EP2418308B1 - Method and device for texturing threads for rugs or carpets, upstream from a heat treatment unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of the textile industry, in particular the treatment of carpet or carpet yarns upstream of a heat treatment unit and relates to a carpet texturing process for carpet or carpet, upstream of a heat treatment unit.

The invention also relates to a device for implementing this method.

The texturing of the yarns prior to a heat treatment is a commonly performed operation and generally consists in modifying a yarn coming from the spinning in order to give it properties different from those of origin, namely an increase in its volume, a modification of its appearance or its tactile characteristics.

For this purpose, we know, for FR-A-2,359,912 , a texturing nozzle of one or more son constituted by synthetic filaments, making it possible to obtain, at the outlet of the nozzle, a yarn having a silky touch comparable to that of a wool yarn, this yarn being taken at the outlet of the nozzle, under tension, for a heat treatment for fixing by continuous passage in a heat-setting machine or the like. The texturing thus obtained thus makes it possible to produce yarns for furnishing where the textile has an appearance close to that of wool.

It is also known to crimp the son, which is to direct the son between two drive rollers that force said son in a compacting channel. This compacting channel, called the curling box is generally provided at its end opposite the rollers of a check valve for compacting the son inside said box curling. As a result, by increasing the friction of the fibers or threads on the walls of the compacting box, the material to be curl will lose, at its exit from the drive rollers, its presentation in longitudinal form to take a presentation. corrugated generated by the downstream friction of the son on the walls of the curling box. This corrugation is made final by a subsequent heat treatment of fixing, after deposition of the crimped son, in a loop on a moving conveyor belt in vaporizing fixing machines or other. The son then leaving the processing machine have a significant change in appearance, due essentially to the curl which has been conferred upon them. Such curly yarns are more especially adapted to the production of tufted carpets or carpets.

The present invention relates to a carpet texturing method for carpet or carpet, upstream of a heat treatment unit, for modifying the characteristics of the son implemented in this area and achieve a substantial productivity gain.

For this purpose, the process according to the invention is characterized in that it consists essentially in producing, downstream of a rack, on at least one wire, at least one microtexturing operation by means of a microtexturer machine. and then depositing the wire obtained at the outlet of the microtexturer machine, in bulk or loops, in the free state, on an intermediate device for accumulation and transport conveying the obtained wire to a downstream heat treatment unit.

The invention also relates to a device for implementing this method, characterized in that it consists of at least one microtexturer machine, mounted downstream of a rack and whose output delivers the wire obtained, in the free state, on an intermediate device for accumulation and transport of wire to a downstream heat treatment unit.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique d'un dispositif pour la mise en oeuvre du procédé conforme à l'invention, et
• la figure 2 est une vue analogue à celle de la figure 1 d'une variante de réalisation de l'invention.

The invention will be better understood, thanks to the following description, which relates to preferred embodiments, given by way of non-limiting examples, and explained with reference to the appended schematic drawing, in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic view of a device for implementing the method according to the invention, and
• the figure 2 is a view similar to that of the figure 1 of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

As shown by way of example, the figure 1 In the accompanying drawings, the process for texturing carpet or carpet yarns, upstream of a heat treatment unit, according to the invention essentially consists in producing, downstream of a rack 1, at least one yarn 2, at least one microtexturing operation by means of a microtexturer machine 3, then depositing the obtained yarn 2 'at the outlet of the microtexturer machine 3, in bulk or in loops, in the free state, on an intermediate device 4 accumulation and transport system conveying the obtained wire to a downstream heat treatment unit 5.

For this purpose, the device for implementing this method is constituted by at least one microtexturer machine 3, mounted downstream of a rack 1 and whose output delivers the wire obtained 2 ', in the free state, on an intermediate device 4 for accumulation and transport of wire to a downstream heat treatment unit 5.

The implementation of the method according to the invention thus allows a modification of the texturing of the son or son 2 entering the microtexturer machine 3, resulting, on the one hand, a modified arrangement of the constituent fibers in the direction of swelling of the wire and, secondly, a change in the tactile appearance of the son or son obtained 2 '. Since these wires are deposited on the intermediate device 4 for accumulation and transport, in the free state, that is to say without tension, the swelling obtained during the microtexturing treatment in the machine 3 is entirely preserved. and a significant increase in volume can be seen. The heat treatment performed in the downstream heat treatment unit 5 then makes it possible to freeze the result obtained, namely to deliver, at the outlet, one or two son 2 'of much larger section and a different tactile appearance than the one incoming wires 2.

Conversely, in known microtexturation treatments, a tension is exerted on the yarn during the entire treatment, so that a partial shrinkage of the yarn in the direction of its initial section is immediately induced, and that only the tactile appearance remains noticeable after the heat treatment.

It is also possible, according to an alternative embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. figure 2 of the accompanying drawings, to perform on the yarn (s) 2 ', at the output of the microtexturing machine 3 and before their removal, in the free state, on the intermediate device 4 for accumulation and transport, a crimping operation of said son 2 'in a curling machine or curling box 6. For this purpose, the device according to the invention is completed by a machine or a curling box 6, interposed downstream of the microtexturer machine 3 and upstream of the intermediate device 4 for the accumulation and transport of the crimped wire (s) 2 "to a downstream heat treatment unit 5.

