Production Of A Twistless Payout Package With Means For Drawing Out The Inner End Of The Material

Abstract

In winding a package of flexible material formed of a plurality of layers each composed of a number of figure-eight lights in which the crossovers progress around the package therein, in which a radial hole is provided opening into the central core space of the package through which the inner end of the material can be led out for twistless payout, an arrangement is provided for facilitating the withdrawal of the free inner end of the package through the opening after winding. This may be a means for holding a loop or elongated piece of the flexible material in a position where it can be easily fished out through the hole when the package is finished; or an arrangement for feeding a pin to which the inner end of the material is attached out through the hole as the package is wound; or to an arrangement for projecting a member out through the hole from the interior of the mandrel. When a pin is fed out through the hole as the package is wound, this pin may protrude beyond the periphery of the package far enough to aid in or to accomplish the formation of the radial hole without the need for speed variations between the spindle and the guide.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method of facilitating the withdrawal of the inner end of a wound body of flexible material of the universal type through a radial opening therein at the end of the winding of the package, as well as to equipment for this purpose and for aiding in hole formation.

2. The Prior Art

Packages of the universal type having radial openings into the central core space through which the free end of the material can be withdrawn for twistless payout are known, for example, from Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,922, and a machine for winding these packages from Taylor et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,634,918.

However, with previous packages of the type shown, it has been necessary after the package is wound to withdraw the free inner end of the material by hand through the radial opening, after the package is removed from the mandrel. This operation requires considerable manipulation and may result in disturbance of the wind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is designed to furnish several ways in which the withdrawal of the free inner end of the material in such a package can be accomplished before the package is removed from the mandrel, and without undue effort or manipulation being required.

This may be accomplished in several ways. In one type of solution, a length of the free inner end of the material is held during winding in a readily available position just beneath the surface of the mandrel at a point opposite the radial hole. Such an end can be engaged by a hook or other suitable tool when the package is finished and pulled out through the radial hole before the removal of the package from the mandrel.

Another arrangement for accomplishing this purpose includes a member mounted in the mandrel for radial outward movement with means for gradually advancing this member as the package is wound, the inner free end of the material being secured to the member and thereby being positioned at the outer entrance to the opening when the package is finished, where it can be held while the member is withdrawn into the mandrel and the package removed from the mandrel.

According to another modification, a member to which the inner free end of the material is attached is mounted in a hole in the mandrel and is expelled through the radial opening, for example by air under pressure, when the package is completed, the inner free end of the material being attached to this member.

In all forms of the invention, there is some means below the surface of the mandrel for holding a length of the free inner end of the material during winding, these means being opposite the point at which the hole is formed in the package.

The invention further contemplates the possible use of one of these devices for the purpose of aiding in the formation of the radial hole, possibly without varying the speed ratio between the spindle and the guide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows in perspective a mandrel with holding means thereon;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of the holding means of FIG. 1 in front elevation;

FIG. 3 is a cross section on the line of 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows in front elevation a mandrel having a modified form of holding member;

FIG. 5 is an enlargement of the central part of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows in cross section a mandrel having a member which is moved outwardly during formation of the package;

FIG. 8 shows a machine embodying the mandrel of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross section through the outwardly movable member;

FIG. 10 shows in cross section another form of mandrel;

FIG. 11 shows diagrammatically a machine embodying a device of the type shown in FIG. 10.

Referring to the modifications of FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a mandrel 2 on which is to be wound a package of the universal type formed of FIG. 8 coils such as 4 with a radial opening thereinto. At substantially the center of the length of the mandrel there is provided an elongated recess 6 in which there are a pin 8 and a spring clip 10. The flexible material 12 is carried several times around the post 8 and its free end is then positioned beneath the spring clip 10.

This recess 6 is positioned at the point of the mandrel opposite which the radial hole is formed. After the hole has been formed, a hook or other gripping member can be inserted through the hole to grip the material 12 between the post 8 and the spring clip 10 and the material can be pulled out of the grip of spring clip 10, while at the same time it will unwind from the post 8. The package can then be removed from the mandrel, after, if it is desired, a wrapping or other cover is applied to hold it for shipping purposes. No manipulation in the interior of the core of the package is necessary.

