Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

Wesley Moore

An apparatus for servicing a twisting machine. The apparatus includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV), a robotic arm having an end effector coupled to the AGV, and a rack carried by the AGV. The rack is configured to hold a plurality of empty tubes and a plurality of yarn packages. A controller that is configured to cause the robotic arm to grip, by the end effector, a handle of a row of the twisting machine, lower a receptacle of the twisting machine to a loading position, remove an empty tube from a first receptacle of the at least one receptacle, place the empty tube on the rack, lift a yarn package from the rack, place the yarn package on the first receptacle, grip the handle of the row of the plurality of rows of the twisting machine, and raise the at least one receptacle to the operational position.

System for handling and processing yarn

A system has at least one winder configured to wind yarn to form a yarn package. At least one sampling and tying machine is configured to remove a portion of the yarn of the yarn package and tie off a free end of the yarn around the yarn package to inhibit the yarn package from unwinding. A dunnage supply area has therein at least one support structure for receiving a plurality of yarn packages thereon. A robotic arm is configured to: move the yarn package from the at least one winder to the at least one sampling and tying machine; move the yarn package from the at least one sampling and tying machine to at least one case assembly area; and stack the yarn package on a support structure in the at least one case assembly area.

Growing community of inventors

Rock Springs, GA, United States of America

Wesley Moore