WO2013072847A1

WO2013072847A1 - Spinning apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: WO2013072847A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/056385
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefano MORBIN; Paolo Andreotti
Original assignee: Pratocom Macchine S.R.L.
Priority date: 2011-11-14
Filing date: 2012-11-13
Publication date: 2013-05-23
Also published as: ITMI20112062A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a textile fiber feeding assembly (60) for a spinning apparatus (10) of the type comprising a set of drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) parallel to each other and adapted to receive from a plurality of rovings (41, 42) first textile fibers intended to form the base structure of a finished yarn and second textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn, and a spindle (50) arranged downstream of said drawing rollers (11, 12, 13). The feeding assembly (60) comprises a guide (61) provided with at least one aperture (612) adapted to receive said second textile fibers, the feeding assembly (60) also comprising a conveyor belt (62) arranged downstream of said guide (61) in a feeding direction (F) of the textile fibers and suitable to drag the second textile fibers towards the drawing rollers (11, 12, 13), blocking means (64) arranged proximate to the guide (61) and suitable to selectively block the passage of the second textile fibers. The invention also relates to a spinning apparatus (10) comprising said feeding assembly (60), wherein the feeding assembly (60) is arranged upstream of the drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) in a feeding direction (F) of the textile fibers, and to a spinning method carried out by way of said spinning apparatus (10).

Description

SPINNING APPARATUS AND METHOD

The present invention generally relates to industrial spinning and in particular to a spinning apparatus and method for the manufacturing of traditional and fancy yarns.

Spinning is the set of operations necessary to transform textile materials such as cotton and wool into yarns and is presently carried out by way of automatic apparatuses. An industrial spinning process of natural textile fibers comprises a number of steps among which cleaning, beating, carding and combing, which produce rovings comprising a plurality of textile fibers. The rovings are then processed in special apparatuses to obtain yarns having a desired yarn number and degree of twist.

Among the most common spinning techniques "ring spinning" is known, wherein textile fibers are fed from a roving to a drawing system comprising a set of parallel motorized rollers pressed by respective parallel counter-rotating pressing rollers. The pressing rollers are usually made of or coated with rubber. The drawing rollers are characterized by increasingly higher rotational speeds along the feeding direction of the textile fibers, which allows to obtain a stretching effect of the drawn yarn. The compression forces exerted by the pressing rollers on the respective drawing rollers may also be different.

At the exit from the drawing system the yarn is wound on a spindle positioned at the center of a first ring. The spindle is rotatable about its own axis. The first ring is slidable coaxially to the spindle and a second ring intended to guide the textile fibers towards the spindle is slidably restrained to the first ring, so that during rotation of the spindle the produced yarn is simultaneously twisted and wound thereon.

Modern ring spinning apparatuses comprise a plurality of spinning stations, everyone of which is provided with a spindle and wherein textile fibers are fed by respective rovings. The spinning stations are arranged in parallel along the rollers of the drawing system, thereby allowing to work simultaneously a plurality of textile fibers in order to produce a plurality of yarns in parallel.

Fancy yarns comprise fibers made of different materials and/or colors and are generally formed by first textile fibers fed by a first roving, with which second textile fibers fed by at least a second roving are coupled continuously or intermittently. The second textile fibers are usually made of different materials and/or colors. For the production of fancy yarns is therefore necessary to feed textile fibers in parallel from a number of ravings.

Considering for simplicity the case of fancy yarns comprising textile fibers fed by two ravings, a spinning apparatus of known type for the production of fancy yarns comprises two sets of drawing rollers and respective pressing rollers every one of which is suitable to receive the textile fibers from the respective ravings. The yarns produced by each set of drawing rollers are fed to a further drawing roller associated with a further pressing roller through which they are superimposed, pressed and then wound together on the spindle. This type of spinning apparatus is generally very complex and expensive and can only be used for the production of fancy yarns, the demand of which is much lower than that of the conventional yarns that comprise textile fibers of a single type.

For these reasons, there have been developed cheaper apparatuses comprising a single set of drawing rollers as the apparatuses for the production of traditional yarns and provided with feeding means for textile fibers coming from a second roving. These apparatuses can produce both traditional and fancy yarns. There are known two types of spinning apparatuses of the latter type for the production of traditional and fancy yarns.

