Claims
- 1. An apparatus for doffing and re-tubing a fiber winder, comprising:(a) an assembly support; (b) a support plate vertically movable along the assembly support; (c) a first assembly support extending from the support plate for supporting a forming package assembly comprising an adapter package and at least one forming package extending around the adapter tube, the first assembly support comprising: (i) at least one gripper movable along the first assembly support between a first position and a second position and capable of engaging the forming tube assembly; and (ii) guides to support and guide the forming package assembly on the first assembly support; (d) a second assembly support extending from the support plate for supporting a forming tube assembly comprising an adapter tube and at least one forming tube extending around the adapter tube, the second assembly support comprising: (i) at least one pusher movable along the second assembly support between a first position and a second position and capable of engaging the forming tube assembly; and (ii) guides to support and guide the forming tube assembly on the second assembly support; and (e) a transport system capable of supporting the assembly support and horizontally moving the assembly support.
- 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport system further includes at least one rail and a carriage movable along the rail and secured to the assembly support.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the carriage is rotatable about a vertical axis so as to rotate the assembly support.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a stripper device to remove the at least one forming package from the adapter tube.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including a controller to control at least the horizontal movement of the assembly support, the vertical movement of the support plate and the movement of the first assembly grippers and the second assembly pushers along the first assembly and second assemblies, respectively.
- 6. A method of removing at least forming package from the collet of a fiber winder and positioning at least one forming tube on the collet, comprising:(a) providing a doffing and re-tubing device having a first assembly support for supporting a forming package assembly comprising an adapter tube and at least one forming package extending around the adapter tube, and a second assembly support for supporting a forming tube assembly comprising an adapter tube and at least one forming tube extending around the adapter tube; (b) aligning the first assembly support with a collet of a winder having a forming package assembly such that an end of the first support is close an end of the collet; (c) engaging the adapter tube of the forming package assembly with the first assembly support; (d) sliding the forming package assembly off the collet and onto the first assembly support; (e) aligning the second assembly support with the collet of the winder such that an end of the second assembly support is close the end of the collet; and (f) sliding a forming tube assembly positioned on the second assembly support off the second assembly support and onto the collet.
- 7. The method according to claim 6, further including the steps of the moving the device and first assembly support to align the first assembly support with a package support such that an end of the first assembly support is close an end of the package support, and sliding the forming package assembly off the first assembly support and onto the package support.
- 8. The method according to claim 7, further including the step of sliding the adapter tube of the forming package assembly back onto the first assembly support while retaining the at least one forming package on the package support.
- 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the forming package assembly includes multiple forming packages and the first sliding step simultaneously removes the multiple forming packages from the collet.
- 10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the forming tube assembly includes multiple forming tubes and the second sliding step simultaneously positions the multiple forming packages on the collet.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/136,537, filed May 28, 1999, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (24)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0381844 |
Aug 1990 |
DE |
0427994 |
May 1991 |
EP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (5)
Entry |
The Manufacturing Technology of Continuous Glass Fibres, by K. L. Loewenstein (3rd Ed 1993) pp. 165-172. |
The Manufacturing Technology of Continuous Glass Fibres, by K. L. Loewenstein (3rd Ed 1993) pp. 237-291. |
The Manufacturing Technology of Continuous Glass Fibres, by K. L. Loewenstein (3rd Ed 1993) pp. 30-44, 47-60, 115-135. |
The Manufacturing Technology of Continuous Glass Fibres, by K. L. Loewenstein (3rd Ed 1993) pp. 85-107. |
Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 6 (1967), pp. 501-712. |
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/136537 |
May 1999 |
US |