BE1024476B1 - Method and device as well as injection mold half part for making a brush - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method or a device for anchorless attachment of bristles in a bristle carrier (10) is provided to close after insertion of the bristles in anchoring openings (12) in the bristle carrier (10) by applying pressure and heat. A transition edge (320) running around the anchoring opening (12) is provided with a chamfer (322).

Description

(30) Priority information:

(73) Owner:

BOUCHERIE Bart Gerard 8870, IZEGEM Belgium (72) Inventor:

BOUCHERIE Bart Gerard 8870 IZEGEM Belgium (54) Method and device and injection mold half part for producing a brush (57) In a method or a device for anchorless attachment of bristles in a bristle carrier (10), it is provided that the bristles are inserted into anchoring openings (12 ) in the bristle carrier (10) to close them by applying pressure and heat. A transition edge (320) running around the anchoring opening (12) is provided with a bevel (322).

BELGIAN INVENTION PATENT

FÖD Wirtschaft, K.M.B., Mittelstand & publication number: 1024476 Energy filing number: BE2017 / 5204

Office of Intellectual Property Boarding. Classification: A46D 3/04

Date of issue: 24/04/2018

The Minister for Enterprise

Due to the Paris Treaty of March 20, 1883 for the protection of industrial property;

Introduced under the Act of March 28, 1984 on Inventive Patents, Article 22, for applications prior to September 22, 2014;

Based on Title I “Invention Patents” of Book XI of the Economic Code, Article XI.24, introduced for applications from September 22, 2014;

Based on the royal decree of December 2, 1986 on the registration, granting and maintenance of patents for invention, Article 28;

Based on the protocol, taken on 27/03/2017 at the Intellectual Property Office.

Considering that for patent applications that fall within the scope of Title 1, Book XI, of the Economic Code, in accordance with Article XI.19, Section 4, second paragraph, of the Economic Code, if the patent application is the subject of a search report in which a lack of unity of invention within the meaning of paragraph 1 is mentioned, and if the applicant does not limit his application and does not file a divisional application in accordance with the search report, the granted patent will be limited to the claims for which the search report was created.

DECIDES:

Article 1. - An invention patent is granted to:

BOUCHERIE Bart Gerard, Ambachtenstraat 84, 8870 IZEGEM Belgium;

represented by :

DE CLERCQ Ann, Ed. Gevaertdreef 10a, 9830, ST MARTENS LATEM;

VANHALST Koen Victor Rachel, Ed. Gevaertdreef 10a, 9830, ST MARTENS LATEM;

GOESAERT Hans, Ed. Gevaertdreef 10a, 9830, ST MARTENS LATEM;

LESTHAEGHE David, Ed. Gevaertdreef 10a, 9830, ST MARTENS LATEM;

for a period of 20 years, subject to the payment of the annual patent fees mentioned in Article XI.48, §1 of the Economic Code, for: method and device as well as an injection mold half part for producing a brush.

INVENTOR:

BOUCHERIE Bart Gerard, Ambachtenstraat 84.8870, IZEGEM;

PRIORITIES) :

SEPARATION:

Partial application of the previous application: Date of filing of the previous application:

Article 2. - This patent is granted without any prior examination of the patentability of the invention, without guaranteeing the merit of the invention or the accuracy of its description, and at the own risk of the patent applicant (s).

Brussels, 24/04/2018, in special representation:

BE2017 / 5204

Method and device as well as injection mold halves for producing a brush

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus and an injection mold half part for producing a brush which has a bristle carrier made of thermoplastic material with at least one anchoring opening, into which at least one bristle is inserted and anchored therein.

In the manufacture of brushes, in particular toothbrushes, but also domestic brushes, two methods have become established in practice, namely the attachment of the bristle tufts by means of an anchor (metal plate or wire loop) or ankerios. In contrast to the use of an anchor, the anchorless method provides that the bristle tuft is not folded and fastened to its folded parts in the bristle holder, but is locked at one end to the bristle holder by gluing or thermally. A common method that is established in practice provides that the bristle carrier has openings through which the tufts of bristles are inserted. The bristle tufts then protrude from the openings with their rear end and are heated on the back of the bristle carrier. The thermoplastic material of the bristles melts with it, as a result of which the bristles merge into one another and there is a thickening by means of which it is impossible to pull out the individual bristles to the front. Usually, the numerous bristle tufts are liquefied on the back by means of hot air or a hot stamp, so that the material of the individual bristle tufts merges into one another and a kind of layer of liquefied bristle ends results on the back. This back is then covered, in particular overmolded.

The disadvantage of this solution is that due to this necessary cover on the back, a considerable additional procedural and device-related effort has to be carried out. It should be noted that the transition surfaces between adjacent layers, particularly in the case of toothbrushes, are designed to be as gap-free as possible in order to avoid hygiene problems.

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The term “bristle carrier” is to be understood as the part of the finished brush which carries the bristle or the bristle bush. The bristle carrier can be the entire brush body, in the case of a toothbrush the part injection molded from the handle, neck and head, or even just a prefabricated component of the later brush body, in the latter case the bristle carrier is usually a thin plate made of thermoplastic, soft with one or more openings for filling is provided with one or more bristles or tufts of bristles. After the bristles have been filled and fastened, the platelet-like bristle carrier is then either inserted into a prefabricated brush body which, for example, has a corresponding recess for the platelet-like bristle carrier. As an alternative to this, this is the usual fail, the plate-like bristle carrier is overmolded, and this results in a brush body consisting of the prefabricated bristle carrier and the molded-on rest.