Considering for simplicity a series of three drawing rollers and two ravings for each spinning station, in a first type of spinning apparatus first textile fibers fed from a first roving follow a spinning path in contact with all the three drawing rollers and the respective rubber coated pressing rollers. Second textile fibers fed by a second roving are inserted on the first textile fibers at the intermediate drawing roller, which is driven by a motor that is independent from the motor which drives the other drawing rollers.

Thanks to the presence of an independent motor, the insertion of the second textile fibers may be carried out either continuously or intermittently. In order to allow the passage of the first textile fibers and the insertion of the second ones, the intermediate drawing roller is also connected to the motor that drives the other drawing rollers and for this purpose the intermediate drawing roller comprises contiguous cylindrical portions that are associated to the two different motors.

In a second type of spinning apparatus the first textile fibers are fed continuously at the intermediate drawing roller, while the second textile fibers are fed continuously or intermittently at the first drawing roller, that is the drawing roller most upstream with respect to the feeding direction of the textile fibers. In this case the drawing rollers all have a conventional structure, but separate motors are nevertheless necessary to feed the first and the second fibers.

Both types of spinning apparatus can produce either traditional yarns, i.e. yarns consisting of fibers fed by a single roving, or fancy yarns and vice versa, by enabling or disabling the feeding of the second fibers.

However, in the first type of spinning apparatus the structure of the intermediate drawing roller, which is configured so as to allow the continuous passage of the first textile fibers and simultaneously feeding continuously or intermittently the second ones, is extremely complex and expensive. Moreover, the inclusion of second textile fibers occurs in correspondence of the intermediate drawing roller, which is the drawing roller that is typically associated with the pressing roller exerting the lowest compression force, generally corresponding to about 6-7 kg against the 30-40 kg of other pressing rollers. This aspect limits the types of fancy yarns that can be produced substantially solely to cotton yarns, which comprise fibers that are much shorter and much more easily stretchable than e.g. wool yarns.

On the other hand, in the second type of spinning apparatus the spinning path of the first textile fibers is shorter than the spinning path that characterizes a traditional spinning apparatus, which results in a reduction of the stretching action on the produced yarns. Furthermore, particularly when feeding second textile fibers in a discontinuous way, these are pushed from the first drawing roller towards the intermediate drawing roller, thus potentially causing deviations from the spinning path as well as an uneven thickness of the yarn produced.

There is therefore a need to improve spinning apparatuses for the production of traditional and fancy yarns based on a single set of drawing rollers, which is an object of the present invention. It is also an object of this invention to provide a spinning apparatus for the production of traditional and fancy yarns having a simple and economical construction.

An idea of solution underlying the present invention, is to feed the textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn not directly from the respective roving or ravings towards the drawing rollers, but through a feeding assembly arranged upstream of the drawing rollers with respect to the feeding direction of the textile fibers.

It is also an idea of solution underlying the invention to configure and operate the feeding assembly so as to selectively feed the textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn, thus allowing to vary its structure according to the production needs. It is thus possible to produce traditional yarns formed by textile fibers of a single type, fancy yarns comprising a fancy structure wherein textile fibers of different types are coupled at intervals, as well as fancy yarns wherein textile fibers of different types are coupled continuously.

The arrangement of the feeding assembly upstream of the drawing rollers allows to subject all the textile fibers fed from the ravings to the same compression and stretching path, which improves the quality of the finished yarn.

The feeding assembly comprises a guide provided with at least one aperture adapted to receive the textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn, i.e. the fancy textile fibers, from a roving. The textile fibers intended to form the base structure of the finished yarn may either be fed through the feeding assembly or directly to the drawing rollers.

Downstream of the guide, the feeding assembly comprises a conveyor belt suitable to convey the textile fibers that pass through the aperture of the guide towards the set of drawing rollers. The feeding assembly further comprises blocking means arranged proximate to the guide and adapted to selectively block the fancy textile fibers that pass through its aperture, as well as pressing means arranged proximate to the conveyor belt and adapted to press the fancy textile fibers thereon.

The configuration of the feeding assembly of the invention allows to transform a traditional spinning apparatus into a spinning apparatus suitable for the production of fancy yarns, while maintaining the possibility of producing traditional yarns thanks to the provision of the selectively operable blocking means.

