Title of Invention	COOLING DEVICE FOR COOLING SYNTHETIC FILAMENTS
Abstract	Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments, in particular for use in the spinning of multifilaments, comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft (21) being arranged between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments are passed, and which cooling shaft (21) is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through, characterized in that the cooling shaft (21) comprises a seamless electroformed support (22) with passage- openings (23) which are separated by dykes.

Title of Invention

COOLING DEVICE FOR COOLING SYNTHETIC FILAMENTS

Abstract

Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments, in particular for use in the spinning of multifilaments, comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft (21) being arranged between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments are passed, and which cooling shaft (21) is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through, characterized in that the cooling shaft (21) comprises a seamless electroformed support (22) with passage- openings (23) which are separated by dykes.

Full Text	1 Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments The present invention relates to a cooling device synthetic filaments, in particular for use in the spinJ^ (multi) filaments, which device comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft being arranged- between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments are passed, and which cooling shaft is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through. A cooling device of this nature is generally known in the art. Three different basic methods are used for the production of fibres or filaments, namely melt spinning, dry spinning and wet spinning, although there are many variations and combinations of these basic methods. It should, incidentally, be noted here that in the present application the term "spinning" is^used in the broadest sense, namely that of the production of filaments, and is not -limited to the production of filaments from staple fibres. During melt spinning, a polymer is heated to a temperature above its melting point, and the molten polymer is extruded through a spinneret. A spinneret is a die with a large number of capillaries, the diameter and shape of which may vary. The jets of molten polymer which emerge from the capillaries are passed through a cooling zone, where the jet of polymer solidifies, resulting in the formation of a continuous filament. During dry spinning, the polymer is dissolved in a suitable solvent* and the solution thus obtained is extruded under pressure through a spinneret. The jets of polymer solution are passed into a heating zone, where the solvent evaporates from the polymer and the filament solidifies. During wet spinning,, the polymer is likewise dissolved in a suitable solvent, and the solution thus obtained is extruded through a spinneret, which spinneret is submerged in a so-called coagulation bath. Precipitation or chemical regeneration of the polymer in the form of a filament takes place in this coagulation bath. The filaments thus obtained often have to undergo .further treatments such as hot or cold stretching, twisting" and texturing WO 00/73545 PCT/NL0O/O035I 2 In order to obtain {i&ulti} f ilaments having th-e desired properties for the intended end use. In the case of melt spinning, either o£ monoriiaaieni.s yi "r multifilaments, the cooling after the extrusion step is of essential importance, since the uniformity of cooling has a direct ' influence on the physical parameters of the filaments, such as the' uniformity of the thickness of the filaments or the dyeability. In general, it is assumed that variations in these properties in the longitudinal direction o£ the filament and between different filaments are caused by a non-laminar or turbulent flaw of the cooling medium, usually cooling air- Xn the cooling zone,f the molten filaments have to be cooled to below the melting point of the polymer before the filaments are able tc come into contact with' one another or with components of a device used for the productionf such ss abides, Xn order to expose the molten and extruOeo ti\o"w14vw o.-". - cooling-air. treatment which is as -uniform as possible, all kinds of . expensive cooling systems and methods have been deviled, requiring complex air-distribution, control and " ttomogenisation devices in /M"rf#"i" 4" rs ("o}¦? "s"**f +-K"a i"i> t~H"ii1 j"n^" r**irl inn -"o! >™ iirjH "t~F\ )~w= sHl P1 tr^ f&ff?$ i t". VtfX"ft5Ao i.W vJ Jti. Ei V- V Lite; mXUUi,CUV vUv'J.4-iiy M.AJ- titiV* VW fc^; t"*fJt.C5 I^W . %SVi%A J- Xn lamiaar form. In a system Mhxch xs k&Qsm in the. &z:Zf - XXSB is Jaa^e or a cooling shaft, at least part of which is provided with openings allowing the cooling medium to pass through. A cooling shaft of this nature is arranged* optionally directly, beneath one or more spinnerets of a spinning device mn In the cooling systems for cooling fcaulti)filaments whicb are known from these publications, a cooling shaft which is generally composed of a. screen cloth or a tube which is perforated with holes and slots is used. More specifically, as ex&mples of a cooling shaft of this Xi&ture WO-A-93/19229 mentions a metal screen, in which case relatively large holes are arranged close together over the entire surface, anci a perforated shaft which is provided with perforations over its entire surface. The holes have a diameter of 1-5 mnx, with a maximum passages of 50%. In Example 1 of this document, a screen cylinder with a mesh density of 600/cm2 is WO 0W73S45 3 PCT/NL00/003SI