COILER APPARATUS AND METHOD

A coiler apparatus for forming flat coils of textile strands from an upstream strand supply and depositing the coils on a moving conveyor belt for transport d ownstream to a strand processing station. The coiler apparatus includes a driven rotating arm for forming successive vertical coils of a textile strand received by the rotating a rm from the upstream strand supply, a coil support for receiving and supporting each vertica l coil as it is formed by the rotating arm, a coil doffer positioned proximate a lower extent of the coil support for progressively doffing a lower portion of successive ones of the coil s from the coil support in advance of an upper portion of the coils, and a coil guide exten ding downstream from the coil doffer for guiding the upper portion of the coils off o f the coil support as the lower portion of the coils is doffed by the coil doffer, and for permitting a controlled transition of the coils from their vertical orientation into an array of overlapping, stretched-out coils on the moving conveyor belt.