CH 672 579 A5 proposes a method for fastening bristle bushes in a bristle holder by means of an anchor plate. This means that the tufts of bristles are folded, and the anchor plate is located in the fait area, which is pressed into the wall of the anchoring opening and thus finally fixes the tufts of bristles on the bristle carrier. However, so that the opening on the front or front of the bristle holder is closed more optimally, so that no bacteria and spores can settle and multiply here, a bulge on the bristle holder, which runs around the anchoring opening and protrudes from the front side, should be pressed inwards. However, the bristle tuft itself is not fastened by this reshaping of the bead, but by the anchor itself. The individual bristle tufts are inserted one after the other into the bristle carrier via a stuffing tool which pushes the folded bristle tuft through a tube. The tube itself then has a heater on its end face, which rests exclusively on the bead and melts or plasticizes it and then presses it radially inward.

In addition to the above-mentioned options for anchoring the bristle or the bristle bushes to the bristle holder without anchors, another method has emerged in theory which has never been successful in practice, namely the pushing of the bristle bush into a bristle holder which has openings and the like is preheated. After the bristle bush has been pushed into the soft bristle holder, the bristle holder is pressed onto it using a press

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The front, from which the bristle bushes protrude, is pressurized so that the soft material is compressed around the edge of the openings and the openings are reduced in cross-section. Some concepts are presented below.

DE 198 53 030 A1 provides that bristle bushes have bristles fused together on their back to form a thickening. The bristle holder has openings into which cylindrical extensions of a heater are inserted before the bristle tufts are pushed in, without touching the edge of the opening. This radiant heat heats the inside edge of the openings locally. The bristle carrier is brought to a structure-changing temperature in the region of the edge, for example the softening temperature. The increase in temperature is intended to reduce the cross section of the hole so that the tufts of bristles have to penetrate the wall when they are pushed in. After removing the heater, the bristle tufts are then pushed into the openings with the thickened end, the thickening in cross section being greater than the opening cross section, so that the thickening in the soft area of the edge defining and surrounding the opening, i.e. in the corresponding wall penetrates. Then the front of the bristle holder is deformed with a stamp so that the material of the bristle holder is pressed against the bristle tufts and anchors them.

A similar method is known from US Pat. No. 5,224,763, in which the bristle carrier has a wuist-like projecting opening edge. Here, too, the edge of the opening is heated by a peg-shaped heating element protruding into the opening or by working with hot air. The cross-section of the opening itself is smaller than the thickened end of the bristle tuft, so that it is fixed in it after it has been pushed into the wall of the soft opening. The bracket for the bristle bush egg then presses the heated circumferential bead together, so that additional material is available to close the opening at the transition to the end face of the bristle carrier.

A method is known from EP 0 355 412 A1, in which the thickened end of the bristle tuft and / or the edge of the opening in the bristle carrier are heated, the dimensions and the temperatures being selected such that

BE2017 / 5204 that after the thickened end has been pushed in, the edge of the opening pushes inward and thus, similar to a snap connection, embraces the thickened end and receives it in a form-fitting manner.

EP 0 472 857 B1 proposes to use a heated stamp which has pins to penetrate a plate-shaped bristle carrier made of plastic, so that the pins form the openings for receiving the bristle bushes. The bristle tufts are then pressed into the embossed, still hot openings and the melt rises around the thickening of the bristle tufts. A mold plate can also be pressed against the top of the bristle carrier to still shape the melt. It is particularly preferred that projections or ridges protrude from the top of the bristle carrier which has not yet been formed and which form material which is available as material which is pressed in the direction of the opening.

In the method according to DE 34 22 623 A1, a bristle carrier, which is plate-shaped and without openings, is welded to tufts of bristles which are made of the same plastic as the bristle carrier. A heating tool is inserted between the sides of the bristle holder and the tufts of bristles that have not yet been welded together, so that both are melted. The tufts of bristles are then pressed into the melted material of the bristle holder.

However, the present invention relates to another method, which is described in DE 10 2015 111 312 A1. Here, the bristle or the bristle bush is pushed into the anchoring opening with a usually thickened fastening end. The bristle carrier is then reshaped and narrowed by applying pressure and heat at the edge of the anchoring opening. Here, the bristle carrier is heated only in the area of the front, to a relatively low temperature, without reaching the melting temperature. The material migrating through temperature and pressure only closes the anchoring opening on the front side, so that it is no longer possible to pull out the bristle or tuft of bristles. The material migrates to the outside of the singular bristle or the outside bristles of a tuft of bristles. Sufficient material must therefore be available to produce a bristle with high pull-out forces

BE2017 / 5204 largely close the anchoring opening to the front. For this reason there are bristle carriers in which an anchoring opening in the region of the front edge protrudes one or more projections or projections formed during the injection molding of the bristle carrier. These extensions form additional material that is first contacted by the tool and then migrates inward to close the anchoring opening. Another advantage of these extensions is that the pressure applied for forming can be relatively low and that the actual thickness of the bristle carrier (measured without the extensions) is not or hardly reduced during the forming process. This means that the setting when closing the tool and pressing must be less precise.

It is important for high quality brushes, especially toothbrushes, that there is not too much material available during pressing, which is then pressed into the receiving openings for the bristle or the bristle brush in the tool. This additional material would then lie like a thin, non-specifically shaped collar on the singular bristle or on the outside of the bristle tuft and protrude from the front.

The object of the invention is to improve the known method and accordingly to provide a device for carrying out this method, by means of which such collars are avoided.