used. In the cooling system according to DS-A-42 20 915, a cooling shaft which is composed of a screen cloth or a cooling shaft whose walls are perforated with small holes and slots is used- The cooling shaft according to DE-&-42 23 298 is designed in the same way as that described in DE-A-42 20 915. The shape of the cross section oi" the cooling shaft is adapted to the form of the spinneret arrangement. la the case of the spinning of multifilaments, each filament bundle is preferably surrounded by a coolina shaft. If a cooling shaft is made from screen material, it: is necessary for this screen material to be supported at various locations, and the ends have to be attached to one another, for example via a \t®l The object of the present invention is to at least partially eliminate the above drawbacks and, in particular, to provide a cooling shaft in which the risk of dead 2ones occurring is redu^"" further. In the cooling device of the type described above according to the invention, the cooling shaft comprises a seamless, electroformed support with passage-openings which are separated by dykes. According to the invention, the cooling shaft is produced without a seam by means of electroforming. During operation, a> cooling shaft of this nature will be less susceptible to the formation of dead zones, with the result that the cooling treatment can be carried out more uniformly and thus a more uniform distribution of the properties in the filaments can be obtained. Furthermore, an electroformed cooling shaft of this nature is sufficiently strong and resistant to bending, so that further WO 00/73545 4 PCT/N LOO/00351 supporting measures axe not required. For the elect reforming of the cooling shaft, a die is used in which a system of electrical conductors which delimit isolating islands is provided. The electrical conductors define the dykes which are to be formed, and the isolating islands define the passage-openings which are to be formed. In an electrolysis bath, metal is electrodeposited on the electrical conductors to a desired thickness, after which the product thus obtained is removed from the die. On the other hand, it is possible in the same way firstly to deposit a base skeleton of the cooling shaft on the die, which is allowed to grow further after it has been removed. In general, dies which are circular in cross section are used, so that the electroformed cooling shaft is also circular in cross section. Other shapes, such as oval or rectangular, are also possible, however. The number of openings per unit surface area can be selected as a function of the desired application/ the type of polymer also being important. The length of the cooling shaft is kept as short as possible, so that the overall spinning device, of which the cooling device according to the invention forms part, can be kept relatively compact. It has been found that cooling shafts with lengths of the order of magnitude of from 20 mm to 50 mm and mesh numbers of approximately 50 to 100, in particular 60 or 70 .mesh for a passage of 10 or 16% respectively, in practice function successfully for numerous applications. The thickness of an electroformed cooling shaft of this nature is usually of the order of magnitude of 100 micrometres, although both thinner and thicker cooling shafts may be used. The shape and dimensions of the cross section of the cooling shaft are adapted to the dijaensions smd shape of the spinneret. Preferably, the seamless, electroformed support is made from nickel, with the result that a cooling shaft with a long service life is obtained. In a preferred embodiment of the cooling shaft according to the invention, the passage-openings which are separated by dykes are arranged in a regular pattern. Depending on the particular application, the seamless, electroformed support may comprise a first zone in which there are passage-openings separated by dykes, and a second zone without passage-openings, which adjoins the first 2one, as is already known per se from the prior art. WO 00/73 SAS PCT/NLOO/00351 5 In another embodiment, an uninterrupted sleeve is arranged dispiaceabiy inside the seamless, elecfroformed support. This sleeve without openings is used to sea! off some of the passage-openings in the electroformed support, so that the amount of cooling air and the location where cooling air enters can be adjusted by the displacement of the sleeve in the seamless electroformed support. The invention also relates to a seamless, electroformed support with passage-openings which are separated by dykes, which is suitable for use in the cooiing device according to the invention. In one preferred embodiment, a device for proau&ny jri"".ji.~;i~-.--i". comprises an extrusion device for the extrusion of a molten polymer mass through openings in an extrusion head, and a cooiing device for cooling extruded filaments, characterized in that the coofing device comprises a cooling device as described above. In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the extrusion head of the extrusion device used is connected to the entry to the cooiing device, and more preferably each spinneret from which monofilaments which are combined to a filament bundle emerge is connected to a cooling, shaft of the cooling device. According to a further preferred embodiment of the device for producing synthetic filaments according to the invention, the cooling device used has two outlets for cooiing medium, one of which is arranged in the vicinity of the entry end of the coofing shaft and the other of which is arranged in the vicinity of its exit end. In this way, the cooling air supplied is discharged partially in concurrent and