U.S. patent application number 10/978661 was filed with the patent office on 2005-05-19 for brush tufting machine.
This patent application is currently assigned to Firma G.B. Boucherie, N.V.. Invention is credited to Boucherie, Bart Gerard.
Application Number | 20050104437 10/978661 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32087582 |
Filed Date | 2005-05-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050104437 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boucherie, Bart Gerard |
May 19, 2005 |
Brush tufting machine
Abstract
A brush tufting machine includes a machine tool table having a
slide that is displaceably guided on the machine tool table in at
least two mutually orthogonal directions. A first drive is provided
for reciprocating the slide in a first one of the two directions,
and a second drive is provided for reciprocating the slide in a
second one of the two directions. Two drums are mounted at the
slide for rotation about parallel, spaced axes. Two tufting tools
are arranged at the machine tool table at a distance from each
other and each in opposition to a peripheral surface of one of the
drums. The peripheral surface of each drum has brush body holders
arranged thereon.
Inventors: |
Boucherie, Bart Gerard;
(Izegem, BE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAW OFFICES OF STUART J. FRIEDMAN
28930 RIDGE ROAD
MT. AIRY
MD
21771
US
|
Assignee: |
Firma G.B. Boucherie, N.V.
Izegem
BE
|
Family ID: |
32087582 |
Appl. No.: |
10/978661 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
300/4 ;
300/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46D 3/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
300/004 ;
300/008 |
International
Class: |
A46D 003/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 14, 2003 |
DE |
203 17 613.8 |
Claims
1. A brush tufting machine comprising a machine tool table having a
slide that is displaceably guided thereon in at least two mutually
orthogonal directions, a first drive for reciprocating said slide
in a first one of said two directions, a second drive for
reciprocating said slide in a second one of said two directions,
two drums that are mounted at said slide for rotation about
parallel, spaced axes, and two tufting tools that are arranged at
said machine tool table at a distance from each other and each in
opposition to a peripheral surface of one of said drums, said
peripheral surface of each of said drums having brush body holders
arranged thereon.
2. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of
said drums has an associated brush body feeder.
3. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein each
brush body feeder is arranged on a side of said drum opposite said
tufting tool.
4. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein each
brush body feeder includes a horizontal conveyor belt for
transporting brush bodies in a horizontal orientation.
5. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said
drums are arranged at said slide vertically on top of each
other.
6. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said
drums are arranged at said slide laterally offset in relation to
each other and said brush body feeders are each arranged vertically
above a respective one of said drums.
7. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
brush body feeders are each configured as a stacking hopper.
8. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
tufting tool has a separate drive.
9. The brush tufting machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein said
drives of said tufting tools are derived from a shared main drive.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a brush tufting machine, in
particular for making toothbrushes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventional brush tufting machines have a machine tool
table having a slide that is displaceably guided thereon in two
mutually orthogonal directions. A drum is rotatably mounted at the
slide. A plurality of brush body holders is arranged on the
peripheral surface of the drum. A tufting tool is arranged at the
machine tool table in opposition to the peripheral surface of the
drum. A brush body feeder transports individual brush bodies to the
drum to deliver the brush bodies to a brush body holder one at a
time. This can be performed manually or mechanically, e.g. by means
of a gripper or a robot. The slide, and the drum along with it, are
reciprocated in the two directions by a pair of drives, while the
tufting tool is reciprocated perpendicularly to the peripheral
surface of the drum.
[0003] In the event of a malfunction of such a brush tufting
machine, the machine needs to be stopped, resulting in a complete
loss of production. In order to be able to continue with the
production of brushes, at least one further brush tufting machine
is required, which is operated independently of the other.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention allows, for one thing, to double the
production capacity of a brush tufting machine at moderate
additional expense and, for another, to ensure continued operation
of the machine at half the production capacity in the event of a
malfunction.
[0005] In the brush tufting machine according to the present
invention, two drums are arranged at the slide at a distance from
each other and mounted for rotation about two parallel axes.
Associated with each drum is a tufting tool. Both drums are
reciprocated by the slide simultaneously in at least two mutually
orthogonal directions. The invention is based on the idea that, in
the great majority of cases, failure of a brush tufting machine is
caused by malfunctions appearing in the area of the tufting tool
and the brush body supply, whereas malfunctions involving the slide
drive occur quite rarely. Accordingly, when there is a malfunction
in the area of a tufting tool or the brush body feed, the machine
can continue to work at half the production capacity, putting to
use the other tufting tool and the associated brush body feeder.
With both tufting tools in operation, production capacity may be
doubled, as compared to a conventional brush tufting machine.
