Patent GB-856695-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for making tufted fabric
IPC: D04G3/04
Filed: 1958-10-08
Abstract: 856,695. Sewing machines. CRABTREE & SON Ltd., D., and FELTON, W. April 10, 1959 [Oct. 8, 1958], No. 32057/58. Class 112 Tufting machines, feeding long lengths, needles actuating. Apparatus for making tufted fabric comprises a plurality of needles adapted to insert loops of binding thread through a length of backing material and means for inserting a length of tufting material into each loop, the means comprising a loop-opening tube adapted to enter the loop to hold it open and a tufting material feed tube disposed within the loop opening tube and movable relative thereto to introduce the tufting material into the loop. The machine has a primary cam set 53 on a primary main shaft 27 driven from an electric motor 24, gearing 29, 30, 31 transmitting motion to a secondary main shaft 32 on which is mounted a secondary cam set 33. A lever 34 oscillated by a cam of the secondary cam set is connected by a rod 36 to one arm of a pawl carrying feed arm 37, the pawl 42 engaging a ratchet wheel 43 to rotate the fabric feed roller 22 in a step by step manner to feed the fabric 13 over guide rollers 14 to 17, across the fabric support plates 10, 11 and over guide rollers 21 and 23. Intermediate tension roller sets 18 and 19 are provided. Below the support plates a bank of needles 44 is mounted in a carriage 45 slidable relative to the machine structure and connected by an adjustable link 49 to a needle lever 50 oscillated by a cam of the primary cam set 53. Each needle is fed with a binding yarn 54 from a beam 55, the yarn passing over tensioning bars 56, let off rollers 57, 58 and guides 59 to 62, the guide 61 being mounted on one arm 63 of a spring biased bell crank lever 64 connected by a link 65 to the needle carriage. The let off roller 57 is driven, by gearing 68, 69 and a belt or chain 70 from the fabric feed roller 22 so that the yarn and fabric speeds are substantially the same. As the needles 44 move upwards to penetrate the fabric and insert a loop therein a bank of slidable tufting inserters 90 above the supports 10, 11 operate to insert a length of tufting material 108 into the loop so formed. One inserter 90 is provided for each needle and comprises, see Fig. 2, an outer, loop-opening, tube 91 of rectangular cross section which is cut off obliquely at the loop entering end 93 and carries a lug 92 at the other, and an inner, tufting material feed tube 100 slidable within the outer tube. The inner tube has a lug 101 at one end, the other end terminating in a pair of parallel tongues 102 bent at their ends to abut one another with a light resilient pressure. The lugs 92 and 101 are connected respectively to an inserter lever 99 oscillated by a cam of the secondary cam set and a lever 107 oscillated by a cam of the primary cam set. The tufting filaments 108 are fed to each inserter 90 by way of feed rollers 109, 110, guide 111 and a guide 112 carried on a tensioning lever 113 pivoted at 114 and loosely connected to the link 104. The feed roller 110 is rotated stepwise in an anticlockwise direction by a free wheel 119 provided in an inching lever 116 connected to the filament feed lever 118 oscillated by a cam of the primary cam set. A lever operated cam 120 separates the feed rollers to permit insertion of the filament. Each filament passes through the centre of the inner tube 100 and projects between the ends of the tongues but not beyond the end of the outer tube. When the needle projects a loop of binding yarn through the fabric the tubes 91 and 100 are displaced simultaneously towards the loop, the outer tube entering the loop between one side of the needle and the yarn. The outer tube 91 stops when it just projects past the needle but the inner tube 100 continues to move until sufficient tufting filament protrudes out of the outer tube to suffice for one tuft. The tubes then retract together from the loop, while the needle 44 descends to cause the binding yarn 54 to grip the protruding length of filament at its middle and anchor it to the fabric. The inner tube 100 now moves away from the needle towards its starting position, a further length of tufting material 108 being drawn through the inner tube sufficient to form another tuft. Cutter blades 76 on a cutter slide 75 co-operate with an apertured stationary plate 73 to then shear off the tuft from the continuous filament, and a tuft rake bar 88 reciprocates across the apertures to push the newly formed tufts away from the slot between the supports. The cutter slide and the tuft bar rake are connected by adjustable links 77, 84 to the cutting lever 83 and the tuft rake lever 87, respectively, oscillated by separate cams on the primary cam set 53. Needles. Each needle 44 has a transverse recess which is aligned, at the top of the needle stroke, with the path of the inserter 90. Specification 813,439 is referred to.