This object is achieved by a method for producing a brush which has a bristle carrier made of thermoplastic material with a front and a back and at least one anchoring opening, into which at least one bristle made of thermoplastic material having a thickened fastening end is inserted and anchored in it in an anchored manner, so that it disregards the front of the bristle carrier, the at least one anchoring opening being defined by an inside and having an end edge surrounding the anchoring opening on the front, characterized by the following steps:

a) the bristle carrier is provided, which has a transition edge to the inside in the region of the front edge, which is beveled at least in sections over the circumference of the transition edge,

BE2017 / 5204 whereby the anchoring opening and the transition edge are created during injection molding of the bristle carrier,

b) the at least one bristle is received in the receiving opening of a tool part,

c) the at least one bristle is pushed with its thickened fastening end, while it is still seated in the receiving opening, into the anchoring opening formed in the bristle carrier when the bristle carrier is manufactured,

d) the distance between the tool part and the bristle holder is reduced, so that the tool part contacts the bristle holder,

e) the front of the bristle carrier is brought to a temperature which is below the melting temperature of the bristle material and / or the bristle carrier material, in particular at most 85% in ° C. of the respective melting temperature of the bristle and / or bristle carrier material,

f) the tool part exerts a compressive force on the heated bristle carrier and deforms the bristle carrier at least in the region of the end-soapy edge surrounding the anchoring opening while reducing the cross section of the anchoring opening such that the at least one bristle is embedded and anchored in the anchoring opening, material of the Bristle holder in the area of the edge and the inside is pressed laterally into the anchoring opening and into the area of the transition edge and presses against the at least one bristle, and

g) the distance between the tool part and the bristle carrier is increased, so that the at least one bristle is pulled out of the receiving opening.

The bristle carrier can be heated before or during the reduction of the distance of the tool part from the bristle carrier or after the first contact of the tool with the bristle carrier. Thus the order of steps d) and e) is not necessarily sequential.

The invention is based on the idea that the material which closes the anchoring opening to the front and secures the bristle or the bristle bush against pulling out, exclusively by the

BE2017 / 5204

Brush body is provided between the front and back and thus without a molded extension, the bevel on the transition edge provides a kind of buffer space into which the material can penetrate without protruding from the end face formed by the front as a collar in the area the bevel is therefore less material available to be pushed inwards, so that material could be pushed axially outwards from a region deeper in the anchoring opening. Contrary to the prior art, which provided additional material, the present invention provides for a deliberate reduction in material at the transition edge. Although the bristle holder must be pressed together exactly, the material reduction and the space gained at the mouth of the anchoring opening allow greater tolerances when moving the tool together than without these bevels.

The bevel can extend along the entire circumference of the transition edge and optionally run along the entire circumference of the transition edge with the same cross section, that is to say have the same shape and the same dimensions, which is optimal for the production of the injection molding tool.

As an alternative to this, the bevel can also have different cross sections along the circumference of the transition edge, which cross sections can be optimized in such a way that the material is pressed inwards to different extents in different sections and therefore requires more or less buffer space.

For example, the bevel may have different cross sections along the circumference of the transition edge, but they start at the same axial depth of the anchoring opening. The axial depth is measured from the front of the bristle carrier adjacent to the bevel. Generally, this is not limited to this embodiment only, the front has a flat, convex or concave shape. In the case of a convex or concave shape, the depth is measured from the envelope of the front.

As has been found in practice, bevels are sufficient that in the anchoring opening at a depth of at least 0.1 mm and

Start BE2017 / 5204 maximum 0.5 mm, especially maximum 0.35 mm, away from the front of the bristle carrier adjacent to the bevel.

The bevels only need a radial width of at least 0.1 mm and at most 0.5 mm, in particular at most 0.35 mm.

in cross section, the bevel can be formed in sections by a chamfer and / or an arc, in particular a radius. These simple geometries facilitate the manufacture of the injection molding tool and, on the other hand, as has been found in tests, are absolutely sufficient to prevent material from being pressed out of the anchoring opening.

As already explained above, the front of the carrier can be a flat, a convex or a concave surface.

in particular, several anchoring openings are provided, at least some anchoring openings each having a bevel and the bevels of anchoring openings being different. This method also ensures that the anchoring opening is viewed individually and is tailor-made in order to achieve a high pull-out force on the one hand and an optimal appearance of the brush on the other.

In the method according to the invention, the at least one anchoring opening of the bristle carrier is not completely compressed, but rather only in the region of the mouth, that is to say in the region of the front edge which surrounds the anchoring opening. The at least one anchoring opening of the bristle carrier is only reduced in cross-section up to a maximum of the beginning of the thickened fastening end of the bristle or tuft of bristles, in particular only to a maximum depth of 1 mm. The rest of the anchoring opening remains in its original shape.

The bristle carrier is compressed in such a way that material of the bristle carrier in the region of the edge and the inside of the anchoring opening is pressed laterally into the anchoring opening and in the region of the transition edge without projecting beyond the envelope formed by the front of the bristle carrier.

BE2017 / 5204

The bevel also does not form an insertion chamfer, because an insertion chamfer is completely unnecessary at this point. In particular, this is the case when the thickened fastening end has a rounded or beveled underside, with which the bristle or the bristle bush is inserted into the anchoring opening beforehand. This rounded or bevelled underside is usually produced when the bristles of a bristle bush egg melt together.

A bristle bush egg is inserted into the anchoring opening with its thickened fastening end in such a way that the thickened fastening end does not contact the bevel of the anchoring opening.

The lateral dimensions of the thickened fastening end are in particular smaller than the lateral dimensions of the respectively associated anchoring opening in the region of the bottom of the anchoring opening. There is therefore a lateral play which allows the bristle or the bristle tuft to be inserted quickly into the anchoring opening. In addition, the shape of the bristle or tuft of bristles is not affected, which could be the case if the bristle is the bristle tuft at its "root", that is, at the thickened attachment end, it would be compressed and compressed. Due to the special feature mentioned, the alignment of the bristle or the parallel alignment of the bristles of a bristle tuft is safer.

in contrast to the prior art, the brush body together with the at least one anchoring opening is injected, i.e. the anchoring opening is not created by pressing in a hot stamp. The inside of the anchoring opening is provided with a so-called draft angle, which for example can be a maximum of 2 °. Because of this draft, the demolding of the bristle body from the injection mold is facilitated and sometimes even made possible. However, this draft angle is not part of the bevel and does not belong to it.

Individual tufts of bristles or all tufts of bristles can be inserted perpendicular to the adjacent front side and embedded in their anchoring opening.

