin when the fabric web 1 presses against it, or (as shown in figure 1) it can be mounted on a guide transversal to the relaxation conduit so as to rise when the fabric web 1 presses against it. Thanks to a sensor (not shown in the figure) a control unit (not shown) of the "tumbler" machine receives a signal representative of the displacement of the feeler bar 6, which depends on the length of the fabric web 1 in the relaxation conduit which presses against the feeler bar, and adjusts the speed of rotation of the output drive roller 2 and the speed of rotation of the input roller (not shown) independently of each other so as to increase/decrease the length of the portion of fabric web 1 located in the conduit.

According to one aspect, temperature and/or humidity sensors (not shown) are installed in the conduit, so as to be able to control these parameters and to regulate the input and output speeds of the fabric web 1 from the conduit as well as the capacity of the blades of air and/or the oscillation of the air blade generators 5a and 5b, depending on the type of fabric to be treated so as to obtain the desired final conditions of the fabric web 1.

Claims

1. A tumbler for treating a fabric web, comprising:

a relaxation conduit having an inlet opening, to let in a fabric web (1) to be treated, and an outlet opening, to let out the fabric web (1), arranged at longitudinally opposite ends of the relaxation conduit, said relaxation conduit being delimited longitudinally above by an upper grid (4a) and inferiorly by a lower grid (4b), said upper (4a) and lower (4b) grids being configured to let blown air jets pass through from the outside of the relaxation conduit in a direction transverse thereto;

generators of upper air jets (5a) and lower air jets (5b), located outside the relaxation conduit respectively above the upper grid (4a) and below the lower grid (4b), configured to generate air jets directed respectively towards said upper grid (4a) and lower grid (4b) to be blown transversely to the relaxation conduit;

a motorized output drive roller (2), arranged downstream the outlet opening of the relaxation conduit, configured to pull the fabric web (1) out of the relaxation conduit;

a motorized input feeding roller, arranged upstream the inlet opening of the relaxation conduit, configured to feed the fabric web (1) in the relaxation conduit; wherein said generators of upper air jets (5a) and lower air jets (5b) are functionally configured to oscillate forward and backward so as to direct air jets alternately in a direction of advancement and in an opposite direction thereto of the fabric web (1) left free to bend and to oscillate in the relaxation conduit, respectively to push and to brake alternately the fabric web (1) in the relaxation conduit, keeping it away from said upper grid (4a) and lower grid (4b) and creating loops in the fabric web (1) alternately pushed in the direction of advancement and in the direction opposite thereto longitudinally in the conduit.

2. The tumbler machine according to claim 1, wherein said motorized input feeding roller is controlled independently of the motorized output drive roller (2).

3. The tumbler machine according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: a feeler bar pivoted or slidable on a guide transverse to the relaxation conduit, defining, together with said lower grid (4b), said outlet opening of the fabric web (1) from the relaxation conduit; a sensor which detects displacements of the feeler bar and provides a signal representative of the length of the fabric web (1) in the relaxation conduit which presses against the feeler bar;

a control unit configured to receive said representative signal and to adjust according to it a first rotation speed of the motorized input feeding roller and a second rotation speed of the motorized output drive roller (2) independently one from the other.

4. The tumbler machine according to claim 3, comprising temperature and / or humidity sensors installed in said relaxation conduit and connected to said control unit, said control unit being functionally connected to said air jet generators (5a, 5b) to regulate a flow rate of said air jets and an oscillation frequency of said air jet generators (5a, 5b) according to temperature and / or humidity values detected by said temperature and / or humidity sensors.

5. The tumbler machine according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a suction system (7) configured to suck air from the inside of said relaxation conduit and to filter it from dust which is detached from the fabric web (1) in the relaxation conduit.

6. The tumbler machine according to one of the previous claims, wherein said air jet generators (5a, 5b) are air blade generators.

7. A method of treating a fabric web with a tumbler machine having:

a relaxation conduit having an inlet opening, to let in a fabric web (1) to be treated, and an outlet opening, to let out the fabric web (1), arranged at longitudinally opposite ends of the relaxation conduit, said relaxation conduit being delimited longitudinally above by an upper grid (4a) and inferiorly by a lower grid (4b), said upper (4a) and lower (4b) grids being configured to let blown air jets pass through from the outside of the relaxation conduit in a direction transverse thereto,

generators of upper (5a) and lower air jets (5b), located outside the relaxation conduit respectively above the upper grid (4a) and below the lower grid (4b), configured to generate air jets directed respectively towards said upper grid (4a) and lower grid (4b) to be blown transversely to the relaxation conduit,

a motorized output drive roller (2), arranged downstream of the exit opening of the relaxation conduit, configured to pull the fabric web (1) out of the relaxation conduit, a motorized input feeding roller, arranged upstream of the inlet opening of the relaxation conduit, configured to feed the fabric web (1) into the relaxation conduit, said method comprising the following operations:

continuously feeding a fabric web (1) to be treated inside said relaxation conduit;

making said generators of upper air jets (5a) and lower air jets (5b) oscillate forward and backward so as to direct air jets alternately in a direction of advancement and in an opposite direction thereto of the fabric web (1) left free to bend and to oscillate in the relaxation conduit, respectively to push and to brake alternately the fabric web (1) in the relaxation conduit, keeping it away from said upper grid (4a) and lower grid (4b), and to create loops in the fabric web (1) pushed alternately in the direction of advancement and in the direction opposite thereto longitudinally in the conduit.