This solution is extremely cost effective, may be quickly implemented and is applicable to either existing spinning apparatuses or to spinning apparatuses of new construction. Since the first and second textile fibers are processed by all the drawing rollers, a spinning apparatus according to the invention may advantageously treat cotton fibers, which are easy to work because they are shorter and more easily stretchable than other textile fibers, as well as different textile fibers that are in particular longer and less easily stretchable as, for example, wool textile fibers.

According to an embodiment of the invention, both the textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn and those intended to form its main structure are conveyed by the conveyor belt. This has the technical effect of promoting intimate coupling of the textile fibers before they reach the drawing rollers.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, only the textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn are conveyed by the conveyor belt, whereas the textile fibers intended to form the base structure of the finished yarn are fed directly to the drawing rollers. This allows to simplify the structure of the feeding assembly and to make it cheaper.

The blocking means and the pressing means are operated in a mutually exclusive manner, thus avoiding to block the fancy textile fibers when they have to be fed towards the drawing rollers. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the blocking means and the pressing means are driven by separate linear actuators controlled by a control program stored in a control unit of the feeding assembly.

According to a further aspect of the invention, when mounted on a spinning apparatus, the feeding assembly is slidingly movable relative to the set of drawing rollers. This allows to adjust the position of the feeding assembly according to the position of the closest drawing roller to the feeding assembly, which is particularly important when the position of this roller is varied relative to the other drawing rollers e.g. in order to adjust the stretching rate of the yarns.

Further advantages and features of the spinning apparatus and method for the production of fancy yarns according to the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following and non- limiting description of embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a side view schematically showing a spinning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a feeding assembly of the spinning apparatus of Figure 1 ;

The figure 3 is a side view showing an operation step of the feeding assembly wherein the blocking means are in an operative condition;

Figure 4 shows a detail IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side view showing an operation step of the feeding assembly wherein the blocking means are in a rest condition;

Figure 6 shows a detail VI of figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side view schematically showing a spinning apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, a first embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the following.

A spinning apparatus is generally indicated by reference number 10 and comprises a plurality of ravings and a series of parallel drawing rollers connected to a motor (not shown) adapted to put them in rotation about their respective axes. Each drawing roller is associated with a pressing roller, generally made of or coated with rubber, which presses against the drawing roller defining a drawing nip suitable to draw and press textile fibers fed by the ravings. It is known that the drawing rollers may be rotated at increasingly higher angular speeds, thereby subjecting textile fibers to a stretching action which, combined with the pressing action, thus allowing to provide the finished yarn with the desired yarn number. The pressing rollers generally exert higher pressing forces on the most external drawing rollers, e.g. of about 30-40 kg, and lower pressing forces on the intermediate drawing rollers, e.g. of about 6-7 kg.

In the illustrated embodiment three drawing rollers are shown in particular, combined with three respective pressing rollers. Referring to a feeding direction F of the textile fibers from the ravings towards the drawing rollers, there are distinguished a first external drawing roller 11, a second intermediate drawing roller 12 and a third external drawing roller 13, to which a first, a second and a third pressing rollers 21 , 22, 23 are respectively coupled.

The spinning apparatus 10 further comprises a plurality of supports arranged upstream of the drawing rollers 1 1 , 12, 13, and adapted to support the ravings. In the illustrated embodiment two supports 31 , 32 are shown in particular, on which two ravings 41, 42 are respectively mounted. These ravings 41, 42 are adapted to feed first textile fibers intended to form the base structure of the finished yarn, and second textile fibers intended to define the fancy structure of the finished yarn, i.e. fancy textile fibers.

It will be understood that the second or fancy textile fibers may be all of a single type, e.g. made of a different material and/or color than the first textile fibers, or of different types, and that they may be supplied from a single roving as well as from more independent ravings.

The spinning apparatus 10 further includes a spindle 50 arranged downstream of the drawing rollers 1 1 , 12, 13 and the respective pressing rollers 21 , 22, 23 in the feeding direction F and adapted to receive the pressed and stretched yarn in order to provide it with a desired twist degree.

The spinning path of the textile fibers is schematically shown in Figure 1 by way of a dotted line.

