Patent ID: 6014937
Filing Date: 2000-01-18
Classification: D05C

Abstract:
A tufting machine comprising:a. a mechanism for moving a base fabric longitudinally through said machine in a feeding direction;b. a single staggered needle bar having both a first row and a second row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction, said second row of needles being longitudinally spaced from said front row of needles by about 0.120 to 0.160 inches, and being uniformly and transversly staggered relative to said first needles, to form a uniform narrow composite gauge;c. a needle drive for reciprocating said needle bar toward and away from a first side of said base fabric to cyclically penetrate said base fabric;d. a single row of hollow ground loopers disposed transversly to the feeding direction and adjacent the base fabric on a second side opposite said base fabric from the needle bar, said hollow ground loopers having throats of substantially the same length and being spaced apart transversly by a distance substantially equal to the composite gauge of the first and second rows of needles;e. a needle bar shifting mechanism operatively connected to said needle bar to transversly shift the needle bar by multiples of the composite gauge of the first and second rows of needles; andf. a looper drive operatively connected to said row of hollow ground loopers for cyclically reciprocating said hollow ground loopers between an engaged loop seizing position with said first and second rows of needles when said needles have penetrated the base fabric, and an unengaged position when said needles are reciprocated away from the first side of said base fabric.