The present invention relates to a device for changing full bobbins on textile machines and for loading empty bobbin tubes thereon. This operation is usually described as "change-over" operation.
The invention is particularly suitable for, but not limited to, false twist texturizing machines.
On such machines, as on a large number of other textile machines (twisters and the like), the receiving bobbins are lined up from position to position on several levels in the lengthwise direction of the machine. This arrangement makes it possible to produce full bobbins of suitable dimensions despite the small distance between the positions, and this considerably reduces the floor space occupied by such machines.
When a bobbin is full, or when the yarn is broken, it is necessary to remove the bobbin from the machine and then to position an empty bobbin tube in order to wind the yarn thereon to thus produce a yarn package on the tube.
Usually, the so-called "doffing" operations are carried out manually, position by position, but this procedure is not only time consuming, but also involves substantial loss of yarn because during this change-over operation, the treatment machine continues to produce yarn. This loss of yarn is the greater, the higher is the speed of the machine.
Entirely automatic doffing systems have already been made, that is, systems which carry out all of these operations without manual intervention. However, these systems, which give excellent results, have the disadvantage of being extremely expensive to manufacture so that they have not been commercially successful hitherto.