Such a curling machine or curling box 6 makes it possible to obtain a regular curling at its output and is of a type known per se. Thus, such a machine or box can in particular be of the type known by EP 1 323 853 B1 and present itself essentially in the form of a box to curling provided with a compaction chamber comprising drive rollers cooperating with squeegees. However, other forms of machines or curling boxes are also conceivable.

Thus, the son, which pass through the machine or the curling box 6 are assigned an initial crimp they retain at their output from said machine or curling box 6, to be deposited on the intermediate device 4 accumulation and transport.

The deposition of the son 2 'or 2 "obtained, either directly at the output of the microtexturer machine 3, or in the form of crimped son at the output of the machine or curling box 6 are deposited in bulk or in turns on the intermediate device 4 accumulation and transport.

For this purpose, the device 4 for accumulation and transport may be in the form of a guindre, a conveyor belt, or other, this device driving the son 2 'or 2 "without any influence on their voltage, to The result is that said son 2 'or 2 "do not undergo any influence tending to change their structure or appearance, before being transported in the heat treatment machine 5. The effect of microtexturing alone or the combined effect of microtexturing and crimping can therefore be exploited optimally, that is to say to obtain 2 'or 2 "yarns having maximum swelling and maximum crimp .

In particular embodiments, and according to a possible additional feature, the microtexturing operation consists in deforming the constituent filaments of the wire 2 so that they no longer extend in the direction of said wire 2 and thus cause an increase in diameter of said wire 2. Indeed, the wire 2 is generally made of filaments or fibers, which essentially extend, at their scale, in the same direction as the wire 2, despite a possible helicoid shape that can be given to these filaments, for example. The microtexturing step then consists of deforming these filaments so that they no longer reproduce the shape of the wire 2 that they constitute, but have a less linear shape, with loops or tendrils. Each filament then occupies more volume after microtexturation than before. The wire 2, consisting of these filaments disposed against each other, necessarily increases in volume, since the filaments that constitute it occupy, after microtexturation, a larger volume, because of the deformations that are made to them. Microtexturing therefore has the effect to curl the filaments constituting the wire, at their scale, without generating substantial deformation of the wire 2.

In these embodiments, the microtexturer machine 3 is therefore a means capable of deforming the constituent filaments of the wire 2 so that they no longer extend in the direction of said wire 2 and thus cause an increase in the diameter of said wire 2 Advantageously, the microtexturer machine 3 consists essentially of an air texturing nozzle, capable of forming loops or tendrils in the filaments constituting the yarn 2.

The deformation of the constituent filaments of the yarn 2, generated by microtexturing, therefore has the effect of increasing the diameter of the yarn 2, but also of modifying the feel of the yarn 2, since its outer surface is defined by filaments which, at their scale, do not extend linearly and reproducing essentially the shape of wire 2, but have deformations, such as loops, ripples, or crimps.

Thus, the use of yarns obtained by the process according to the invention makes it possible to achieve substantial savings in yarns in the field of the manufacture of tufted carpets or carpets, the substantial increase in the section of the yarns, as a result of the microtexturation, resulting in a much lower density of yarn per unit area. The additional treatment of curling allows, in addition, to influence the final appearance of the carpets or carpets obtained.

Thanks to the invention, it is possible to achieve a new type of synthetic son, intended for the realization of carpets or tufted carpets and whose apparent volume is considerably increased compared to the initial volume of the yarn. In addition, the tactile aspect and the visual appearance are also considerably modified compared to the initial thread.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown in the accompanying drawing. Modifications are possible, particularly from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution of technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims (8)

1. Method for texturing yarns for carpets or rugs, upstream of a heat treatment unit, characterised in that it consists essentially of performing downstream of a rack (1) on at least one untensioned yarn (2) at least one microtexturing operation by means of a microtexturing machine (3), then placing the yarn obtained (2') at the outlet of the microtexturing machine (3) in loose form or in loops in a free state on an intermediate device (4) for accumulation and transport delivering the yarn (2') obtained towards a downstream heat treatment unit (5).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that it consists of performing on the yarn or yarns (2'), at the outlet of the microtexturing machine (3) and prior to their depositing in a free form on the intermediate device (4) for accumulation and transport, a crimping operation on said yarns (2') in a crimping machine or crimping box (6).
3. Method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the microtexturing operation comprises deforming the fibres constituting the yarn (2) such that the fibres no longer extend in the direction of said yarn (2) and this increases the diameter of said yarn (2).
4. Device for implementing the method according to claim 1, characterised in that it consists of at least one microtexturing machine (3) mounted downstream of a rack (1) and the outlet of which delivers the yarn obtained (2') in a free state on an intermediate device (4) for accumulating and transporting yarn towards a downstream heat treatment unit (5).
5. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that it is complemented by a crimping machine or box (6), interposed downstream of the microtexturing machine (3) and upstream of the intermediate device (4) for accumulating and transporting the crimped yarn or yarns (2') towards a downstream heat treatment unit (5).
6. Device according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterised in that the device for the accumulation and transport (4) is in the form of a hank holder, a conveyor belt or the like, said device driving the yarns (2' or 2") without affecting their tension, namely in a free state.
7. Device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the microtexturing machine (3) is capable of deforming the fibres constituting the yarn (2) so that the fibres no longer extend in the direction of said yarn (2) and thus cause an increase in the diameter of said yarn (2).
8. Device according to claim 7, characterised in that the microtexturing machine (3) consists essentially of a texturing air nozzle capable of forming loops or spirals in the fibres constituting the yarn (2).

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