Patent Publication Number: US-2005116528-A1

Title: Device for manufacturing brushes and method applied thereby

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention concerns a device for manufacturing brushes.  
      More particularly, this invention concerns a device for manufacturing brushes whereby bundles of fibers which are rounded at their far ends are provided in a brush body.  
      2. Discussion of the Related Art  
      From Belgian patent No. 1,013,374 in the name of FIRMA G.B. BOUCHERIE N.V., a device for manufacturing brushes is known, whereby fibers are supplied from different fiber loading spaces to a filling tool which inserts the fibers in a brush body on the one hand, and whereby the fibers in the fiber loading spaces are filled up from fiber supply ducts.  
      This device makes it possible to manufacture brushes whereby the fibers are rounded after the fibers have been provided in the brush body.  
      This is disadvantageous, however, in that when the different fibers in the brush body differ in length, or when fiber bundles are not cut off straight, it turns out to be extremely difficult to round the far ends of the shorter fibers in the brush body without damaging the longer fibers, such that one is limited in forming the fiber profile of the finished brushes.  
      In order to remedy this disadvantage, a device for rounding the far ends of the fibers before they are provided in the above-mentioned fiber supply ducts is known.  
      The disadvantage of the use of both separate devices is that the fibers are first cut at the desired length, must then be provided in the known device for rounding the fibers and must finally be transferred from this rounding device to the above-mentioned fiber supply ducts.  
      The transport of the fibers between the device for rounding the fibers and the above-mentioned fiber supply ducts is done in a predominantly manual manner up to now, which is laborious and time-consuming, with as an additional disadvantage that a worker must stay on the spot all the time to continually fill up the device for manufacturing brushes from the above-mentioned device for rounding the far ends of fibers, as a result of which the labor costs form a relatively important part of the total production costs.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention aims to provide a solution to the above-mentioned and other disadvantages.  
      To this end, the invention concerns a device for manufacturing brushes, more particularly for inserting fibers in a brush body, which device mainly consists of a filling tool and at least one supply duct, whereby between the supply duct and the filling tool is provided at least one rounding means.  
      An advantage of the device according to the invention is that the brushes can be manufactured practically entirely automatically in one and the same device, as a result of which the production cost can be restricted.  
      This invention also aims a method for manufacturing a device as described above, whereby fibers are provided in at least one supply duct, which are presented to a filling tool which inserts the fibers in a brush body, and whereby the fibers are presented from each supply duct to a rounding means before being presented to the filling tool. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In order to better explain the characteristics of the invention, the following preferred embodiment of a device for manufacturing brushes and of a method applied thereby is described as an example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  schematically represents a top view of a device according to the invention;  
       FIG. 2  represents a section to a larger scale according to line II-II in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIGS. 3 and 4  represent the same part of the device as in  FIG. 2 , but according to two other positions;  
       FIGS. 5 and 6  represent a part which is indicated in  FIG. 1  by F 5 , F 6  respectively, to a larger scale;  
       FIGS. 7 and 8  represent the same part as in  FIG. 6 , but for successive operational steps. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      As represented in  FIG. 1 , the device  1  for manufacturing brushes  2  according to the invention mainly consists of supply ducts  3  for fibers  4 , which are each provided with a bundle remover  5 , which different bundle removers  5  are in this case placed around a distributing device  6 , which distributing device  6  is mounted onto a filling tool  7  in the known manner.  
      The supply ducts  3 , five in total in this case, are preferably rectilinear and are provided with press-on means  8  on a first far end.  
      The bundle removers  5 , on the far end of each supply duct  3 , each consist of a housing  9 , in the shape of a rigid body with a cylindrical opening  10 , whereby in the casing of the housing  9  are each time provided two openings  11 - 12 , the first opening  11  of which is provided opposite to the second far end of the above-mentioned supply ducts  3 .  
      In the above-mentioned openings  10  of the different bundle removers  5  is each time provided a rotatable cylindrical body  13  whose diameter is practically equal to the inner diameter of the openings  10 .  
      In these cylindrical bodies  13  are provided grooves  14  in the outer edge, five in this case, extending axially over the entire length of the bodies  13 , whereby this length is in this case smaller than the length of the fibers  4  to be treated.  
      Each of the cylindrical bodies  13  is provided with an independent drive which is not represented in the figures.  
      As is represented in FIGS.  2  to  4 , the bundle removers  5  comprise a plate  15  situated opposite to one side of the cylindrical body  13  and which extends at least opposite to the entire outer edge of the cylindrical body  13  with a width which is equal to or larger than the depth of the grooves  14 .  
      Each of these plates  15  are preferably provided with means, not represented in the figures, which make it possible to axially move the plate  15  concerned in relation to the cylindrical body  13  concerned.  
      To each cylindrical body  13  is presented a rounding means  16 , on a side opposite to the side of the above-mentioned plate  15 , whereby each of these rounding means  16  is in this case formed of a grinding wheel  17  which is driven by a shaft  18  and which can be axially moved in relation to the cylindrical body  13  concerned.  
      As represented in  FIGS. 1 and 6  to  8 , the bundle removers  5  each comprise a guide  19  which is presented to the same side of the cylindrical body  13  as the grinding wheel  17 , but on a different place, namely at the height of the second opening  12  in the above-mentioned housing  9 .  
