Improvements in Braiding and Plaiting Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Braiding and Plaiting Machines.
I, CARL FRIEDRICH WOLFERTS, of 4 Schwarzbach Strasse, Barmen Ritters-
hausen, in the German Empire, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
This invention relates to improvements in braiding and plaiting machines, whereby
any thread, however twisted, may be worked up directly as it comes from the
bobbin, and the necessary twist may, if required, be imparted to it while it is drawn
off the bobbin. A thread-clamp adapted to ensure a perfectly uniform tension of
the thread is also provided and is arranged to act in a totally different manner to
that in which similar devices have heretofore operated.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, Fig. 2 a front view, and Fig. 3, a
cross section, of the improved braiding or plaiting mechanism.
Figs. 4 and 4 represent a similar device provided with four bobbins.
Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the thread-clamp, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of
the tension device or weight.
Upon a foot plate or support A (Fig. 4A) is arranged the thread-carrier upon
which is mounted a stationary bobbin. If it be desired, however, to impart to
the thread, as mentioned in the opening paragraph, a certain twist, as it is
unwound from the bobbin, this bobbin 6, instead of being stationary, is mounted
upon the extended boss of the bevel wheel c (Figs. 1, 2, and 3). The wheel c is
mounted upon the spindle c' which extends vertically from the foot plate or support
at the lower end of the braider.
I will first describe the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, viz. that which
enables the thread, as it is drawn off from the bobbins, to receive a determined
twist. The thread d, on leaving the bobbin b, passes through the eye e formed in
the lower plate of the thread clamp. This clamp consists of a lower stationary
plate, and an upper plate f, this latter being movable about the binge by means
of which it is connected to the lower plate. The plate f is fixed upon a bar or
rail g which is also secured to the lower part a of the braider. The two clamp
plates or jaws f, f', (Figs. 5 and 6) are serrated on their inner faces, the serrations
being adapted to engage in each other in such a manner as to enable the thread d
to pass between them. The upper plate or jaw f¹, like the lower jaw, is provided
with an eye i, through which the thread d passes out of the clamp. According as
the upper jaw frises or falls, more or less space is allowed for the passage of the
thread d, and inore or less resistance is offered to it as it passes between the two
jaws. After passing through the eye i, the thread continues its course through a
ring (Figs. 1, 2, and 7), which is connected by wires k, with a weight or tension
device. This tension weight, in the present arrangement, fulfils the same purpose
as usual in braiding or plaiting machines, that is to say it stretches the thread d,
regulates the amount of tension applied to it by the clamps or jaws, and enables the
whole mechanism to be stopped if the thread should break.
The weight is guided by the bar or rail g (Figs. 1, 2; and 3), and it controls the
action of the thread clamp by descending as the thread d becomes slack, and
thereby causing the upper jaw of the clamp to be drawn down by the thread d
itself under the action of the weight 1, and thus be pressed against the lower plate f
so as to arrest the progress of the thread d through the jaws.

page_text: The length of thread extending from between the two jaws to the work
gradually becomes shorter as the braiding or plaiting operation continues; and
as the clamp does not allow any further quantity of thread passing through it,
the consequence is that the weight is raised by the thread passing through the
ring at the same time that the thread is braided or plaited. When, however,
the ring is on the same level with the eye i, the weight I can not rise further,
but the thread lifts the upper jaw of the clamp and with it the weight. The
two jaws and f', which, so far, have held the thread between them, now
release it and allow it to readily unwind from the bobbin, while the weight l
is allowed to re-descend as soon as the thread has become slack, and the same
operation is repeated.
Thus it will be seen that the clamp only permits such quantities of thread to
be drawn off from the bobbin at a time as will not interfere with the uniform
tension of the thread, while the weight constantly maintains the length of thread
extending from the thread clamp to the work in a state of uniform tension.
From the ring (Figs. 1 and 2), and through a frame m, the thread, (as in all
known braiding or plaiting machines) passes to the work.
The frame m (Figs. 5 and 6) is a fork-shaped piece which, together with the
lower jaw of the thread clamp, is secured to the bar or rail g and is provided
with an eye n for the passage of the thread d. The requisite twist is impartedl
to the thread, as it is drawn off, by means of the bobbin which is arranged so as to
constantly bear upon the prolonged boss of the wheel c (Figs. 1 and 2), as the
bobbin travels along its course.
Rotary motion is imparted to the wheel c by means of a bevel pinion o, which is
revolved by means of a toothed wheel p, and a rack p' secured to the supporting
plate of the machine. The rack as well as the toothed wheel p may be replaced
by similar parts with teeth varying in number and pitch as required, and according
to the pitch of the teeth the twist imparted to the thread will also vary to a greater
or less extent.
Thus it will be seen that this arrangement enables thread, having originally but
a very slight twist, to be rendered fit for immediate braiding or plaiting, partly by
the twisting motion which it performs of its own accord, and partly by that which
is positively imparted to it by the bobbin, cop, pin-cop, or the like. These bobbins
are supplied complete from the spinning machine, and the thread thereon need not
be first wound upon spools, so that a great saving of labor is effected, and special
winding machines entirely dispensed with.
In braiding mechanism such as have hitherto been employed, when it was desired
to draw off threads of different colours this was attended with considerable
difficulty, as the threads had to be brought onto the same spool by a troublesome
process of simultaneous winding.
The mechanism illustrated in Figs. 44 and 4", and arranged for operation with
four bobbins is, upon the whole, merely a development of the mechanism, above
described, which comprises one bobbin only. In the present arrangement no pro-
vision is made for imparting a positive twist to the thread as it unwinds from the
bobbin. The bobbins or cops are stationary upon four spindles A', A2, A3, A4,
which are fixed to the foot plate A of the mechanism. Each bobbin is fitted with
a thread-clamp F, F', adapted to control the tension of the thread as it is unwound
from the bobbin, and the construction of each clamp is similar to that described
above in reference to Figs. 5 and 6, they being arranged respectively on one of the
four bars G1, G2, G3, G4, also secured to the foot plate of the braider. These
guide bars, as shown in Fig. 4B are arranged in the space enclosed by the four
bobbins, and each one carries a tension weight L, L, L³, L', which, like the
weight above mention, carry rings J, J2, J3, whereby the thread, as unwound, is
stretched to the requisite degree. The four threads after passing through corre-
sponding rings J, J2, J³, (the fourth ring not being shown in the drawings) are
conducted together by one common guide frame M to the work, the said frame,
like that hereinbefore described, being provided, for the purpose, with an eye N

page_text: and secured to a bar N₁ fixed to the foot plate of the braiding device between any
two of the four bobbins.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A braiding device or braider for braiding or plaiting machines whereby the
thread drawn directly from the bobbin is worked up, said device being provided,
for the purpose, with a bobbin carrier, and with a thread-clamp for controlling the
tension of the thread and adapted to open at the required times by the action of a
tension weight upon the slack portion of the thread, said weight being also adapted
to stop the working of the machine on the breaking of a thread, substantially as
set forth.
2. A braiding device or braider, constructed as above claimed, in which the
rotation or twisting of the thread, as unwound from the bobbin, is controlled or
regulated by means of the bobbin spindle, the lower end of which is provided with
change gear, adapted to be set in operation by racks as the bobbin travels along its
course, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A braiding device or braider, as referred to in the first and second claims,
adapted to be provided with a number of bobbin carriers and spindles, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. My improvements in braiding and plaiting machines substantially as herein-
before described and shown with reference to the annexed drawings.
Dated this 18th day of August 1002
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicant.