RAPIER LOOM HAVING A PICKING MECHANISM ADJUSTABLE TO YARN PROPERTIES

摘要

A rapier loom has a picking mechanism in which one rapier (a giver rapier) transfers a weft yarn to another rapier (a taker rapier) in mid-shed. Each rapier is oscillated toward and away from one another by a drive and includes a yarn clamp which is actuated by a clamp opener to provide reliable yarn transfer from one rapier to the other. The rapier drives and/or clamp openers are driven by programmed servomotors. In this way, the velocities of the rapiers and/or the interval in which the clamp openers are opened can be adjusted according to the properties of the particular weft yarns used to ensure reliable transfer without damaging the yarn.