Automatic Material Handling, Inc.

Platt Saco Lowell Corporation, Inc.

Preparation Machinery Services, Inc.

Joseph R Williams

Alex Jacques Keller

Akiva Pinto

Erhard A Fechner

Charles David Crawford

James A King, Jr

Erchard A Fechner

James K Mosteller

Riley C Maness

Thad Flowers

Navinchandra K Patel

A multiple bale opening apparatus for opening fiber bales which includes an inclined conveyor for supporting a longitudinally-extending rank-and-file array of bales in a single, uniformly inclined plane along the entire length of the inclined conveyor, and including a bale-receiving end for receiving bales to be opened, a fiber plucking head carried by a fiber conveyor truck for moving along the length of the inclined conveyor and plucking a layer of fibers from a top surface of the array of bales supported by the inclined conveyor, the fiber plucking head mounted for movement in a horizontal plane to maintain the top surface of the bales in a horizontal plane along the length of the inclined conveyor as the fiber is plucked from the top surface and the depth of the bales is progressively reduced along the length of the conveyor by the movement of the bale plucking means. The bales move in a forward direction up the incline in increments correlated with the rate of fiber plucking to maintain the plane of the top surface of the bales in fiber-plucking contact with the fiber plucking head.

Apparatus and method for opening multiple fiber bales

Method and apparatus for feeding, weighing and releasing a predetermined quantity of fiber in reoccurring cycles for use in a fiber blending operation or the like whereby the quantity of fiber released in each cycle is maintained at an essentially constant and preselected level, which includes means for sensing the actual weight of fiber dumped from a weigh pan or container, comparing such weight with a constant preset desired weight setting, and varying the weight of fiber delivered during the next cycle to compensate for any differences between the preset weight and the actual weight dumped during the preceding cycle.

Method and apparatus for feeding, weighing and releasing fiber

A control system for use in textile processing equipment including a card and a chute feed delivering a batt of fiber thereto. The operating speed of the card is sensed to generate a signal that is used to drive the motor for the oscillating densification plate and the feed roll of the chute feed at speeds having a predetermined ratio of the operating speed of the card. The weight of the batt formed by the chute feed is sensed and a signal is generated in proportion to the sensed weight, and this signal is used to override the primary drive for the oscillating plate and thereby vary the ratio between the operating speed of the card and speed of oscillation of the plate. The chute feed includes a device for sensing the level of accumulated fiber in the chute feed, and this device generates a signal that is utilized to override the primary drive for the feed roll of the chute feed and thereby vary the ratio between the operating speed of the card and the speed of such feed roll. In another embodiment, the 'on-off' operating condition of the card is sensed, and the feed roll and oscillating plate are operated at a predetermined speed in response to the 'on' condition of the card being sensed. The signal generated by the batt-weight sensing means is then used to vary the predetermined speeds of the feed roll and the oscillating plate.

Control system for fiber processing apparatus

Apparatus for removing fiber portions from a selected plurality of bales and delivering the fiber to a receiver, such apparatus including a head that is lowered into contact with the top surface of such bales to grasp fibers therefrom. A control system is provided which generates a signal when the head has traveled a predetermined vertical distance toward a bale, and the signal is used to vary the sequence of pick-up or the amount of fiber picked up, from the plurality of bales to assure that the plurality of bales are maintained at substantially even heights during the sequential pick-up of fiber therefrom.

Bale level control system for mechanical hopper feeder

For use with a spinning frame, apparatus for removing underwound yarn wraps from the base portion of the rotating spindle, such apparatus including a spindle cleaning structure mounted on a spindle rail for pivotal movement between a first spindle cleaning position engaging the spindle and a second inactive position clear of the movement of the reciprocating ring rail of the spinning frame. A plurality of spindle cleaning structures may be provided along the extent of the spindle rail, each such structure being operated between its first and second position by the movement of ring rail during a predetermined portion of such movement. The spindle cleaning structures may be arranged for sequential operation by the ring rail to provide sequential cleaning of the spindles.

Spindle cleaning apparatus

Equipment including a pick-up head arranged on an elevated trackway for automatically picking up increments of fiber from a plurality from fiber bales, and serially delivering such fiber increments to a feeder unit which feeds the fiber to a hopper. The hopper may become choked when an excess quantity of fiber is fed thereto, and a control system is provided which automatically energizes and de-energize the feeder unit after a predetermined number of fiber increments have been delivered to the feeder unit, the total quantity of fiber in such predetermined number of fiber increments, when added to the quantity of fiber in the hopper it signals for more fiber, being less than that which will cause the hopper to become choked. A fiber guide arrangement is also included in the hopper to prevent fibers fed thereto from taking a path of movement which could choke the hopper.

Growing community of inventors

Kings Mountain, NC, United States of America

Joseph R Williams