As an alternative, there are bristles or tufts of bristles that are inserted into the anchoring opening at an angle to the front. The invention sees

BE2017 / 5204 hereby prescribes that the bevel on the transition edge on the side inclined towards the bristle or tufts of bristles is larger than on the remaining circumference of the transition edge. Alternatively, there may be no bevel at all on the side remote from the bristle or tufts of bristles and a bevel in the remaining part of the circumference of the transition edge. Since less material has to be reshaped in the region of the front edge of the anchoring opening due to the inclined position of the bristle or tufts of bristles on the side to which the bristles are inclined, there is an increased risk of material migrating out of the anchoring opening. Therefore, an additional or a larger buffer space due to the bevel is necessary in this area.

The back of the bristle carrier should be actively cooled while the compressive force is being applied to the bristle carrier to keep the back stable and prevent deformation in the area of the back while the bristle carrier is being compressed.

The bristle carrier usually has several anchoring openings. One embodiment of the invention provides that none of the edges of the anchoring opening is provided with a projection which protrudes from the front of the bristle carrier.

Of course, such projections could alternatively be provided, in particular where anchoring openings adjoin one another particularly closely and only a thin web is present.

The front of the bristle carrier is preferably heated in the method according to the invention. The front is brought to a temperature which is below the melting temperature of the bristle material and / or the bristle carrier material, in particular at most 85% in ° C. of the respective melting temperature of the bristle and / or bristle carrier material. The tool part exerts a compressive force on the heated bristle carrier and deforms the correspondingly heated bristle carrier in accordance with feature e).

The bristle carrier on the front is preferably heated by the tool part, which is heated. If, as in the preferred variant, the front of the tool part has the front over some

BE2017 / 5204

Contacted for seconds, the temperature of the front of the tool part also corresponds to the temperature on the front of the bristle holder, so that the temperatures correspond. This means that the end face of the tool part is brought to a temperature which is below the melting temperature of the bristle material and / or the bristle carrier material, in particular at most 85% in ° C. of the respective melting temperature of the bristle and / or the bristle carrier material.

The above method steps preferably run in the above order, but this is not absolutely necessary. For example, the front of the bristle holder could also be heated up first and then the distance of the tool part from the bristle holder could be reduced, or both steps can take place simultaneously or partially at the same time.

The change in distance occurs through a relative movement of the tool part to the holding part, i.e. the tool part can be moved, for this purpose the holding part stands still, or vice versa, or the tool part and holding part both move.

If one speaks of “at least one bristle” in the following, this means that both a single bristle that is seated in a receiving opening and an anchoring opening, bristles of a single bristle bush egg that are seated in a receiving opening and an anchoring opening, as well as several bristle tufts, which are seated in their receiving openings and anchoring openings are meant, so that the invention is not limited to anchoring a singular bristle or singular bristles spaced from one another. Even if the bristle tufts are additionally mentioned in some places below for easier readability, the invention can generally be used for a bristle holder with one or more individual bristles as well as for a bristle holder with one or more bristle tufts or combinations thereof. This also applies to both the procedural claims and the property claims.

In the following, several improvements are described which represent inventions in themselves, but which also present optimizations in combination with one another. It should be emphasized that the device explained later also with those described in connection with the method

BE2017 / 5204

Merkmaien can be provided, only the controller is programmed accordingly.

Because of the heating, a holder, which receives the bristle carrier, can possibly be heated during operation, for example by radiation. Furthermore, the time in which pressure force is exerted on the bristle holder can be so long that the bristle holder is heated too much deeper and further away from the front and is therefore also deformed in these deeper regions, as extensive tests have shown. In order to prevent this, according to a variant of the invention, the back of the bristle holder is actively cooled while the compressive force is being exerted on the bristle holder. A separate cooling device is therefore provided, for example by liquid cooling. The volume range of the bristle carrier, in which there is a sufficiently high temperature for forming during the application of pressure, can thus be set within narrow limits. In addition, the cooling device creates a safety zone within the bristle carrier, in which no deformation takes place.

The back of the bristle carrier is actively cooled while the pressure is being applied. It is preferably ensured that the bristle carrier becomes a maximum of 25 ° C. in the process.

The holder already mentioned, via which a counterforce is exerted on the back of the bristle holder and against which the bristle holder rests, is actively cooled, in particular by means of liquid cooling.

The cooling can take place not only on the back of the bristle holder, but optionally also at least on sections of the so-called side surface of the bristle holder. The side surface is the surface that connects the front and the back of the bristle holder. The cooling prevents the side surface, when the bristle carrier is squeezed between the front and back, from being plastically deformed laterally outwards. For this purpose, for example, the holder can have a receiving recess for the bristle holder, which is complementary to the bristle holder and ensures that the back and the side surface are attached to the holder.

BE2017 / 5204

The bristle carrier is preferably only heated by the heatable tool part after the at least one bristle has been introduced.

The tool part can be heated by an integrated electrical resistance heater or by a heated neighboring part, which temporarily contacts the tool part outside the contact surface touching the bristle holder and transfers the heat to the tool part during this contacting. The controlled heating of the tool part to a predetermined temperature is not carried out by a “random” heating of neighboring, more or less hot parts, but by means of a heating only assigned to the tool part. The pressure force is applied in a device when the bristle carrier is contacted on the front side by a tool part and on the rear side by a holder, while the pressure force is exerted on the bristle carrier. In particular, the device for applying the compressive force is moved to a block. This means that there is no distance between the holder and the tool part, because they contact each other on the front. This contact preferably takes place over the entire surface and around the enclosed bristle carrier in a parting plane between the holder and the tool part. The cavity, which is formed between the holder and the tool part for receiving the bristle carrier, is thus sealed in the parting plane. Here, no bristle carrier material can migrate into a gap to then form a ridge on the finished bristle carrier.