Accommodation of a second drum and a second stuffing tool in the
machine requires only slight modifications to be made on the
machine tool table and on the slide. It is therefore possible to
double the production capacity involving little additional
expenditure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Further features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the claims and from the description given below of a
plurality of embodiments with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a
brush tufting machine including two drums and two tufting
tools;
[0008] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a first variant of the
machine;
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a second variant of the machine;
and
[0010] FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic illustration of the drive of two
tufting tools of the machine, arranged one on top of the other.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] In the brush tufting machine shown in FIG. 1, a machine tool
table 10 is provided, on which a lifting frame 12 is guided on
slide bars 14 for vertical reciprocating movement. A drive 16 that
is arranged beneath the machine tool table 10 and is coupled to the
lifting frame 12 by a spindle 18 drives the lifting frame, as
indicated by a vertical double arrow. The lifting frame 12 carries
two horizontal slide bars 20 on which a slide 22 is guided for
reciprocating movement. The slide 22 is rigidly connected to a
vertical supporting plate 24 having two drums 26, 28 mounted
thereon for rotation on one horizontal shaft each, the drums 26, 28
being arranged vertically one on top of the other and at a distance
from each other. The drums 26, 28 are indexable in steps of
90.degree.. They are driven synchronously by a shared indexing
drive 30. As an alternative, each drum 26, 28 may have a drive of
its own. The slide 22 is driven to perform a horizontal
reciprocating movement by a drive 32 arranged at the lifting frame
12 via a spindle 34, as is indicated by a horizontal double arrow.
The slide 22, along with the supporting plate 24 and the drums 26,
28, is thus driven by the drives 16, 32 in two mutually orthogonal
directions, namely in the vertical direction and in the horizontal
direction, with the horizontal movement of the slide 22 being
performed parallel to the shafts on which the drums 26, 28 are
mounted. As an alternative, the slide 22 may be moved in three
directions.
[0012] Each drum has a peripheral surface that is formed of four
rectangular partial surfaces. Each of the partial surfaces has a
brush body holder 40 fitted thereto. One tufting tool 42, 44 each
is arranged in opposition to the peripheral surface of each of the
drums 26, 28. The tufting tools 42, 44 cooperate in a known manner
with a respective fiber box 46 and a bundle remover 48. The tufting
tools 42, 44 are held stationarily on the machine column 10 and
execute a horizontal stuffing movement. The relative movement
between the drums 26, 28 and the tufting tools 42, 44 causes the
hole pattern of a brush body to be scanned, which is clamped at one
of the brush body holders 40 in opposition to the respective tool.
Individual brush bodies are supplied from the side or from above by
a brush body feeder (not shown in FIG. 1). A robot (not shown in
FIG. 1) may be used for the feeding process, for example. The brush
bodies, now complete with bristles, are rotated downwards through
90.degree. by the drums 26, 28 away from the respective stuffing
tool 42, 44, where they are then released from the brush body
holder 40 and taken away.
[0013] The stuffing tools 42, 44 are preferably provided with
mutually independent drives, as will be explained infra with
reference to FIG. 4, and they may therefore be operated
independently of each other. The two drums 26, 28, on the other
hand, are driven simultaneously by the slide 22, and the indexing
of the drums 26, 28 may also be effected synchronously by one
single indexing drive 30. While in comparison with conventional
brush tufting machines the production capacity is doubled by the
doubling of the stuffing tool and the drum on one machine, the
expenditure required for this doubling is kept within narrow limits
since only one slide drive and one indexing drive are needed.
[0014] In the embodiment of the brush tufting machine as shown in
FIG. 2, brush body feeders are provided which are each realized in
the form of a horizontal conveyor belt 50, 52. The brush bodies are
transported in a horizontal orientation on the conveyor belt 50,
52. As is indicated at G in FIG. 2, the brush bodies are brought
close to the side of the peripheral surface of the appropriate drum
26, 28 by a gripper, robot or the like and are delivered to the
oppositely arranged brush body holder 40. In the embodiment shown,
the conveyor belts 50, 52 are each mounted on a cantilever arm 54,
56 of the supporting plate 24 and are moved together with the
latter and with the slide. As an alternative, the conveyor belts
50, 52 may be uncoupled from the slide and mounted on the machine
tool table.
[0015] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, provision is made to feed
the brush bodies vertically from above by means of a respective
stacking hopper 60, 62. With this design it is useful to arrange
the drums 26, 28 laterally offset in relation to each other, as
shown in FIG. 3, rather than vertically on top of each other. The
stacking hoppers 60, 62 are arranged with a corresponding lateral
offset in relation to each other. They are loaded by a feeder (not
shown) from above. The stacking hopper 62, which is arranged
farther down, may be extended towards the top, as shown in dashed
lines in FIG. 3, to allow it to be loaded at the same level as the
stacking hopper 60. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the tufting tools
42, 44 are also laterally offset in relation to each other to match
the drums 26, 28. The horizontal reciprocation required for each
tufting tool 42, 44 is produced by means of mutually independent
drives, which may however be derived from a shared main drive. In
FIG. 4, the drive of the tufting tool 42 consists of a rocking
lever 70 mounted on the machine column 10 and a cam disk 72
actuating the rocking lever 70. The cam disk 72 is caused to rotate
by a main drive 76 via a driving belt 74 and via a releasable
mechanical or electromagnetic coupling. The tufting tool 44 is
provided with a separate drive which is constructed in the same way
as the drive of the tufting tool 42 and is likewise coupled to the
shared main drive 76 via a driving belt. As an alternative, each of
the two drives is provided with a separate drive motor.
* * * * *