partially countercurrent with respect to the path of the filaments. Such a direction of the air flow promotes the uniformity of the cooling treatment The invention is explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Fig. 1 diagrammatically depicts melt spinning ; and Fig. 2 diagrammaticaffy depicts an embodiment of a coofing' device according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows a diagram for the melt spinning of a polymer, such as PET, during which process PET granules 3n6t if desired, additives are fed via a hopper 1 to a screw-type extruder 2, in which the polymer is melted and then extruded. The extruded polymer is fed to a spinneret 6 via a metering pump 3, mixing device 4 and filter 5. The spinneret 6 is provided with a plurality of WO 00/7354S PO7NJL0O/00351 6 capillaries, out of which separate jets 7 of molten polymer are forced. The jets 7 of molten polymer are cooled using cooling air (indicated by arrows) in a manner which is to be described in more detail; if desired, additives may be applied at the end of the cooling operation, such as a lubricant, after which the filaitients which have been cooled separately in this way are combined to form a multifilament and are wound up for further processing. Further processing of this nature may, for example, comprise the stretching of the yarn in order to obtain the desired orientation in the yarns, *™H tpxturina. Fig. 2 shows part of an embodiment of a cooling device according to the invention. A cooling device of this nature comprises a closed housing {not shown) in order to limit disruption to the cooling process caused by variation in environmental factors as far as possible. The housing is provided with an inlet and an outlet for a cooling medium and an entry and an exit for filaments. A cooling shaft 21, which comprises a cylindrical, thin-walled support 22 which is provided with a regular pattern of passage-openings 23, is arranged in the housing. The support 22 having passage-openings 23 is produced by means of electroforming as has already been explained above. In the situation shown, the top side of the cooling shaft 21 bears against a spinneret 6 with capillaries 24, but if desired it may be arranged at a distance therefrom so that a relatively large amount of cooling air can cool the filaments directly beneath the spinneret 6. A thin-walled, tightly fitting, cylindrical sleeve 25 is arranged displaceably inside the cylindrical support 22. The cylindrical sleeve 25, which does not comprise any openings in its wall, is provided with a base 26 with a passage 27 for cooled filaments. WO 00/73515 PCT/NL00/00351 7 CLAIMS : 1. Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments (7), in particular for use in the spinning of multifilaments, which device comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft (21) being arranged between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments (7) are passed, and which cooling shaft (21) is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through, characterized in that the cooling shaft (21) comprises a seamless electroformed support (22) with passage-openings (23) which are separated by dykes. 2. Cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seamless, electroformed support (22) is made from nickel. 3. Cooling device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the passage- openings (23) which are separated by dykes are arranged in a regular pattern. ¦4. Cooling device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the seamless, electroformed support comprises a first zone in which there are passage-openings separated by dykes, and a second, uninterrupted zone which adjoins the first zone. WO 00/73 545 PCT/NL00/00351 8 5. Cooling device as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein a displaceable sleeve (25) is arranged inside the seamless, electroformed support (22). 6. Seamless, electroformed support (22) provided with passage- openings (23) which are separated by dykes, suitable for use as a cooling shaft (21) in the cooling device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims. 7. Device for the production of synthetic filaments, in particular for the spinning of multifilaments, which device comprises an extrusion device for the extrusion of a molten polymer mass through openings in an extrusion head, and a cooling device for cooling extruded filaments, characterized in that the cooling device comprises a cooling device as claimed in any one of the claims 1-5. 8. Device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the extrusion head is connected to the entry of the cooling device. 9. Device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the extrusion head comprises one or more spinnerets (6), each spinneret (6) being connected to a cooling shaft (21) of the cooling device. WO 00/73-545 PCT/NLOO/00351 9 10. Device as claimed in any one of the. preceding claims, wherein the cooling device comprises two outlets for cooling medium, one of which is arranged in the vicinity of the entry end of the cooling shaft and the other of which is arranged in the vicinity of the exit end of the cooling shaft. Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments, in particular for use in the spinning of multifilaments, comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft (21) being arranged between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments are passed, and which cooling shaft (21) is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through, characterized in that the cooling shaft (21) comprises a seamless electroformed support (22) with passage- openings (23) which are separated by dykes.