As has surprisingly been found in experiments, the stability and accuracy of the bristle carrier and the orientation of the at least one bristle, in particular the bristles of a bristle bush egg, can be increased if after the so-called exposure time (time during which the pressure on the bristle carrier between the front and The device is not immediately moved apart and the bristle holder is removed. Although this is very disadvantageous in terms of cycle time, a ventilation gap is generated between the front and the tool part after the exposure time. This means that the tool part and holder are slightly separated from each other. The device is not completely moved apart, nor is it brought into a position in which the bristle carrier is removed or could be removed. There will be a resting phase for the bristle carrier together with its at least one bristle, preferably one or more bristle bushes, intermediate business in which the

BE2017 / 5204

Ventilation gap in the device for cooling the front acts, in this resting phase the back may contact the holder, depending on the shape of the holder, which also has a shape-stabilizing effect.

The predetermined rest phase should last at least 1 second, in particular at least 1.5 seconds. During this time, there is preferably no further movement between the holder and the tool part. Alternatively, a slow opening movement can take place.

It is particularly advantageous if the at least one bristle, in particular the borsia bush or eggs, remains in its associated receiving opening during this entire rest phase. The receiving opening keeps the bristle or bristles of one or more bristle bushes in shape during the rest phase. This stabilizes the area around the anchoring opening. Apparently internal tensions are reduced.

The ventilation gap should have a height of at least 1 mm, which is measured in the direction of travel of the device (direction of movement between the holder and tool part when opening and closing the device).

As already mentioned, the ventilation gap can preferably be kept constant during the rest phase.

Optionally, Küblluft can be blown to the front of the bristle holder via the ventilation gap. This allows the rest phase to be shortened in time.

Another special feature of the invention is that after an infeed movement of the tool file and bristle holder relative to one another, which ends when the device reaches a closing division, the pressure force is exerted on the bristle holder over a predetermined holding time in the closing division. In spite of the endeavor to keep the cycle times as low as possible, according to this special feature of the invention the device is not driven and immediately opened again, as is usually the case when pressing, shaping or punching objects. The pressure force does not have to be constant during the holding time, because it depends on the resistance of the bristle holder

BE2017 / 5204 from. With increasing deformation of the bristle carrier, the pressure force will decrease.

The holding time should be at least 1 second, preferably at least 1.5 seconds.

The maximum hold times have been found to be 3 seconds, in particular a maximum of 2.5 seconds. No more is required.

The bristle carrier can optionally be heated on the front during the holding time, in particular during the entire holding time, but also during the feed movement. If heating is already taking place during the infeed movement, cycle times can be saved. Even during the infeed movement, the front is already heated, for example by radiation. As soon as the front then contacts the heated tool part, the front and the bristle carrier are heated and brought to temperature during the subsequent closing of the device.

The action time of pressure on the bristle carrier is determined from the sum of the holding time plus the time period during the infeed movement in which the front side is contacted for the first time by the tool part and at the same time the rear side is contacted by the holder and is compressed until the completely retracted position is reached. This exposure time should be at least 4 seconds, in particular at least 5 seconds.

The maximum exposure time is 15 seconds, in particular a maximum of 10 seconds.

The holding time is preferably less than the above period when moving together, in which the bristle holder is pressed together. This moving together and compressing takes place with a very slow delivery speed of the holder relative to the tool part. in particular, this time period is at least 3, in particular at least 4 seconds.

Experiments have shown that the holding time is a maximum of 50%, in particular a maximum of 40% of the above period when moving together, during which the bristle carrier is compressed.

BE2017 / 5204

In order to reduce the cycle time, it can make sense to heat the front of the bristle holder by other measures and not only by contact with the tool part. The bristle holder can be preheated. For example, the bristle carrier, if it is already seated in the holder, could be blown with warm air on its front side or briefly exposed to a heat source (e.g. radiant heat) that does not form the tool part. This can take place during the infeed movement from tool part to holder or even before this infeed movement. For example, the bristle carrier could be heated during an adjustment movement of the holder / the tool part or before the tool part is moved laterally towards the holder. The subsequent heating time due to contact with the tool part can be reduced.

Another special feature of the invention is that the free end of the at least one bristle is supported on the end face in the device. This support is intended to determine the axial position of the bristle or the bristles of one or more bristle bushes within the same bristle tuft or of bristle tufts relative to one another. If there are several tufts of bristles, the brush should have a sawtooth shape at the ends of the tufts of bristles, for example when viewed from the side. Other options are that a tuft of bristles is sawtooth, tapered, or tapered.

It would be expected that this support, which serves as a stop or shaping means, should also act on the bristle carrier during the application of the compressive force, in order not to allow the bristle, bristles or bristle bushes to move during this time. However, it has been found that it is advantageous to support the support at least during the application of the compressive force to the bristle carrier, preferably before the application of the compressive force or during the feed movement of the device after contacting the front and the rear of the bristle carrier by means of a tool or holder to remove. This means that at least in the last phase during the application of the pressure force, optionally also during the entire time of application of the pressure force, the support previously used is removed. The minimum pressure caused by the support in the bristles at least in the last phase or also in the entire phase of the deformation process

BE2017 / 5204 can lead to deformation of the bristles or to the bristles being crooked or not aligned parallel to one another, not even within a tuft of bristles.

In this context, it can make sense that the cross section of the at least one bristle and the cross section of the associated receiving opening in the tool part are coordinated with one another such that the at least one bristle / the at least one bristle tuft is clamped in the receiving opening and can be axially positioned by the clamping . If the bristles or bristles of a tuft of bristles are axially aligned, they are clamped in the receiving opening and thus axially positioned. Of course, this clamping is only a minimal clamping, which generally permits displacement in the axial viewing process that takes place beforehand. Due to the weight of the bristle / bristle tufts or also due to the inertia during the movements of the device, however, there is no automatic, unwanted displacement of the bristle / bristle tufts in the receiving opening.

Similar to the case in anchorless fastening used in practice, the at least one bristle or the entire bristle bush can get a thickened fastening end by thermally deforming the bristle material by heating it above the melting temperature. When using a bristle tuft, the bristles of the bristle tuft are combined with one another by thermal forming. However, adjacent bristle tufts are not also combined with one another, but each bristle tuft has a thickened fastening end for itself, with which it is inserted into the anchoring opening beforehand.

