Apparatus for the manufacture of filters composed of cellulose acetate

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING A CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLIED CRIUMPED CONTINUOUS FILAMENT TOW PREPARATORY TO CONVERSION OF TOW INTO COMPACT, FIRM, RESILIENT, ROD-LIKE SEG MENTS OF A PREDETERMINED SIZE AND SHAPE SUITABLE FOR USE AS FILTER ELEMENTS AND IN WHICH THE FILAMENTS IN THE EGGREGATE ARE IN SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF THE SEGMENTS, SAID APARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF DRIVEN ROLLS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRAWING TOW FROM A SUPPLY SOURCE, A TOW RETARDING DEVICE FORMING A BITE FOR TOW PASSING FROM THE SUPPLY SOURCE TOWARD THE DRIVEN ROLLS, SAID RETARDING DEVICE COOPERATING WITH SAID DRIVEN ROLLS TO PLACE TOW IN THE ZONE BETWEEN THE RETARDING DEVICE AND THE DRIVEN ROLLS UNDER A RELATIVELY HIGH LONGITUDINAL TENSION, A SLOTTED AIR BLASTING DEVICE POSITIONED TO RECEIVE THE TOW UNDER RELATIVELY LOW TENSION FROM THE DRIVEN ROLLS AND ADAPTED TO SPREAD THE TOW INTO A WIDE FLAT BAND SUBSTANTIALLY WIDER THAN THE TOW AT THE SUPPLY SOURCE SPRAY MEANS ADJACENT THE TOW SPREADING DEVICE FOR UNI FORMLY PROJECTING DROPLETS OF A LIQUID SPRAY ONTO A LARGE NUMBER OF FILAMENTS OF THE WIDE, FLAT TOW BAND DISCHARGED FROM THE TOW SPREADING DEVICE, MEANS FOR MOVING THE TOW FROM THE DRIVEN ROLLS THROUGH THE AIR BLASTING DEVICE AND THE SPRAY MEANS, SAID MOVING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID DRIVEN ROLLS TO MAINTAIN TOW IN THE ZONE BETWEEN THE DRIVEN ROLLS AND THE MOVING MEANS RELATIVELY RELAXED AND UNDER A RELATIVELY LOW LONGITUDINAL TENSION SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN SAID RELATIVELY HIGH TENSION, AND A CONDENSING FUNNEL POSITIONED TO RECEIVE TOW FROM THE TOW MOVING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO CONDENSE THE TOW INTO A FIRM, COMPACT, RODLIKE FORM.