Apparatus for electrostatic fibre spinning from polymeric fluids

Claim 1

Apparatus for producing a continuous filament from a rapidly crystallizable high molecular weight molten polymer comprising: (a) a chamber for said polymer; (b) heating means associated with said chamber for melting said polymer and for maintaining said polymer in molten condition; (c) an electrically conductive material disposed at one end of said chamber, said electrically conductive member including an orifice formed therethrough, said orifice being an open-ended capillary tube unobstructed throughout the diameter thereof; (d) controllabel means for applying a preselected controlled pressure to said molten polymer, said controlled pressure being sufficient to form a static flat meniscus of said molten polymer at said orifice, but being insufficient to extrude said molten polymer out of said orifice; (e) an apertured plate formed of electrically conductive material disposed at a predetermined distance from said orifice, the aperture in said plate and said orifice being concentrically aligned; and (f) means electrically connecting one pole of a DC power supply to said electrically conductive material through which said orifice is formed, and connecting the other pole of said DC power supply to said apertured plate thereby to create an electronic static field between said orifice and said apertured plate, the value of the applied voltage being large enough to overcome said static flat meniscus at said orifice and to form a cone terminating in a molten polymer jet, but being insufficient to generate an electrical discharge between said orifice and said apertured plate.