According to the invention, unlike the spinning apparatuses known in the art, the textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn are not fed directly from the respective roving or ravings towards the drawing rollers, but through a feeding assembly arranged upstream of the drawing rollers with respect to the feeding direction F.

The feeding assembly is generally designated by reference numeral 60 and is arranged between the drawing rollers 1 1 , 12, 13 and the supports 31 , 32 of the ravings 41 , 42. Accordingly, the feeding assembly is arranged upstream of the drawing rollers 11, 12, 13 relative to the feeding direction F.

The feeding assembly 60 includes a guide 61 provided with at least one aperture adapted to receive the fancy textile fibers from the roving 42.

In the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 to 6 the guide 61 comprises in particular a first and a second aperture 611, 612 respectively adapted to receive textile fibers from the first and second ravings 41 , 42. The first aperture 61 1 receives first fibers intended to form the base structure of the finished yarn, while the second aperture 612 receives second fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn.

The feeding assembly 60 also comprises active conveying means arranged downstream of the guide 61 and adapted to drag the textile fibers coming from the rovings 41 , 42 and passing through the apertures 61 1 , 612, towards the first drawing roller 11. The active conveying means comprise in particular a conveyor belt 62.

In use, when the feeding assembly 60 is mounted on the spinning apparatus 10, the conveyor belt 62 is preferably wound around the first drawing roller 1 1 of the spinning apparatus 10, i.e. to the drawing roller that is closest to the feeding assembly 60, thus being operable directly by this roller and allowing to feed the textile fibers at a speed corresponding to he tangential speed of the first drawing roller receiving the textile fibers. This allows to minimize the risk of deformations and/or deviations of the textile fibers from the spinning path during their passage through the drawing section defined by the first drawing roller 11 and its respective pressing roller 21.

The conveyor belt 62 might also be driven by a motor independent from that of the first drawing roller 1 1. However, the above described configuration is preferred, because it is easier and cheaper and because an independent motor would require dedicated speed control means.

The conveyor belt 62 is also wound around an idler roller 63 mounted on a frame

601 of the feeding assembly 60 that may be advantageously associated with a tension adjuster (not shown) suitable to help to maintain a tension level adequate to convey the textile fibers.

The feeding assembly 60 also comprises blocking means 64 arranged proximate to the guide 61 and configured to selectively block the fancy textile fibers fed from the respective roving or rovings on the guide 61.

The activation of the blocking means 64 allows to completely block the passage of fancy textile fibers in order to produce yarns of a traditional type, or to carry out a continuous or intermittent feeding of the fancy textile fibers in order to produce fancy yarns made of first textile fibers and comprising portions made of both first and fancy textile fibers, or fancy yarns the whole structure of which is made of first textile fibers coupled with fancy textile fibers.

Thanks to the use of a feeding assembly provided with blocking means it is possible to operate a spinning apparatus either as a traditional spinning apparatus or as a spinning apparatus for the production of fancy yarns.

The blocking means 64 may comprise a pad, for example made of rubber, mounted on an actuating device configured to move it to and from the guide 61 so as to prevent or to allow the passage of the fancy textile fibers towards the drawing rollers.

The blocking means 64 may act on the aperture formed in the guide 61 , so as to block the fancy textile fibers at their entry into the feeding assembly 60, or downstream thereof on a portion of the guide 61 along the feeding direction F.

The feeding assembly 60 may also advantageously comprise pressing means 65 arranged downstream of the guide 61 proximate to the conveyor belt 62 and adapted to press the textile fibers thereon as the proceed towards the drawing rollers. The pressing means 65 also serve to keep the textile fibers proceeding towards the drawing rollers aligned in the feeding direction F.

As explained above, in the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 6 both first and fancy textile fibers are received by the guide 61 and dragged by the conveyor belt 62, so that, while the blocking means act on the fancy textile fibers only, the pressing means 65 act on both first and fancy textile fibers by pressing them against each other, thus promoting their intimate contact and compaction before they reach the drawing rollers.

The pressing means 65 may for example comprise a roll and an actuating device adapted to move the roll to and from the conveying means 62. The roll is an idle roll adapted to be rotated by friction when in contact with the conveyor belt 62.

In the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 6 the pressing means 65 comprise in particular two idle rolls arranged in series along the feeding direction F, which allows to press and compact the first and fancy textile fibers together along a longer path before they reach the drawing rollers.

