ES344753A1 - Swab-making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for manufacturing surgical swabs consisting of a stick 18 with a fibrous tampon 50 at at least one end comprises (Figure 1) a rotating transport device 12 provided with pockets 16 in which the device receives the surgical sticks from a feeder 20, there being means 26 for rotating the sticks within the pockets, means 34 for supplying loose fibrous yarn, a tuft applying device 40 movable between a position for removing a tuft from the yarn supply and a position for applying the removed tuft to the end of a stick as it rotates in a transport device pocket, and a device for shaping the fibrous tufts at the ends of the sticks, the tuft applying device having two jaws and being arranged to open and close around a tuft, there being means provided for locking the jaws in the opened and in the closed positions. As shown, the sticks are moved in a rotating transport wheel 12 having pockets 16 from which the sticks project at each side of the wheel, the sticks being rotated in the pockets by a disc 26, features of the apparatus being duplicated (although not apparent from the drawings) so that a fibrous tuft of cotton or rayon is applied to each end of each stick. The fibrous yarn is moved from the supply tube 34 onto a supply guide 48 (Figure 2) by a periodically rotated knurled part 46 and is offered to the tuft applying device 40. The tuft applying device 40 comprises a base plate 70 which periodically moves vertically (from the position of Figure 9 to that of Figure 7, not shown) on columns 126 from the apparatus housing 10 so as to offer a tuft of fibrous yarn taken from the low positioned guide 48 to the higher positioned swab stick and the swab shaping device 52. Mounted on the base plate 70 are two jaws 72 which close under the action of a compression spring 86 and a peg and shaped slot arrangement 78, 76 to grip the tuft when the tuft applying device is adjacent the guide 48. The slots are said to be shaped so that the jaws are effectively locked respectively against an opening or a closing movement when in the fully closed or opened positions. The jaws are substantially opened by arm members 102 which are driven about a pivot (104) in the housing 10 when the tuft applying device is adjacent the shaping device 52 and act so as to move the pegs 78, there being a spring loaded locking device 96 which assists in retaining the jaws in the open position until such time as it is released by a peg (128) when the tuft applying device has redescended. The tufts are applied to the swab sticks (Figures 4-6, not shown) in the tuft shaping device 52 which is provided with a surface 62 suitable to give the tufts rotating on the sticks a 'drop' shape, the shaping device including a supply 54 of water or glue which is applied to the swab.