Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for changing the unwinding direction of wound laps supplied by a delivery station in order to form a group of wound laps in which the face sides of adjacent wound laps are provided with the same distance and the longitudinal axes of the wound laps are disposed in one line. A rotatable vertical shaft is provided with one or more horizontal receivers that receive the laps sequetially and rotate each lap by 90° with the division of a winding group being maintained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for changing the winding-off direction of reels (W,W1) which are delivered in succession by a delivery station (1) in order to form a reel group (WG) in which the front faces of adjacent reels (W) are equally spaced (a) and the longitudinal axes (LA) of the reels (W) are in a line. In practice, it is sometimes necessary to arrange the preparation machine for producing a reel (W) in such a way in relation to the combing machine group being used that the reels that are delivered by the preparation machine have a different winding-off direction in the ejected winding-off direction to that necessary for the subsequent combing machine. It is therefore necessary to rotate the reels (e.g. 90° or 180°) while preserving the division of the reel group.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for changing the unwinding direction of wound laps (W, W1) supplied in a temporally successive manner by a delivery station (1) in order to form a group of wound laps (WG) in which the face sides of adjacent wound laps (W) are provided with the same distance (a) and the longitudinal axes (LA) of the wound laps (W) are disposed in one line. In practice it may be necessary to arrange the preparatory machine for producing a wound lap (W) with respect to the combing machine group to be operated in such a way that the wound laps supplied by the preparatory machine are provided with an unwinding direction in the ejected unwinding direction other than is required in the downstream combing machine. It is therefore necessary to rotate the wound lap (e.g. by 90° or 180°), with the division of a winding group being maintained.

Abstract: The lap winder has two rotatable lap rollers which support a lap during winding. A drive motor drives the lap rollers through the intermediary of a transmission or gearing. A brake mechanism acts on at least one of the lap rollers or on an element co-rotating or fixedly connected for rotation with one of the lap rollers. When the lap winder stops then the brake mechanism is actuated and takes-up the kinetic energy of the lap rollers and that of the lap supported on the lap rollers. The braking forces for the lap rollers and for the lap therefore do not have to be transmitted through the transmission or gearing. There are thus avoided heavy loading and wear of the transmission or gearing.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for and a method of transporting groups of laps and empty lap tubes between lap-forming machines and lap-processing machines by a shifting bridge provided with a drive. There are known transport systems whereby the follow-up of reverse laps is effected only subsequent to a "lap depletion signal". For this reason, an apparatus and a method are suggested and according to which the positioning of the drivable shifting bridge is controlled by a master computer which is connected to the lap-processing machines and the lap-forming machines as well as to the drivable shifting bridge.

Abstract: A transport device serves for the delivery of a plurality of tubes wound with textile material to form laps, between a lap forming machine and a lap processing machine, by means of a transport truck. The transport truck possesses a tiltable receiver in which repose the laps. Viewed in the lengthwise direction of the laps, the latter are arranged behind and coaxially with respect to one another at a predetermined mutual spacing. With prior art devices, a number of manual operations are required to accomplish the exchange of laps and empty tubes. In particular, the empty tubes must be manually removed and intermediately stored at the lap processing machine before they can be manually placed upon the transport truck following mounting of the full laps.

Abstract: The auxiliary device for drawing in a lap sheet between the calender rollers includes a curved plate and a flexible flat structure secured to a rear edge of the plate. The plate is introduced into a gap between the first two calender rollers and moved about the second roller until entering the gap between the second and third rollers. The start of a lap sheet is then placed on the flexible flat structure and secured thereon and the plate and flexible flat structure then advanced until the lap issues upwardly through the gap between the second and third rollers. The auxiliary device is then removed and the leading edge of the lap sheet introduced between the third and fourth calender rollers for delivery to a winding roller.