Lap Machine Pre-Compressor for Uniform Sliver Consolidation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing batting slivers for combing machines result in material accumulations and gaps, leading to suboptimal clamping and high noil production due to the juxtaposition of slivers, which complicates and costs more as the feeding process becomes faster and more complex.
Innovation Solution
A batting machine that stacks and deflects/compacts multiple slivers to form a uniform wadding, which can be stored in cans, with adjustable deflection and compaction to match fiber quality and climate, eliminating the need for winding machines and their associated issues like hairiness and irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple slivers are placed adjacent to each other for combing, then the combing process can be continuous, but material accumulations and gaps occur leading to suboptimal clamping and high noil production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple adjacent slivers into a single consolidated batt by applying compression force. The batt former compresses the stacked slivers in the direction of stacking, fusing them into one uniform batt that eliminates material accumulations and gaps while maintaining continuous combing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The slivers are pre-stacked in a specific arrangement before compression. Multiple slivers are positioned adjacent to each other and stacked in a controlled manner prior to the compression step, preparing them for uniform consolidation into a single batt structure.
2Productivity
If cotton spools are produced in winding machines from individual strips, then the combing machine can be fed continuously, but the coil dimensions are limited requiring frequent changes and complex feeding systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from producing circular coils in a horizontal plane to creating rectangular batts that can be stacked vertically. This dimensional change from 2D circular winding to 3D rectangular stacking allows for larger storage capacity and simpler linear feeding mechanisms, reducing system complexity while maintaining continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous batt is divided into standard-length segments that can be easily handled and fed. The batt former produces continuous batt that is subsequently cut into standard lengths, creating manageable segments that simplify the feeding system and reduce the complexity of handling large coils.
3Manufacturing precision
If slivers are stacked and compressed to form uniform batt, then hairiness is reduced and quality improved, but additional equipment and process steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The batt former performs multiple functions in a single device: it stacks multiple slivers, compresses them into a consolidated batt, and prepares them for cutting. This multi-functional approach achieves uniform batt formation without requiring separate equipment for each operation, minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The batt former acts as an intermediary device between the sliver stacking mechanism and the cutting mechanism. It transforms loosely stacked slivers into a compact, uniform batt structure that is suitable for subsequent cutting and feeding operations, bridging the gap between stacking and final product formation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution produces high-quality batting with reduced hairiness and increased uniformity, allowing for larger processing volumes with fewer changes, and is more cost-effective and technologically simpler, improving combing preparation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
at least two layers of fiber strips are placed on top of each other and deflected and/or compacted or doubled by at least one pre-compressor
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a lap machine for producing a lap web from at least two slivers (3), comprising a drive apparatus (21) by way of which the lap is conveyed through at least one precompressor (8), wherein the precompressor (8) doubles the individual slivers (3) to form a lap web. The invention is characterized in that the slivers (3) are deflected and/or compacted or doubled within the precompressor (8), wherein the deflection and/or compaction or doubling is settable. The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing a lap from slivers.