James Moore Schenck - Winston-Salem NC George Stephen Noonkester - King NC Bradford Lee Cheek - Yadkinville NC Delois C. Brown - Winston-Salem NC Randy R. Marsh - Walnut Cove NC
Assignee:
Sara Lee Corporation - Winston-Salem NC
International Classification:
D06B 1502 D06B 2300
US Classification:
68 22R
Abstract:
An apparatus for folding a continuous length of fabric extracted from a dyeing range. The apparatus includes a fabric receptacle for receiving the fabric from the dyeing range and a two-directional plaiting system for folding the fabric. In the preferred embodiment, a control system controls the speed and tension of the fabric to prevent tearing or sagging of the fabric during unloading. Also, a pulley and squeegee system receives the continuous fabric and extracting liquid from the fabric prior to folding. The pulley and squeegee system includes a first nip drive and a second nip drive, each of the drives including a pair of rollers spaced apart to allow the continuous fabric to feed through the nip drives to extract excess water from the fabric.