Alternatively, the pressing means 65 might comprise a conveyor belt driven by a motor or simply dragged by the conveyor belt 62 by friction.

According to the invention, the blocking means 64 and the pressing means 65 are operated in a mutually exclusive manner, thus avoiding to block the fancy textile fibers when they have to be fed towards the drawing rollers.

The feeding assembly 60 shown in figures 1 to 6 comprises a driving device to which the blocking means 64 and the pressing means 65 are operably connected.

Referring to Figure 2 in particular, in the illustrated embodiment the driving device comprises an arm 66, for example having an arcuate shape, pivoted on the frame 601 of the feeding assembly 60 at a fulcrum 67. The blocking means 64 and the pressing means 65 are mounted at the free ends of the arm 66. Therefore by rotating the arm 66 about the fulcrum 67 two different operating conditions of the blocking means 64 and of the pressing means 65 may be obtained.

Figures 3 and 4 show in particular an operating condition of the feeding assembly

60 wherein the arm 66 is rotated towards the guide 61 and the blocking means 64 are pressed against it thus blocking the passage of the fancy textile fibers. The rotation direction of the arm 66 is indicated in figure 4 by way of arrows. Due to the set of restraints described above, the pressing means 65, which are mounted at the opposite end of the arm 66, are therefore spaced away from the conveyor belt 62 and do not contact the first textile fibers proceeding towards the drawing rollers.

Figures 5 and 6 show instead an operation condition of the feeding assembly 60 wherein the arm 66 is rotated in the opposite direction, i.e. towards the conveyor belt 62. Also in this case the rotation direction of the arm 66 is indicated in figure 6 by way of arrows.

In this operation condition the blocking means 64 are spaced away from the guide 61, thus allowing the passage of the fancy textile fibers. The pressing means 65 are instead pressed against the conveyor belt 62, thus promoting the contact between the first and the fancy textile fibers that reach the first drawing roller 1 1 together and compacted.

The rotation o f the arm 66 may advantageously be controlled by a servomechanism controlled by a control system (not shown) of the feeding assembly 60.

In the embodiment shown in figures 1 to 6, the rotation of the arm 66 is controlled in particular by way of a linear actuator 68, for example of hydraulic or pneumatic type, restrained between the frame 601 of the feeding assembly 60 and a protruding portion 661 of the arm 66.

The rotation of the arm 66 about the fulcrum 67 could also be controlled by way of a gearbox, for example of a planetary type, acting on a shaft associated to the fulcrum 67, or in other equivalent ways well known to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to figure 7, a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed.

The guide 61 of the feeding assembly 60 is configured so as to receive only fancy textile fibers from the respective roving 42, while the first textile fibers are fed from the respective roving 41 directly to the first drawing roller 11, i.e. downstream of the feeding assembly 60.

The inventors have in fact observed that since the first textile fibers intended to form the base structure of the finished yarn must be fed continuously, it is not necessary to make them pass through the feeding assembly 60, the structure of which may therefore be simplified.

The blocking means 64 are arranged immediately downstream of the aperture 612 of the guide 61 through which the fancy textile fibers are received and in an operating condition block them on a portion of the guide 61.

The pressing means 65 are arranged proximate to the conveyor belt 62.

Differently from the first embodiment, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the blocking means 64 and the pressing means 65 comprise respective independent linear actuators connected to a control unit of the feeding assembly 60 and controlled by way of a control program stored therein and configured to implement the mutually exclusive operation mode described above.

The linear actuators of the blocking means 64 and the pressing means 65 are mounted on the frame 601 of the feeding assembly 60. Moreover, the blocking means 64 are slidably restrained along a guide 602 of the frame 601, so that the relative distance between the blocking means 64 and the pressing means 65 is adjustable depending e.g. on the average length of the fancy textile fibers. The pressing means 65 might be slidably restrained along the guide 602 as well.