Full Text

1
Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments
The present invention relates to a cooling device synthetic filaments, in particular for use in the spinJ^ (multi) filaments, which device comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft being arranged- between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments are passed, and which cooling shaft is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through.
A cooling device of this nature is generally known in the art. Three different basic methods are used for the production of fibres or filaments, namely melt spinning, dry spinning and wet spinning, although there are many variations and combinations of these basic methods. It should, incidentally, be noted here that in the present application the term "spinning" is^used in the broadest sense, namely that of the production of filaments, and is not -limited to the production of filaments from staple fibres.
During melt spinning, a polymer is heated to a temperature above its melting point, and the molten polymer is extruded through a spinneret. A spinneret is a die with a large number of capillaries, the diameter and shape of which may vary. The jets of molten polymer which emerge from the capillaries are passed through a cooling zone, where the jet of polymer solidifies, resulting in the formation of a continuous filament. During dry spinning, the polymer is dissolved in a suitable solvent* and the solution thus obtained is extruded under pressure through a spinneret. The jets of polymer solution are passed into a heating zone, where the solvent evaporates from the polymer and the filament solidifies. During wet spinning,, the polymer is likewise dissolved in a suitable solvent, and the solution thus obtained is extruded through a spinneret, which spinneret is submerged in a so-called coagulation bath. Precipitation or chemical regeneration of the polymer in the form of a filament takes place in this coagulation bath. The filaments thus obtained often have to undergo .further treatments such as hot or cold stretching, twisting" and texturing

WO 00/73545 PCT/NL0O/O035I
2
In order to obtain {i&ulti} f ilaments having th-e desired properties
for the intended end use.
In the case of melt spinning, either o£ monoriiaaieni.s yi "r multifilaments, the cooling after the extrusion step is of essential importance, since the uniformity of cooling has a direct ' influence on the physical parameters of the filaments, such as the' uniformity of the thickness of the filaments or the dyeability. In general, it is assumed that variations in these properties in the longitudinal direction o£ the filament and between different filaments are caused by a non-laminar or turbulent flaw of the cooling medium, usually cooling air- Xn the cooling zone,f the molten filaments have to be cooled to below the melting point of the polymer before the filaments are able tc come into contact with' one another or with components of a device used for the productionf such ss abides,
Xn order to expose the molten and extruOeo ti\o"w14vw *o.-". - cooling-air. treatment which is as -uniform as possible, all kinds of . expensive cooling systems and methods have been deviled, requiring complex air-distribution, control and " ttomogenisation devices in
/M"rf#"i"* 4" rs ("o}¦? *"*s"***f* +-K"a i"i> t~H"ii1 j"n^" r***ir*l inn -"o! >™ iirjH "t~F\ )~w= sHl P1 t*r^ f&*ff?$ i t".
VtfX*"ft5Ao i.W vJ Jti. Ei* V- V Lite; mXUUi,CUV vUv'J.4-iiy M.AJ- titiV* VW fc^; t"**fJt.C5 I^W *. %SVi%A J- Xn lamiaar form.
In a system Mhxch xs k&Qsm in the. &z:Zf - XXSB is Jaa^e or a cooling shaft, at least part of which is provided with openings allowing the cooling medium to pass through. A cooling shaft of this nature is arranged* optionally directly, beneath one or more spinnerets of a spinning device mn In the cooling systems for cooling fcaulti)filaments whicb are known from these publications, a cooling shaft which is generally composed of a. screen cloth or a tube which is perforated with holes and slots is used. More specifically, as ex&mples of a cooling shaft of this Xi&ture WO-A-93/19229 mentions a metal screen, in which case relatively large holes are arranged close together over the entire surface, anci a perforated shaft which is provided with perforations over its entire surface. The holes have a diameter of 1-5 mnx, with a maximum passages of 50%. In Example 1 of this document, a screen cylinder with a mesh density of 600/cm2 is

WO 0W73S45 3 PCT/NL00/003SI
used. In the cooling system according to DS-A-42 20 915, a cooling shaft which is composed of a screen cloth or a cooling shaft whose walls are perforated with small holes and slots is used- The cooling shaft according to DE-&-42 23 298 is designed in the same way as that described in DE-A-42 20 915. The shape of the cross section oi" the cooling shaft is adapted to the form of the spinneret arrangement. la the case of the spinning of multifilaments, each filament bundle is preferably surrounded by a coolina shaft.
If a cooling shaft is made from screen material, it: is necessary for this screen material to be supported at various locations, and the ends have to be attached to one another, for example via a \t®l The object of the present invention is to at least partially eliminate the above drawbacks and, in particular, to provide a cooling shaft in which the risk of dead 2ones occurring is redu^*""* further.
In the cooling device of the type described above according to the invention, the cooling shaft comprises a seamless, electroformed support with passage-openings which are separated by dykes. According to the invention, the cooling shaft is produced without a seam by means of electroforming. During operation, a> cooling shaft of this nature will be less susceptible to the formation of dead zones, with the result that the cooling treatment can be carried out more uniformly and thus a more uniform distribution of the properties in the filaments can be obtained. Furthermore, an electroformed cooling shaft of this nature is sufficiently strong and resistant to bending, so that further

