Melt Spinning Device for Multicolored Composite Yarn

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing multicolored carpet yarns in melt-spinning processes lack flexibility and uniformity, limiting the range of color effects and filament mixing due to turbulence and rigid filament behavior after texturing.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that allow for individual treatment of partial threads at each stage, including pre-interlacing, post-interlacing, and crimping, with adjustable process parameters for air pressure and fluid temperature and pressure control, enabling separate or combined treatment of threads to create diverse color patterns and properties, and mechanical mixing before stretching for enhanced color separation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If partial threads are swirled several times before crimping with pre-interlacing and post-interlacing, then different color effects can be realized in the composite thread, but the process complexity increases and flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor effect varietyVSAvoidprocess steps
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing pre-interlacing before stretching to create an initial filament bond, then partially eliminating this bond during stretching, and finally creating new color patterns through subsequent separate twirling and crimping. This staged approach allows different color effects to be achieved while managing process complexity through systematic preparation and treatment at each stage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If partial threads are cooled with cooling medium after texturing, then the filaments become rigid and easier to handle, but filament mixing is limited due to increased rigidity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefilament rigidityVSAvoidfilament mixing capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the cooling process conditional rather than continuous. Cooling is applied selectively at specific stages (after extrusion and after texturing) while maintaining warmer temperatures during intermediate handling and mixing stages. This dynamic temperature control allows filaments to be rigid when needed for handling but flexible when mixing is required, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If multiple partial threads are merged into a partial composite thread early in the process, then production efficiency increases, but the ability to treat individual threads separately is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction speedVSAvoidindividual thread treatment capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the treatment process into distinct stages where partial threads can be treated individually (pre-interlacing, stretching, separate twirling, crimping) before being merged into the final composite thread. This segmented approach maintains individual thread treatment capability while achieving high productivity through systematic parallel processing of multiple partial threads through the same treatment stages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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

Enables the production of a wide range of multicolored composite threads with high color separation in a single-stage process, eliminating the need for downstream secondary processes and achieving high production speeds with improved physical properties.

Implementation Method 1

several colored polymer melts are fed into extrusion nozzles and extruded as colored filament bundles

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectExtrusion: Extrusion

Implementation Method 2

The freshly extruded filaments are cooled in a cooling device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 3

the partial threads are swirled several times before they are crimped. A so-called pre-interlacing takes place

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Implementation Method 4

the filament bond created by the pre-interlacing is partially eliminated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 5

After the stretching and before the crimping, post-interlacing takes place, with the post-interlacing nozzles being controllable separately from one another for the separate interlacing of the filaments

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Implementation Method 6

which are then crimped when the individual threads and the partial thread are textured separately

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Data Source

PatentEP3631060B1Method and melting spinning device for preparing a crimped multicolored composite yarn
Publication Date: 2023.07.05 OERLIKON TEXTILE GMBH & CO KG
  • EP3631060B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3631060B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3631060B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for producing a crimped, multicolored composite thread in a melt spinning method and to a melt spinning apparatus for carrying out the method. According to the invention, a plurality of colored filament bundles are initially extruded separately, cooled and each combined into a partial thread. The partial threads are then separately pre-swirled and stretched individually or as a partial composite thread formed from a plurality of partial threads. A separate post-swirling of individual partial threads or of the partial composite thread and a separate crimping of the partial threads or of the partial composite thread then occurs. After the crimping, the partial threads and the partial composite thread are combined into a composite thread and wound into a coil. The melt spinning apparatus according to the invention has a pre-swirling apparatus having a plurality of swirling nozzles, a post-swirling device having a plurality of post-swirling nozzles and a crimping device having a plurality of texturing nozzles, wherein the nozzles are designed such that an individual partial thread or a partial composite thread formed from a plurality of partial threads can optionally be processed.