Continuous wire drive system for needleless electrospinning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10947643-B2
Application number	US-201816475745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2018
Priority date	Jan 6, 2017
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A continuous wire drive system for a needleless electrospinning apparatus, the electrospinning apparatus including an electrospinning enclosure and within which a nanoscale or submicron scale polymer fiber web is formed onto a substrate from a liquid polymer layer coated onto a plurality of continuous electrode wires passing through the electrospinning enclosure. The continuous wire drive system includes a master wire drive drum and a slave wire drive drum, each of the master wire drive drum and slave wire drive drum including a plurality of wire guides, each of the wire guides including a channel or groove for receiving one of the plurality of continuous electrode wires. The continuous wire drive system is external to the electrospinning apparatus, and the continuous wire drive system drives the plurality of continuous electrode wires through the electrospinning enclosure.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A needleless electrospinning apparatus comprising a continuous wire drive system, the electrospinning apparatus comprising an electrospinning enclosure and within which a nanoscale or submicron scale polymer fiber web is formed onto a substrate from a liquid polymer layer coated onto a plurality of continuous electrode wires passing through the electrospinning enclosure,
the continuous wire drive system comprising a master wire drive drum and a slave wire drive drum, each of the master wire drive drum and slave wire drive drum comprising a plurality of wire guides, each of the wire guides comprising a channel or groove for receiving one of the plurality of continuous electrode wires,
wherein the continuous wire drive system is external to the electrospinning apparatus, and the continuous wire drive system is configured to drive the plurality of continuous electrode wires through the electrospinning enclosure.

2. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a wire tensioning system for providing tension to the plurality of continuous electrode wires.

3. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of continuous electrode wires have a length of from about 5 meters to about 50 meters.

4. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the master wire drive drum comprises a master gear plate and the slave wire drive drum comprises a slave gear plate coupled to the master gear plate such that rotation of the master wire drive drum in a first rotational direction causes the slave wire drive drum to rotate in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction.

5. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the master wire drive drum is coupled to a motor-driven shaft that rotates the master wire drive drum in the first rotational direction.

6. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the motor-driven shaft rotates the master wire drive drum in the first rotational direction in a speed such that the plurality of continuous electrode wires are driven through the electrospinning enclosure at a speed of from about 1 meter per minute (m/min) to about 200 m/min.

7. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the master wire drive drum is coupled to the slave wire drive drum with a chain such that rotation of the master wire drive drum in a first rotational direction causes the slave wire drive drum to rotate in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction.

8. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the master wire drive drum is coupled to a motor-driven shaft that rotates the master wire drive drum in the first rotational direction.

9. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of continuous electrode wires comprises from 25 to 500 wires.

10. The needleless electrospinning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of continuous electrode wires are spaced between 5 millimeters (mm) and 50 mm apart.

11. A method for driving a plurality of continuous electrode wires through an electrospinning apparatus comprising an electrospinning enclosure and within which a nanoscale or submicron scale polymer fiber web is formed onto a substrate from a liquid polymer layer coated onto the plurality of continuous electrode wires, the method comprising:
arranging a plurality of continuous electrode wires onto a master wire drive drum and a slave wire drive drum, each of the master wire drive drum and the slave wire drive drum comprising a plurality of wire guides, each of the wire guides comprising a channel or groove for receiving one of the plurality of continuous electrode wires, and
rotating the master wire drive drum to drive the plurality of continuous electrode wires through the electrospinning enclosure,
wherein the master wire drive drum and the slave wire drive drum are external to the electrospinning apparatus.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising tensioning the plurality of continuous electrode wires with a wire tensioning system.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the master wire drive drum comprises a master gear plate and the slave wire drive drum comprises a slave gear plate coupled to the master gear plate such that rotating the master wire drive drum in a first rotational direction causes the slave wire drive drum to rotate in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the master wire drive drum is coupled to a motor-driven shaft that rotates the master wire drive drum in the first rotational direction.

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv
• Shpp Global Tech Bv

Inventors

• Jin Xuezhi
• Peters Richard
• Pearson Evelyn

Classifications

• B65H23/1806

  in reel-to-reel type web winding and unwinding mechanism, e.g. mechanism acting on web-roll spindle · CPC title

• B65H18/145

  Reel-to-reel type web winding and unwinding mechanisms · CPC title

• B65H18/103

  Reel-to-reel type web winding and unwinding mechanisms · CPC title

• D01D5/0069 Primary

  characterised by the spinning section, e.g. capillary tube, protrusion or pin · CPC title

• D01D13/02 Primary

  Elements of machines in combination · CPC title