      These guides  19  are provided with an edge  20  which is oriented slantingly in relation to the radial direction of the above-mentioned cylindrical body  13 .  
      The distributing device  6 , which is known from Belgian patent No. 1,013,374, consists of a housing  21  with a cylindrical opening  22  which coincides, there where the bundle removers  5  abut the distributing device  6 , with the housing  9  of said bundle removers  5 .  
      This housing  21  is provided with openings which coincide with the above-mentioned opening  12  of the different housings  9  of the above-mentioned bundle removers  5 . The housing  21  is provided with an extra opening  23  on the spot where the distributing device  6  is erected against the filling tool  7 .  
      According to the most preferred embodiment, two cartridges  24 - 25  are provided in a coaxially rotatable manner in the opening  22 , which is provided in the housing  21  of the distributing device  6 .  
      These cartridges  24 - 25  are made in the shape of identical segments of a circle which are each provided with a drive, which is not represented in the figures.  
      In the outer edge of the cartridges  24 - 25  are provided each time five recesses  26  in this case, in which are provided press-on means  27  in the shape of pistons excited with springs.  
      The filling tool  7 , which is also known from BE 1,013,374, mainly consists of a base  28  which is connected to the housing  21  of the distributing device  6  at the height of the above-mentioned opening  23 .  
      In the above-mentioned base  28  is provided, as is known, a bundle remover  29  which can be moved to and fro and which is provided with a recess  30 .  
      Further, the filling tool  7  comprises means  31  for inserting fibers  4  in a brush body  32  which is presented to the filling tool  7 .  
      The method for manufacturing brushes  2  which is applied when using this device is simple and as follows.  
      As is known, fibers  4  which may differ as far as color, size, type and/or the like is concerned, are provided in the different supply ducts  3  of the device  1 .  
      These fibers  4  are pushed to the different bundle removers  5  at the far ends of the supply ducts  3  by the press-on means  8 .  
      In order to fill one of the grooves  14  of one of the bundle removers  5  with fibers  4 , the cylindrical body  13  of the bundle remover  5  concerned is rotated until a groove  14  is situated opposite to the above-mentioned first opening  11  in the corresponding housing  9 , whereby the press-on means  8  push the fibers  4  through said opening  11  in the groove  14 .  
      Once the groove  14  is filled, it can be presented to the rounding means  16  concerned by rotating the cylindrical body  13 .  
      The far ends of the fibers  4  are rounded by rotating the grinding wheel  17 , and by bringing the fibers  4  into contact with the grinding wheel  17  by axially moving the plate  15  and/or the grinding wheel  17  in relation to the cylindrical body  13 .  
      In order to round the fibers  4 , the far ends of the fibers  4  are preferably, at first, moved only a little bit out of the cylindrical body  13 , such that the far ends of these fibers  4  cannot be pushed far away from each other by the rotating grinding wheel  17 .  
      Secondly, the fibers  4  can be pushed further out of the body  13 , by axially moving the plate  15  towards the cylindrical body  13 , and by moving the grinding wheel  17  away from the cylindrical body  13  practically proportionally, such that the distance between the plate  15  and the grinding wheel  17  remains practically the same, namely a little bit shorter than the length of the fibers  4 .  
      When the far ends of the fibers  4  are rounded in a shape such as represented, for example, in  FIG. 5 , the grinding wheel  17  and the plate  15  are moved away from each other and the cylindrical body  13  rotates further in the direction of the guide  19  and the second opening  12  in the housing  9  of the bundle remover  5  concerned.  
      The fibers  4  are removed out of the bundle remover  5  by rotating the groove  14  concerned with rounded fibers along the above-mentioned guide  19 , whereby the fibers  4 , which now protrude partly out of the cylindrical body  13 , are pushed against the slanting wall  20  of the guide, as represented in FIGS.  6  to  8 .  
      The fibers  4  which are removed out of the grooves  14  of the bundle removers  5  are put in one of the recesses  26  of the cartridges  24 - 25 , by presenting these recesses  26  in relation to the second opening  12  in the housing  9 - 21  of the bundle remover  5  concerned, from where the rounded fibers  4  are removed out of one of the grooves  14  at that time.  
      In this manner, the different-recesses  26  in one of the cartridges  24 - 25  are filled with rounded fibers  4 , while the other cartridge  24 - 25  works in conjunction with the bundle remover  29  of the filling tool  7  in the known manner at that time.  
      This co-operation comprises the presentation of fibers  4  to the recess  30  in the bundle remover  29 ; presenting the bundle of fibers  4 , in the above-mentioned recess  30 , to the filling tool  7  which, in the known manner, inserts the bundle of fibers  4  in the brush body  32  which is also presented in front of the filling tool  7 .  
      It should be noted that it is always possible to make the above-mentioned supply ducts  3  work in conjunction with a single common bundle remover  5 , while it is also always possible to provide a single supply duct  3  and to make this supply duct  3  co-operate with several bundle removers  5 .  
      Naturally, it is also possible, in the described embodiment, to provide a rounding means  16  in the plate  15 , for example exactly opposite to the present rounding means  16 , such that both far ends of the fibers  4  are rounded.  
      Such an embodiment is especially useful when the fibers  4  are inserted as folded in two, whereby the far ends of the fibers  4  both extend outward.  
      The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiment given as example and represented in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a device and method can be made according to different variants while still remaining within the scope of the invention.