The forming takes place outside an anchoring station, in which at least steps c) to f) are carried out.

The material of the thickened fastening end is therefore preferably already solidified when the respective fastening end is inserted into the anchoring opening.

The invention not only allows tufts of bristles to be secured in the anchoring opening by reshaping the edge of the opening, but also prefabricated so-called egg-elastomeric cleaning elements (e.g.

BE2017 / 5204 thermoplastics), which are several times thicker than normal filaments of tufts of bristles. These cleaning elements serve to improve cleaning as well as, in the case of a toothbrush, the massage of the gums. Furthermore, these cleaning elements do not necessarily have to be in the form of a stick, but can have any cross-section, in particular elongated, arc-shaped, cruciform or round (circular or oval) shapes, as well corresponding ring shapes with central openings,

The at least one anchoring opening can be filled with a singular, prefabricated bristle made of an elastomer material, in particular thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). This singular bristle is anchored in the anchoring opening by deforming the bristle carrier.

The singular, prefabricated bristle preferably has a greatest wall thickness, measured in cross section, of greater than 0.6 mm, in particular greater than 0.9 mm. For example, in the case of a rectangular cross-sectional shape, the greatest wall thickness is measured in the longitudinal direction.

Optionally, the singular, prefabricated bristle has a thickened fastening end with which it is pushed into the anchoring opening and is encompassed by the deformed edge of the anchoring opening of the bristle holder. The thickened fastening end is produced during the manufacture of the singular bristle and not by the indentation and elastic deformation of the bristle by the reshaping of the edge of the anchoring opening. Alternatively, however, it would be possible to work without a thickened fastening end if the bristle is thick enough and the edge is pressed into the elastic bristle, so that the fastening end is thickened by the displaced material.

The thickened fastening end has, for example, the shape of a flat cylinder and / or the singular, prefabricated bristle is a multi-component injection molded part. In this connection, the thickened fastening end can be made of a different, preferably harder material, for example polypropylene, than at least the outer surface of the singular, prefabricated bristle outside the anchoring opening. Preferably, the attachment end is even harder than the rest of the singular, pre-made bristle. By

BE2017 / 5204 the harder fastening end, the fit of the bristle in the anchorage opening is better.

Usually, several anchoring openings are provided in the bristle carrier, at least one, preferably a plurality of anchoring openings being provided only with the singular, prefabricated bristles. At least one other, preferably the remaining anchoring openings, on the other hand, are provided with prefabricated bristle tufts, so that the brush has a mixed form of conventional bristle tufts and thicker, elastomeric cleaning elements.

Seen in side view, the singular bristle protrudes with its free end, for example, at least as far as the free end of the bristle tuft, and is therefore not shorter than the bristle tuft. It may be advantageous if the elastomeric cleaning elements, i.e. the singular bristles are even longer than tufts of bristles and protrude beyond their ends on the front. Of course, the elastomeric cleaning elements can also be shorter than the bristle tufts.

Another peculiarity of the invention is that the wall, which defines the anchoring opening in the bristle carrier, is deformed only after it has been deformed, starting from the front up to above the thickened end. The fastening end can, for example, also be a thickened end or the thickened fastening end of a tuft of bristles in which the bristles merge into one another in one piece. It would be expected that the entire anchoring opening would be as tight and gap-free as possible at the fastening end in order not to allow any movement of the bristle or the bristle tuft in any direction. However, the invention takes a different approach. The fastening end is not completely compressed, but has certain free spaces within the anchoring opening. As a result, the position of the at least one bristle, in particular, however, of the bristles within a bristle bush, can be adjusted more precisely. If, for example, the thickened end of a tuft of bristles is completely compressed, the bristles try to spread apart and no longer have the parallel alignment.

BE2017 / 5204

For example, the deformation should only be in the area of the edge of the anchoring opening, i.e. in the area of that wall section which lies in the area of the mouth of the anchoring opening.

In relation to the finished brush, the wall of the anchoring opening does not clamp the fastening end of the bristle or the at least one entire bristle tuft over a depth of at least 1 mm, in particular at least 0.8 mm, and / or does not deform the fastening end either. This area, in which there is no clamping and / or no deformation of the fastening end, begins at the bottom of the anchoring opening and extends further over the at least 0.8 mm in the direction of the front of the bristle carrier,

There may even be an air gap between the wall and the at least one bristle / tuft, particularly in the area of the floor or adjacent to the floor of the anchoring opening.

As already mentioned above, the at least one bristle or the at least one, entire bristle tuft can have a thickened fastening end. The edge of the anchoring opening is deformed, i.e. the area of the wall that lies in the area of the mouth to the front. In this area, the edge is narrowed in such a way that the anchoring opening widens in the direction of the floor and the thickened fastening end is gripped behind by the deformed edge in the pull-out direction, so that the bristle / bristle tuft is prevented from being pulled out by the edge acting as a stop.

The narrowed "neck" of the anchoring opening near the mouth formed by the deformation, i.e. the deformed edge of the anchoring opening engaging behind the thickened fastening end can, for example, have an axial extension (in the context of the invention always means in the direction from the front to the rear or from the rear to the front) of 0.5-1.3 mm, in particular Have 0.6-0.9 mm. This is an extremely low height

The brushes produced by the invention, in particular toothbrushes, can have a very small thickness in the region of the bristle holder due to the invention. While previously toothbrushes in the area of the head

BE2017 / 5204

Have thickness before over 4 mm, the invention enables a thickness of under 4 mm, with better holding forces for the bristles or tufts of bristles than in the prior art. Furthermore, it is possible on the basis of the invention to position tufts of bristles, even larger tufts of bristles, up to very close to the edge of the front side, which was previously not possible.

