Patents by Inventor Hermann Balk

Hermann Balk has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7740777
    Abstract: A spunbond system for manufacturing a non-woven web of fibers includes a spin beam assembly configured to process and deliver a plurality of polymer streams for extrusion through spinneret orifices. The spin beam assembly includes a plurality of manifold sections within the spin beam assembly, each manifold section including a distribution pipe configured to transfer a respective polymer component to a plurality of piping sections extending within the manifold section and a heat transfer medium that flows within the manifold section and around the piping sections extending into the manifold section so as to maintain the respective polymer component at a selected temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignees: Hills, Inc., Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Arnold Wilkie, Hermann Balk
  • Publication number: 20070222099
    Abstract: A spunbond system for manufacturing a non-woven web of fibers includes a spin beam assembly configured to process and deliver a plurality of polymer streams for extrusion through spinneret orifices. The spin beam assembly includes a plurality of manifold sections within the spin beam assembly, each manifold section including a distribution pipe configured to transfer a respective polymer component to a plurality of piping sections extending within the manifold section and a heat transfer medium that flows within the manifold section and around the piping sections extending into the manifold section so as to maintain the respective polymer component at a selected temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Applicant: Hills, Inc.
    Inventors: Arnold Wilkie, Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 7179412
    Abstract: A closed fiber spinning system includes a spin beam assembly including a plurality of polymer distribution manifolds to independently deliver different polymer component fluid streams to a spin pack and independently maintain those fluid streams at different temperatures. The spin beam assembly in combination with the closed spinning system facilitates the production of a wide variety of multiple polymer component fiber and fabric products having a desired denier and degree of uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignees: Hills, Inc., Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Arnold Wilkie, Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 6120276
    Abstract: Core filaments for the formation of a fleece are formed in a spinneret assembly which has a wide slit extrusion die provided with two outlet slits for different thermoplastic synthetic resins. Below the die, a distribution plate has two sets of feed bores which deliver synthetic resin from the two sets of bores to a core-forming plate directly beneath the distribution plate and a spinneret plate below the core-forming plate whose spinneret bores are aligned with core-forming bores in the core-forming plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 5730821
    Abstract: A process for producing a web fleece of thermoplastic polymer filaments. Filaments of thermoplastic polymer are spun from a spinneret to form a curtain passing through a cooling chamber and a stretching channel. The volume rate of flow of the thermoplastic polymer from the spinneret, the volume rate of flow of air, the velocity of the air and the temperature of the air in the cooling chamber and stretching channel are so controlled that individual filaments of the curtain have filament diameters less than .mu.m and a degree of crystallinity less than 45%. The filaments of the curtain are collected on a continuously moving sieve belt in a mat whose crossing points fuse together. The mat is heated to a stretching temperature of 80.degree. to 150.degree. C. and stretched axially by 100 to 400%. The biaxially stretched mat is heated to a temperature above that of the stretching temperature to thermofix the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Rolf Helmut Joest, Hans Georg Geus, Hermann Balk, Bernd Kunze, Herbert Schulz
  • Patent number: 5609808
    Abstract: A melt-blowing head is used to produce long thermoplastic filaments which are collected on a sieve belt and form crossing welds at cross-over points. The resulting mat may be calendered and is composed of filaments having a diameter of less than 100 .mu.m and a degree of crystallinity which is less than 45%. The mat is heated to a stretching temperature of 80 to 150.degree. C. and is then biaxially stretched by 100 to 400% before being thermally fixed at a higher temperature. The result is a nonwoven web which can have a greater strength for a given area weight or a reduced area weight for a given strength than earlier systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Rolf H. Joest, Hans G. Geus, Hermann Balk, Bernd Kunze, Herbert Schulz
  • Patent number: 5503784
    Abstract: A spun-bond apparatus can be operated with additional high-pressure jets at the outlet gap immediately above the collecting belt and below the intermediate passage connecting that gap with the cooling chamber to establish a higher velocity of the filaments which are collected in the nonwoven fabric on the belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co, Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 5460500
    Abstract: A spun-filament nonwoven web is deposited on a sieve belt from a spinning head producing a curtain of thermoplastic filaments which traverse a cooling chamber by drawing the filaments in a drawing nozzle separate from the cooling chamber and passing the filaments through a delivery unit and in the form of a jet pump, air flow through which is controlled at least in part by a suction blower below that sieve belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1995
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Hans G. Geus, Hermann Balk, Bernd Kunze
  • Patent number: 5098636
    Abstract: In place of discrete orifice spinnerets, a nozzle unit for thermoplastified thermoplastic material in the production of nonwoven fabric has a wide-slit nozzle at least one lip of which is formed with sawtooth serrations so that a film emerges from the nozzle and is broken up by an air stream into continuous filaments or short fibers for the production of the nonwoven fabric by the normal spun-bond drawing process or by the melt-blown process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 5017323
    Abstract: A method of and apparatus for continuously stretching a thermoplastic web comprises the steps of feeding the thermoplastic web longitudinally to a heating chamber at a relatively low input speed, engaging the thermoplastic web in the heating chamber with a first member with a relatively low sliding friction between the web and the first member and engaging the thermoplastic web in the heating chamber with a second member spaced longitudinally downstream from the first roller with a relatively high sliding friction between the web and the second member. The thermoplastic web is pulled off the second member in a downstream stretch of the web at a relatively high stretching speed and the web is heated in the chamber to a temperature sufficient to substantially prevent plastic-deformation stretching of the web upstream of the second member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1991