In the form of FIGS. 4 to 6, the mandrel 12 is provided with a peripheral groove 14, at the point of which opposite which the hole will be formed is a pin 16 in a recess 18. If one end of the material 20 is fastened loosely around the pin and then led around the package within the groove 14, when the package is finished a gripping instrument can be inserted and pull the inner end of the thread out, drawing the end portion which runs around through the groove 14 away from the pin 16 and out through the hole in the package.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a mechanism for positively feeding the end of the material outwardly through the radial hole as the package is formed. The mandrel 20 is mounted on a shaft 22 carried in bearings 24. A shaft 26 extends inwardly within the shaft 22, which is hollow, to a point substantially at the longitudinal center line of the mandrel. At this point it carries a bevel gear 28 which meshes with a bevel gear 30 carried by a stem 32 turnable in a bearing 34 mounted in the body of the mandrel. The gear 32 has internally threaded engagement with a stem 36, which is splined in a member 38 but is slidable therein. The rod 36 carries at its other end a sleeve 40 which is movable in and out of the recess 42 within the mandrel 20, and has a rounded end 44. It also has on the outside two annular ribs 46.

The shaft 22 is driven by a motor 48 which also through a differential mechanism 50 drives shaft 26. The ratio is such that the movement of shaft 26 is slightly different from that of shaft 22 and mandrel 20 so that, as winding progresses as indicated by the broken lines 52 in FIG. 7, the sleeve 42 will gradually be pushed out into the hole as it is formed, always remaining beneath the surface of the hole.

Before winding begins, the flexible material is wound around the sleeve 42 between the ribs 46, and then passed up inside the sleeve 40 and secured to the removable end 44. The member is then retracted into the package. In this arrangement, the sleeve 42 may be left in the hole to serve as a payout tube if one is desired.

At the end of winding, the free inner end of the material which is only a short distance in the hole can be readily gripped by a suitable tool and pulled out of the hole. The sleeve 42 can then be withdrawn by disconnecting the differential 50 from shaft 26 and rotating that shaft by hand or otherwise fast enough to draw the member 42 quickly into the hole. The completed package can then be withdrawn from the mandrel.

If the front end 44 of the tube, to which the inner free end of the material is attached, is advanced slightly beyond the periphery of the package as it is being wound, it will assist in hole formation and in some instances may itself be sufficient to form a hole without requiring the variations in speed between the spindle and the guide which are described in the Taylor patents referred to above.

In a modification of FIGS. 10 and 11, a mandrel 52 is mounted on a shaft or spindle 54 to which it is keyed by a key 56. The shaft 54 has a pass 58 extending into one end and connected by a valve 60 through a suitable joint 62 with a source 64 of compressed air. The package 58 communicates with aligned holes 66 and 68 in the shaft and in the mandrel, in which is seated a member 70 which fits reasonably tightly in the hole 68. The free end of this member extends into a recess 72 in the surface of the mandrel 58. The free end of the material to be wound is wound loosely around this member 68, being attached thereto at one point. After the package is built up as indicated at 74, the valve 60 is opened to admit compressed air which drives the member 70 out through the radial opening 76 in the package so that the free end of the material can be gripped.

Claims

We claim:

1. A spindle for winding a package of flexible material in a number of figure-8 bights having a radial hole therethrough opening into the central opening formed by the spindle comprising a body having a substantially cylindrical surface and a recess in the surface at the point where the hole is formed, and having means in the recess to hold the inner end of a length of the flexible material.

2. A spindle as claimed in claim 1, in which the cylindrical surface has a groove running therearound, said recess communicating with the groove.

3. A spindle as claimed in claim 1, in which the recess is a radial opening and the holding means includes a member mounted in the radial opening, and means are provided for forcing said member out through the radial hole formed in the package.

4. A spindle as claimed in claim 3, in which said forcing means includes means controlled in synchronism with the rotation of the spindle for feeding the member out gradually as a package is built up on the spindle.

5. A spindle as claimed in claim 3, in which the forcing means includes means to introduce a fluid under pressure into the radial opening behind said member.

6. In a machine for winding a package of flexible material having a plurality of layers each formed of a plurality of figure-8 bights with the crossovers progressing around the package and with a radial opening therein through which the free inner end of the material can be drawn out, said machine including a spindle on which the material is wound and means to rotate the spindle, said spindle having a radial opening therein, a member slidably mounted in said opening, and means controlled in synchronism with the rotation of the spindle to move said member outwardly away from the spindle axis as a package is built up on the spindle to maintain a radial opening therein.