Borsia bushes can also be narrowed in cross-section by deforming the edge of the anchoring opening. This means that a bristle bush egg is fastened in the anchoring opening and the edge of the anchoring opening is deformed such that the edge compresses the bristle bush egg in an area in which the bristles lie next to one another. The area in which the bristles lie next to one another preferably adjoins the fastening end, which is formed by the fused bristles. The bristle tuft thus has a smaller cross-section after the anchoring opening has been deformed and narrowed than it had before after the bristle tuft was inserted into the anchoring opening.

It is preferably provided that the tufts of bristles are compressed by at least 3%, in particular at least 5%. This compression is due to the difference in cross-section, more precisely the difference in cross-sectional area, of the receiving opening in the tool part to the cross-section of the deformed anchoring opening in the region of the edge, i.e. the mouth of the anchoring opening to the front.

In toothbrushes, however, the cross section is reduced, for example, by only a maximum of 0.4 mm.

Before being deformed, the anchoring opening preferably only has an excess of less than 0.2 mm laterally compared to the largest cross section of the fastening end of the bush ice / bristle, in order to enable the fastening end to be pushed into the anchoring opening without any effort. After the deformation, there is a positive connection through the narrowed edge of the anchoring opening, in which the edge can only be 0.1-0.3 mm narrower in cross section than the largest cross section of the fastening end. This minimal overhang is sufficient to achieve excellent pull-out values.

BE2017 / 5204

The invention also makes it possible to process bristle carriers with elastomers already sprayed on the back. The elastomer is thus already sprayed onto the back of the bristle carrier when the bristle / bristle tuft is inserted into the anchoring opening from the front. The holder in which the bristle carrier is received when the compressive force is applied has a recess. This recess is designed in such a way that it receives the bristle carrier on the back together with the elastomer. The recess can in particular be complementary to the shape of the bristle carrier provided with the extrusion coating. Since the elastomer in toothbrushes is mostly designed as a tongue cleaner with protruding knobs, the holder has correspondingly complementary recesses for these knobs.

However, the depth of the recess is preferably designed such that its volume for receiving the elastomer is smaller than the uncompressed volume of the elastomer. The volume in the receptacle is thus adapted to the actual volume of the compressed elastomer when the compressive force is applied to deform the edge of the anchoring opening. Since the elastomer is softer than the bristle carrier, it must be prevented that the compressive force becomes too low due to the interposed elastomer.

The counterforce exerted by the holder during the deformation can be introduced completely via the elastomer into the front part of the borsia wearer. It is therefore not absolutely necessary for the rear side of the bristle carrier to be contacted directly with the holder without interposing elastomer in order to introduce counter-forces into the bristle carrier.

The aforementioned diverse options of the method according to the invention can have the following optimized steps:

The tool part is heated so that the end face of the tool part opposite the bristle carrier is brought to a temperature which is below the melting temperature of the bristle material and / or the bristle carrier material, in particular below 85% in ° C. of the respective melting temperature of the bristle and / or Bristle carrier material. The tool part is moved relative to the bristle holder, so that the tool part contacts the bristle holder and heats it up.

BE2017 / 5204

According to a further aspect, the method according to the invention for producing a brush which has a bristle carrier with at least one anchoring opening and at least one bristle inserted into the anchoring opening and anchored therein without anchors, the bristle carrier and the at least one bristle being formed from a thermoplastic material which can be the same or different, further developed through the following steps:

an end face of the tool part opposite the bristle carrier is brought to a predetermined temperature which is in a range from between ambient temperature and 210 ° C., in particular 150 ° C.

the tool part is moved relative to the bristle carrier, so that the tool part contacts the bristle carrier and brings it to the predetermined temperature, but without melting the bristle carrier and the at least one bristle.

In all embodiments, the thermoplastic is preferably made of polyester, in particular polyethylene terephthalate (PET), preferably BR003, and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polyethylene ( PE), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN). Both homopolymers and copolymers with the thermoplastic materials mentioned can be used.

According to the invention, the bristle carrier and the at least one bristle inserted into the tool part should not melt when the tool part contacts the bristle carrier. For this purpose, the predetermined temperature is preferably at most 85% of the melting temperature of the thermoplastic. This can reliably prevent damage to the bristles and / or the bristle holder.

The predetermined temperature is preferably in a range between 30 ° C. and 150 ° C., particularly preferably between 60 ° C. and 140 ° C., in particular between 90 and 130 ° C. or 100 and 115 ° C.

BE2017 / 5204

The predetermined temperature is more preferably above the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic. This ensures that the thermoplastic is sufficiently deformable.

The method according to the invention differs fundamentally from the prior art, because on the one hand it only provides an anchorless attachment of the bristle, the bristle tuft or the bristle tuft. The anchoring opening itself is prefabricated, which means that holes are not pressed into the bristle holder with heated punches, rather the receiving openings already result when the bristle holder is injection molded. Furthermore, the inside of the receiving opening is not heated first, and the inside edge of the opening is thus softened, so that the bristle or the bristle tuft is pressed into the soft wall of the receiving opening. Rather, the bristle or the tufts of bristles are preferably first inserted into the receiving opening, and only then is the bristle carrier heated on its front side opposite the tool part, but without melting. It works below the melting temperature of the bristle material and / or the bristle carrier material, the heating being carried out by the tool part in which the bristle or the bristle tuft was located and not by a dedicated heating tool, which has to be moved away again when the bristle or the bristle tuft is fed. Such heating by the tool part itself, in which the bristle or the bristle tuft is located, is neither contemplated nor suggested by the prior art because the bristle tuft in the prior art should penetrate into the soft, heated wall of the bristle holder and therefore one had to have a high degree of inherent stability in order to be able to pass on the press-in force exerted on the bristle tuft. It was only possible to press the anchoring end into the softened wall of the bristle carrier due to the pressing force exerted on the back of the bristle tuft and the inherent rigidity of the cold bristle tuft.

