Abstract: A winding tube for glass fiber yarn has an inner cylinder and an outer polyester fabric covering. The inner cylinder is made of a composite having at least two sheets of polypropylene film bonded together, with each sheet having a plurality of parallel fiberglass filaments embedded within the film of that sheet, and with the filaments of one sheet being at an angle with the filaments of the other sheet. The fabric has a spiral stitching. The tube maintains a cylindrical shape when not subject to deforming forces yet has sufficient flexibility that after a desired amount of glass fiber yarn is wound on the winding tube, the winding tube can be radially collapsed sufficiently to permit the winding tube to be withdrawn from within the yarn package. The winding tube is dimensionally stable at the elevated temperatures to which is likely to be exposed.

Abstract: A forming tube assembly may include an adapter tube configured to extend over at least a portion of a collet of a winder; and at least one forming tube extending around at least a portion of the adapter tube. A forming package assembly may include an adapter tube; and at least one forming package extending around the adapter tube.

Abstract: A forming tube assembly may include an adapter tube configured to extend over at least a portion of a collet of a winder; and at least one forming tube extending around at least a portion of the adapter tube. A forming package assembly may include an adapter tube; and at least one forming package extending around the adapter tube.

Abstract: An apparatus for doffing and re-tubing a fiber winder Includes: (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 having an adapter package and at least one forming package extending around the adapter tube, the first assembly support including: (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 an the first assembly support; (d) a second assembly support extending from the support plate for supporting a forming tube assembly having an adapter tube and at least one forming tube extending around the adapter tube, the second assembly support including: (i) at least one pusher movable along the second assembly support between a first position and a second position and capable of engaging the f

Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-leveled storage system located immediately above a glass sheet bending lehr. The multi-leveled storage system includes an elevator which enables an operator to transfer empty bending molds in groups from a return conveyor located above the roof of a bending lehr onto any one of several storage levels and to replace the tranferred molds with molds needed to produce a different pattern by transferring the different pattern molds from a selected storage level and to transfer said molds needed for said different pattern onto the return conveyor of the conveyor system used for handling glass sheet bending molds. The present invention also enables an operator to shuffle molds between different storage levels to facilitate future mold exchange operations.