WO 00/73545 4 PCT/N LOO/00351
supporting measures axe not required.
For the elect reforming of the cooling shaft, a die is used in which a system of electrical conductors which delimit isolating islands is provided. The electrical conductors define the dykes which are to be formed, and the isolating islands define the passage-openings which are to be formed. In an electrolysis bath, metal is electrodeposited on the electrical conductors to a desired thickness, after which the product thus obtained is removed from the die. On the other hand, it is possible in the same way firstly to deposit a base skeleton of the cooling shaft on the die, which is allowed to grow further after it has been removed. In general, dies which are circular in cross section are used, so that the electroformed cooling shaft is also circular in cross section. Other shapes, such as oval or rectangular, are also possible, however. The number of openings per unit surface area can be selected as a function of the desired application/ the type of polymer also being important. The length of the cooling shaft is kept as short as possible, so that the overall spinning device, of which the cooling device according to the invention forms part, can be kept relatively compact. It has been found that cooling shafts with lengths of the order of magnitude of from 20 mm to 50 mm and mesh numbers of approximately 50 to 100, in particular 60 or 70 .mesh for a passage of 10 or 16% respectively, in practice function successfully for numerous applications. The thickness of an electroformed cooling shaft of this nature is usually of the order of magnitude of 100 micrometres, although both thinner and thicker cooling shafts may be used. The shape and dimensions of the cross section of the cooling shaft are adapted to the dijaensions smd shape of the spinneret.
Preferably, the seamless, electroformed support is made from nickel, with the result that a cooling shaft with a long service life is obtained.
In a preferred embodiment of the cooling shaft according to the invention, the passage-openings which are separated by dykes are arranged in a regular pattern. Depending on the particular application, the seamless, electroformed support may comprise a first zone in which there are passage-openings separated by dykes, and a second zone without passage-openings, which adjoins the first 2one, as is already known per se from the prior art.

WO 00/73 SAS PCT/NLOO/00351
5
In another embodiment, an uninterrupted sleeve is arranged dispiaceabiy
inside the seamless, elecfroformed support. This sleeve without openings is used to
sea! off some of the passage-openings in the electroformed support, so that the
amount of cooling air and the location where cooling air enters can be adjusted by
the displacement of the sleeve in the seamless electroformed support.
The invention also relates to a seamless, electroformed support with passage-openings which are separated by dykes, which is suitable for use in the cooiing device according to the invention.
In one preferred embodiment, a device for proau&ny *jri"".ji.~*;i~-.--i". comprises an extrusion device for the extrusion of a molten polymer mass through openings in an extrusion head, and a cooiing device for cooling extruded filaments, characterized in that the coofing device comprises a cooling device as described above. In a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the extrusion head of the extrusion device used is connected to the entry to the cooiing device, and more preferably each spinneret from which monofilaments which are combined to a filament bundle emerge is connected to a cooling, shaft of the cooling device. According to a further preferred embodiment of the device for producing synthetic filaments according to the invention, the cooling device used has two outlets for cooiing medium, one of which is arranged in the vicinity of the entry end of the coofing shaft and the other of which is arranged in the vicinity of its exit end. In this way, the cooling air supplied is discharged partially in concurrent and partially countercurrent with respect to the path of the filaments. Such a direction of the air flow promotes the uniformity of the cooling treatment
The invention is explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :
Fig. 1 diagrammatically depicts melt spinning ; and Fig. 2 diagrammaticaffy depicts an embodiment of a coofing' device according to the invention.
Fig. 1 shows a diagram for the melt spinning of a polymer, such as PET, during which process PET granules 3n6t if desired, additives are fed via a hopper 1 to a screw-type extruder 2, in which the polymer is melted and then extruded. The extruded polymer is fed to a spinneret 6 via a metering pump 3, mixing device 4 and filter 5. The spinneret 6 is provided with a plurality of