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 4838774
    Abstract: The apparatus for making a spun-filament fleece from a stretched thermoplastic monofilament has a combined spinning unit made up of separate spinning units each having a plurality of spinning nozzles arranged in rows over a rectangular cross section, a blower shaft, a stretching shaft and a wire screen conveyor for the finished deposited fleece. The blower shaft is provided with air orifices for admission of stretching air simultaneously acting as a cooler. The stretching shaft has stretching shaft walls which are, if necessary, movable or adjustable with an accelerating device with a venturi nozzle like vertical cross section. At least two separate spinning units with separate groups of spinning nozzles are located above the blower shaft. At least one separating wall located between individual spinning units divides the blower shaft into separate portions for separate bands of monofilaments generated by the separate groups of spinning nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 4820142
    Abstract: The fleece spinning unit has a spinning nozzle system, a cooling shaft, a stretching aperture, a diffuser shaft, a continuously moving fleece receiving conveyor and a device for feeding process air and for drawing outflowing air through the fleece receiving conveyor. The cooling shaft has a shaft wall provided with a plurality of air orifices. Thus process air required for the cooling is fed into the cooling shaft and is at least partially drawn through the fleece receiving conveyor. The thickness of the spun fleece is measurable on the fleece receiving conveyor downstream of the diffuser shaft in the transport direction. A measured value/set-point comparison is made and on deviation of the measured value from the set-point the setting angles of opposing air control flaps which are located at the entrance of the stretching aperture are changed. On a positive deviation of the measured value of the thickness from the set-point the setting angle is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1989
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 4813864
    Abstract: The apparatus has a spinneret, a cooling shaft, a stretching aperture, a diffuser shaft, a fleece receiving conveyor and a device for feeding process air and for pulling or drawing outflowing air through the fleece receiving conveyor. The cooling shaft has a shaft wall provided with a plurality of air orifices. Process air required for the cooling is fed into the cooling shaft. The cooling shaft is provided with an upper intensive cooling region and a lower additional cooling region and suitable air flow dividing guiding walls connected to the outside of the shaft wall. Air control flaps which have an outlet gap opening to the stretching aperture and which form a wedge pointing in the feed direction of the endless filament are connected upstream of the stretching aperture to the shaft walls. The diffuser shaft is provided with pivoting wings defining the passage cross section which are each movable about one horizontal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1989
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 4812112
    Abstract: A device for making a spun fleece has a spinning nozzle or spinneret system, a cooling shaft, a stretching gap, a diffuser shaft, a continuously moving fleece receiving conveyor and a device for feeding process air and for pulling or removing outflowing air through the fleece receiving conveyor. The cooling shaft has a shaft wall provided with a plurality of air orifices. Because of that process air required for the cooling is fed into the cooling shaft. The air flow at least partially is pulled through the fleece receiving conveyor and the spun fleece formed by the deposited endless filament loops. The deposited length of the endless filament loops is measured over the spun fleece width in the finished fleece. The measured value is compared with a predetermined set value. On deviation of the measured value from the set value the setting angles of the air control flaps pivotable about a horizontal axis which are located at the entrance of the stretching gap are changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1989
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 4797079
    Abstract: The process for making at least one thermoplastic monofilament of an exact diameter from a thermoplastic material by spinning in an apparatus in which a thermoplastic material is fed to at least one spinneret, which has at least one spinning plate with a plurality of spinning holes for the thermoplastic monofilaments, and forcing the thermoplastic material through the spinning holes with at least one spinning pump. To provide a monofilament of a very exact diameter the process further comprises measuring the diameter of each of the monofilaments in or after the outlet of the associated spinning hole, feeding the resulting measured value of this diameter as the actual value to a controller associated with that monofilament and controlling the flow rate of thermoplastic material through the associated spinning hole according to the difference between the actual value and a predetermined setpoint value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1989
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 4708619
    Abstract: Apparatus for spinning monofilaments made of thermoplastic synthetic resin, with a spinning head for monofilaments, at least one spinning panel with a plurality of nozzle orifices, one or more spinning pumps with a motor equipped with a regulator for controlling the thickness of the monofilaments. The regulator can be fed to the diameter measurements of the individually measured monofilaments. Anywhere from 6 to 60 nozzle orifices, preferably about 20 nozzle orifices, are combined into a nozzle orifice group. Each nozzle orifice group has its own spinning pump with its own regulator. The monofilaments of the nozzle orifices of a nozzle orifice group can be conducted past a measuring device for the measurement of the diameters of the monofilaments. This measuring device will calculate an average of the diameter measurements of the monofilaments, which can be fed as an actual value into the regulator which services the spinning pump of the corresponding nozzle orifice group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1987
    Assignee: Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hermann Balk
  • Patent number: 3968287
    Abstract: A composite foil or laminate of two synthetic-resin foils having mutually transverse main stretch directions (orientations) is formed by bonding the foils together after they have been incised in rows of spaced-apart incisions extending in the main stretch direction of each foil. Successive alternating rows along the foil have incisions offset along the rows from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1974
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1976
    Assignee: Reifenhauser KG
    Inventor: Hermann Balk