The feeding assembly 60 may be slidably mounted on a frame of the spinning apparatus 10, whereby its distance relative to the set of drawing rollers 1 1 , 12, 13 is adjustable. This may be particularly useful in spinning apparatuses wherein the position of the first roller is adjustable relative to the other drawing rollers in order to set the proper stretching rate of the yarns or to adapt the set of rollers to textile fibers having a specific average length. To this end, the frame 601 of the feeding assembly 60 may comprise mounting means e.g. configured as a grooved guide 603 suitable to fit on a corresponding guide or set of posts of the frame of the spinning apparatus, thus allowing to vary the distance between the feeding assembly 60 and the set of drawing rollers 11, 12, 13 or to keep the same distance between the feeding assembly and the first drawing roller 11 when this is moved relative to the other rollers.

Claims

1. A textile fiber feeding assembly (60) for a spinning apparatus (10) of the type comprising a set of drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) parallel to each other and adapted to receive from a plurality of ravings (41, 42) first textile fibers intended to form the base structure of a finished yarn and second textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn, and a spindle (50) arranged downstream of said drawing rollers (11, 12, 13), said feeding assembly (60) comprising a guide (61) provided with at least one aperture (612) adapted to receive said second textile fibers, the feeding assembly (60) also comprising a conveyor belt (62) arranged downstream of said guide (61) in a feeding direction (F) of the textile fibers and suitable to drag the second textile fibers towards the drawing rollers (11, 12, 13), blocking means (64) arranged proximate to the guide (61) and suitable to selectively block the passage of the second textile fibers.

2. A feeding assembly (60) according to claims 1, further comprising pressing means (65) arranged proximate to the conveyor belt (62) and suitable to press the second textile fibers thereon.

3. A feeding assembly (60) according to claim 2, wherein the pressing means (65) comprise an idle roll suitable to press the fancy textile fibers on the conveyor belt (62).

4. A feeding assembly (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said blocking means (64) comprise a rubber pad suitable to block the fancy textile fibers on the guide (61).

5. A feeding assembly (60) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the blocking means (64) and the pressing means (65) are operated by a driving device of the feeding assembly (60), said driving device comprising an arm (66) pivotally connected to a frame (601) of the feeding assembly (60) at a fulcrum (67), the blocking means (64) and the pressing means (65) being restrained at opposite ends of said arm (66), and wherein said arm (66) is driven by a servomechanism (68) controlled by a control system of the feeding assembly (60).

6. A feeding assembly (60) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the blocking means (64) and the pressing means (65) comprise respective linear actuators mounted on a frame (601) of the feeding assembly (60) and connected to a control unit thereof, said linear actuators being drivable by way of a control program stored therein and configured such that when the blocking means (64) are in an operating condition the pressing means (65) are in a rest condition and vice versa.

7. A feeding assembly (60) according to claim 6, wherein either or both the blocking and the pressing means (64, 65) are slidably restrained along a guide (602) of the frame (601).

8. A spinning apparatus (10) for the production of yarns, said spinning apparatus (10) comprising a set of drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) parallel to each other and adapted to receive from a plurality of ravings (41, 42) first textile fibers intended to form the base structure of a finished yarn and second textile fibers intended to form the fancy structure of the finished yarn, the spinning apparatus (10) also comprising a spindle (50) arranged downstream of said drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) with respect to a feeding direction (F) of the textile fibers, characterized by comprising a feeding assembly (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, said feeding assembly (60) being arranged upstream of the drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) with respect to said feeding direction (F).

9. A spinning apparatus (10) according to claim 8, wherein the feeding assembly (60) is slidably mounted on a frame of the spinning apparatus, whereby its distance relative to the drawing rollers (11, 12, 13) is adjustable.

10. A spinning apparatus (10) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a conveyor belt (62) of the feeding assembly (60) is wrapped around and driven by the drawing roller (11) that is closest to the feeding assembly (60).

11. A method of spinning textile fibers in a spinning apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 8 to 10 said method comprising the steps of:

i. feeding first textile fibers from a first roving (41) to said series of drawing rollers (11, 12, 13), said first textile fibers being intended to form the base structure of the produced yarn;

ii. feeding second textile fibers from a second roving (42) to the series of drawing rollers (11, 12, 13), said second textile fibers being intended to form the fancy structure of the produced yarn;

wherein feeding of said second textile occurs by making the second textile fibers pass through a feeding assembly (60) of the spinning apparatus (10) arranged upstream of the drawing rollers (11, 12, 13), and wherein the feeding of the second textile fibers through said feeding assembly (60) is selectively managed by way of blocking means (64) thereof.