Systems & methods for producing a bundle of a combination of filaments and/or a yarn

Abstract

Systems for producing M yarns, wherein M≥1, include N extruders, M spin stations, and a processor, wherein N>1. Each extruder includes a polymer having a color, hue, luster, and/or dyability characteristic, which are different from each other. Each spin station produces one yarn comprising at least one bundle of filaments. Each spin station comprises at least one spinneret through which filaments are spun from at least two molten polymer streams received by the respective spin station and N spin pumps upstream of the spinneret for the respective spin station. Each spin pump is paired with one of the N extruders. The processor is in electrical communication with the N*M spin pumps and is configured to adjust the volumetric flow rate of the polymers pumped from each spin pump to achieve a ratio of the polymers to be included in each M yarn.

1 . A length of bulked continuous yarn, comprising:
 N bundles of filaments wherein N is an integer greater than 1;   wherein a first bundle of filaments of the N bundles of filaments has a first characteristic selected from the group consisting of a color, a dyability characteristic,   and a polymer composition;   wherein the first bundle of filaments of the N bundles of filaments has two substantially significant changes to the first characteristic within the length of the bulked continuous yarn;   wherein:   a substantially significant change to the color is a delta E change of greater than 3.00;   a substantially significant change to the dyeability characteristic is a color strength will change by a value of greater than 10%;   a substantially significant change to the polymer composition is a change in the composition of the polymers by at least 10% by volume; and   wherein the length is selected from the group consisting of 1 meter, 2 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters, 15 meters, 20 meters, 25, meters, 50 meters, 75 meters, 100 meters, 125 meters, 150 meters, 175 meters, 200 meters, 225 meters, 250 meters, 275 meters, 300 meters, 325 meters, 350 meters, and 375 meters.   
     
     
         2 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 1 , wherein a denier of the bulked continuous yarn varies by less than 5% across the length. 
     
     
         3 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 2 , wherein the first characteristic is the color and a second characteristic is selected from the remaining members of the group; and
 wherein the second characteristic has two substantially significant changes within the length.   
     
     
         4 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 2 , wherein a second bundle of filaments of the N bundles of filaments has a first second-bundle characteristic selected from the group consisting of a color, a dyability characteristic, and a polymer composition;
 wherein the second bundle of filaments of the N bundles of filaments has two substantially significant changes within the length of the bulked continuous yarn.   
     
     
         5 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 4 , wherein the first second-bundle characteristic is the color and a second second-bundle characteristic is selected from the remaining members of the group; and
 wherein the second second-bundle characteristic has two substantially significant changes within the length.   
     
     
         6 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 4 , wherein a third bundle of filaments of the N bundles of filaments has a first third-bundle characteristic selected from the group consisting of a color, a dyability characteristic, and a polymer composition;
 wherein the third bundle of filaments of the N bundles of filaments has two substantially significant changes within the length of the bulked continuous yarn.   
     
     
         7 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 6 , wherein the first third-bundle characteristic is the color and a second third-bundle characteristic is selected from the remaining members of the group; and
 wherein the second third-bundle characteristic has two substantially significant changes within the length.   
     
     
         8 . The length of bulked continuous yarn of  claim 2 , wherein the denier of the bulked continuous yarn varies by less than 2.5% across the length. 
     
     
         9 . A system for producing at least one bundle of filaments, the system comprising:
 N extruders, wherein N is an integer greater than 1, each extruder comprising a polymer having a characteristic selected from the group consisting of a color, a hue, a luster, a dyability characteristic, and a polymer composition;   wherein the characteristic of the polymer in each of the N extruders is different from each other;   at least one spin station for receiving molten polymer streams from the N extruders, the spin station comprising:
 a first spinneret through which a plurality of melt-spun filaments are spun from at least two of the molten polymer streams received by the spin station; 
 a group of N spin pumps upstream of the first spinneret, wherein each spin pump is in fluid communication and is paired with only one of the N extruders; 
 a dynamic manifold comprising N inlets and at least N+1 outlets, wherein each inlet is in fluid communication with a respective one of N extruders, and at least one inlet is in communication with at least two outlets via channels that extend between the inlet and the outlets and comprises at least one valve that controls a flow of the polymer stream between the at least one inlet and the at least two outlets; 
   a processor in electrical communication with the N spin pumps and the dynamic manifold, the processor being configured to execute computer readable instructions that cause the processor to adjust a volumetric flow rate of the polymers pumped by each spin pump and passed through the valves of the dynamic manifold to achieve a ratio of the polymers to be included in a yarn comprising the filaments spun from the first spinneret.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine the volumetric flow rate of each polymer to be pumped by each spin pump and through each valve of the dynamic manifold and convey the instructions to the spin pumps based on the volumetric flow rate determinations. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine an amount of time during which the determined volumetric flow rate of each polymer is pumped by each spin pump and passed through each valve. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to randomly vary the amount of time during which the determined volumetric flow rate of each polymer is pumped by each spin pump and passed through each valve. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to randomly vary the volumetric flow rate of each polymer to be pumped by each spin pump and passed through each valve. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the spin station is a first spin station, the group of N spin pumps being the first group of N spin pumps and the system further comprises a second spin station and a second group of N spin pumps upstream, wherein each spin pump of this second group of spin pumps is in fluid communication and is paired with one of the N extruders, wherein:
 the ratio is a first ratio for the first spin station, and   the instructions further cause the processor to adjust the volumetric flow rate of the polymers pumped from each spin pump of the second group of spin pumps to achieve a second ratio of the polymers to be included in the filaments spun from the spinneret of the second spin station.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the first ratio and the second ratio are different. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the system comprises M spin stations and M groups of N spin pumps upstream of the at least one spinneret for each of the M spin stations, wherein each spin pump of each of the M groups of spin pumps is in fluid communication and is paired with one of the N extruders, wherein M is an integer greater than one, and wherein:
 the instructions further cause the processor to adjust the volumetric flow rate of the polymers pumped from each spin pump of each of the M groups of spin pumps to achieve M ratios of the polymers to be included in the filaments spun from the at least one spinneret of each M spin station.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein an average denier per filament of each of the plurality of filaments is configured to vary by less than 5% along a length of each filament. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the average denier per filament of each of the plurality of filaments is configured to remain substantially constant along a length of each filament. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 at least one drawing device to elongate said N bundles of spun filaments;   an initial tacking device upstream to or integrated within the at least one drawing device to tack at least one of said N bundles of spun filaments prior to or during the elongation of the N bundles of spun filaments;   at least one texturizer to texturize said N bundles of elongated spun filaments; and   a final tacking device to tack said N bundles of texturized spun filaments to provide a BCF yarn.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one texturizer comprises at least a first texturizer and a second texturizer, and at least one of said N bundles of spun filaments is texturized individually from the other N bundles of spun filaments through the first texturizer.