Method and apparatus for manufacturing fiber bundle with injected air

摘要

Two flat fiber bundles of non-twisted filaments are arranged in an overlapped relationship or in a parallel and adjoining relationship, and held by a gripper at two points spaced apart from each other in the filament-extending direction. Compressed air is injected from a nozzle to the overlapped portion of the fiber bundles between the holding points at a plurality of positions arranged in the direction transverse to the filament-extending direction to cause the adjacent filaments to be entangled. The nozzle is moved across the fiber bundles while injecting air. Filaments are thus opened and rotated by the injected air, and thus entangled. A fiber bundle joining apparatus includes support sections and a receiving section provided in a base, a gripper cooperating with the support sections to grip overlapped ends of fiber bundles therebetween, a nozzle, and a regulating member to temporarily hold the fiber bundles and to allow the lower fiber bundle to be slackened.