WO 00/7354S PO7NJL0O/00351
6
capillaries, out of which separate jets 7 of molten polymer are
forced. The jets 7 of molten polymer are cooled using cooling air (indicated by arrows) in a manner which is to be described in more detail; if desired, additives may be applied at the end of the cooling operation, such as a lubricant, after which the filaitients which have been cooled separately in this way are combined to form a multifilament and are wound up for further processing. Further processing of this nature may, for example, comprise the stretching of the yarn in order to obtain the desired orientation in the
yarns, *™H tpxturina.
Fig. 2 shows part of an embodiment of a cooling device
according to the invention. A cooling device of this nature comprises a closed housing {not shown) in order to limit disruption to the cooling process caused by variation in environmental factors as far as possible. The housing is provided with an inlet and an outlet for a cooling medium and an entry and an exit for filaments. A cooling shaft 21, which comprises a cylindrical, thin-walled support 22 which is provided with a regular pattern of passage-openings 23, is arranged in the housing. The support 22 having passage-openings 23 is produced by means of electroforming as has already been explained above. In the situation shown, the top side of the cooling shaft 21 bears against a spinneret 6 with capillaries 24, but if desired it may be arranged at a distance therefrom so that a relatively large amount of cooling air can cool the filaments directly beneath the spinneret 6. A thin-walled, tightly fitting, cylindrical sleeve 25 is arranged displaceably inside the cylindrical support 22. The cylindrical sleeve 25, which does not comprise any openings in its wall, is provided with a base 26 with a passage 27 for cooled filaments.

WO 00/73515 PCT/NL00/00351
7 CLAIMS :
1. Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments (7), in particular for
use in the spinning of multifilaments, which device comprises a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft (21) being arranged between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the filaments (7) are passed, and which cooling shaft (21) is provided with openings allowing cooling medium to pass through, characterized in that the cooling shaft (21) comprises a seamless electroformed support (22) with passage-openings (23) which are separated by dykes.
2. Cooling device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seamless,
electroformed support (22) is made from nickel.
3. Cooling device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the passage-
openings (23) which are separated by dykes are arranged in a regular
pattern.
¦4. Cooling device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims,
wherein the seamless, electroformed support comprises a first zone in which there are passage-openings separated by dykes, and a second, uninterrupted zone which adjoins the first zone.

WO 00/73 545 PCT/NL00/00351
8
5. Cooling device as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein a
displaceable sleeve (25) is arranged inside the seamless, electroformed support (22).
6. Seamless, electroformed support (22) provided with passage-
openings (23) which are separated by dykes, suitable for use as a cooling shaft (21) in the cooling device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.
7. Device for the production of synthetic filaments, in particular for the
spinning of multifilaments, which device comprises an extrusion device for the extrusion of a molten polymer mass through openings in an extrusion head, and a cooling device for cooling extruded filaments, characterized in that the cooling device comprises a cooling device as claimed in any one of the claims 1-5.
8. Device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the extrusion head is
connected to the entry of the cooling device.
9. Device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the extrusion head
comprises one or more spinnerets (6), each spinneret (6) being connected to
a cooling shaft (21) of the cooling device.

WO 00/73-545 PCT/NLOO/00351
9
10. Device as claimed in any one of the. preceding claims, wherein the
cooling device comprises two outlets for cooling medium, one of which is arranged in the vicinity of the entry end of the cooling shaft and the other of which is arranged in the vicinity of the exit end of the cooling shaft.
Cooling device for cooling synthetic filaments, in particular for use
in the spinning of multifilaments, comprises a housing with at least one inlet
and at least one outlet for a cooling medium, and an entry for filaments which
are to be cooled and an exit for cooled filaments, at least one cooling shaft
(21) being arranged between the entry and the exit, through which shaft the
filaments are passed, and which cooling shaft (21) is provided with openings
allowing cooling medium to pass through, characterized in that the cooling
shaft (21) comprises a seamless electroformed support (22) with passage-
openings (23) which are separated by dykes.

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Patent Number

202557

Indian Patent Application Number

IN/PCT/2001/01270/KOL

PG Journal Number

09/2007

Publication Date

02-Mar-2007

Grant Date

02-Mar-2007

Date of Filing

03-Dec-2001

Name of Patentee

STORK SCREENS B.V.

Applicant Address

RAAMSTRAAT 3, NL-5831 AT BOXMEER NETHERLANDS A COMPANY OF THE NETHERLANDS

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	NUYTEN MICHAEL MARIA THOMAS	3 MERKETON NL-5401 LR UDEN NETHERLANDS

PCT International Classification Number

D 01 D 5/092

PCT International Application Number

PCT/NL00/00351

PCT International Filing date

2000-05-22

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	1012184	1999-05-28	Netherlands