In addition, the heating takes place by contacting the bristle carrier by the heating tool part itself and not, as is predominantly customary in the prior art, by contactless heating. On the one hand, the energy transitions can thus be reached more quickly, and on the other hand, the device can be carried out with fewer parts.

BE2017 / 5204

The bristle carrier is heated during the entire forming process to a temperature below the melting temperature, preferably to a temperature which is significantly below the melting temperature, for example at least 15% below the respective melting temperature in ° C. and preferably at most 15% above the gas transition temperature in ° K and for a bristle carrier material with a glass transition temperature of greater than or equal to 300 ° K. For a bristle material with a glass transition temperature of less than 300 ° K, the temperature to which the bristle carrier is heated during the entire forming process is a maximum of 50% above the gias transition temperature in ° K calculated. The bristle carrier is preferably heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature.

The invention and its advantageous variants described above and subsequently provide in particular for the use as the bristle carrier material of polypropylene, of which some groups have a gias transition temperature of less than 300 ° K and other gias transition temperatures of more than 300 ° K. Other preferred bristle carrier materials are PET, PBT, PA, ABS, SAN and PC. These bristle carrier materials all have glass transition temperatures of over 300 ° K.

The gias transition temperature can be determined, for example, by Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA). In the case of semi-crystalline thermoplastics, the upper end of the melting range is regarded as the melting temperature. The melting temperature can be determined, for example, by dynamic differential calorimetry (DSC). In the case of amorphous thermoplastics, the transition to the flow or processing area is the melting temperature.

In order that the cycle time when producing bristle carriers is relatively short, one embodiment of the invention provides that the tool part is heated before it contacts the bristle carrier. Of course, this has the disadvantage that the bristle or the bristle tuft itself is also heated up, which was not desired in the prior art, because the bristle tuft should press into the soft wall. According to the invention, the tool part can already be heated to its predetermined maximum operating temperature before it contacts the bristle holder.

BE2017 / 5204

The invention provides, inter alia, in one embodiment of the invention that the melting temperature of the plastic of the bristle carrier is below the melting temperature of the bristle or bristles. In addition, there are also brushes in which the bristle carrier material is the same as the bristle material, for example polypropylene and PA.

As already explained, the bristle carrier should only be heated by the tool part after the at least one bristle has been introduced, and preferably only by contacting. Of course, if a bristle carrier comes close to a warm or hot tool part, a minimal temperature increase can take place, but this temperature increase is absolutely negligible and only takes place on the immediate surface.

However, should the infeed movement take a very long time, it is alternatively conceivable for the tool part to bring the bristle carrier in the region of the contact surface with the tool to the temperature during the infeed movement of the tool part that is below the melting temperature of the bristle carrier material and, preferably, greater than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material. Alternatively or additionally, the bristle carrier can also be brought to the aforementioned temperature when the bristle carrier contacts the tool part.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the heating of the bristle carrier to the predetermined and aforementioned temperature or temperature ranges should be 0.25 to 0.5 mm below the surface of the bristle carrier (front side) facing the tool part until the shaping process is completed. Since the tool part presses against the bristle holder over a longer period of time and heats it up, the thermal energy also migrates deeper into the interior of the bristle holder. This means that when the bristle carrier is contacted by the tool part for the first time, it does not have to be heated to the depth; it is sufficient to achieve this heating during the infeed movement and the exposure time (contact time).

In a first phase of the infeed movement relative to the bristle carrier, the tool part can heat the bristle carrier to a temperature that is above a limit temperature, at least in the region of the edge surrounding the anchoring opening, but preferably in the entire contact region

BE2017 / 5204 lies, which corresponds to 60% in ° C, in particular 80% of the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material when working with a bristle carrier material with a glass transition temperature greater than or equal to 300 ° K. This applies in particular to bristle carrier materials such as polypropylene variants with a glass transition temperature greater than or equal to 300 ° K, PET, PBT, PA, ABS, SAN and PC. Alternatively, the limit temperature is the ambient temperature when working with a bristle carrier material whose glass transition temperature is less than 300 ° K, which is particularly the case when using polypropylene variants with such low glass transition temperatures. The heating takes place before the tool part deforms the edge in a second phase of the infeed movement and the edge presses against the at least one bristle.

The bristle carrier material can in particular be heated to a temperature which is in a range between the glass transition temperature and below about 85% of the melting temperature of the thermoplastic in ° C. Depending on the thermoplastic material used, this temperature is preferably in a range from between 30 ° C. and 210 ° C., particularly preferably between 60 and 140 ° C., preferably between 90 and 130 ° C. or 100 and 115 ° C.

As has been found in experiments, the bristle or bristle bush should first be pushed into the receiving opening before the tool part contacts the bristle carrier, in particular before the bristle carrier has been heated to a temperature at least in the region of the edge surrounding the anchoring opening (preferably in the entire contact region) , which is above a limit temperature that is 40% in ° C, in particular 20% in ° C, below the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material when working with a bristle carrier material with a glass transition temperature greater than or equal to 300 ° K (this applies in particular to bristle carrier materials such as polypropylene variants with a glass transition temperature of greater than or equal to 300 ° K, PET, PBT, PA, ABS, SAN and PC), or which corresponds to the ambient temperature when working with a bristle carrier material whose glass transition temperature is less than 300 ° K, in particular P oiypropylene variants with such low glass transition temperatures. The edge

BE2017 / 5204 of the anchoring opening is at least the outer edge at the front of the bristle carrier.

Another variant of the invention provides that the at least one bristle or the bristle tuft is first pushed into the receiving opening before the edge of the anchoring opening is heated to a temperature which is at least 30 ° C. above the ambient temperature, in particular before the edge of the anchoring opening inside the anchoring opening is heated above the ambient temperature by the tool part. This means that the edge within the opening is not noticeably heated in the latter variant, in contrast to the prior art, where heatable pins should penetrate the opening around the inside edge of the opening, that is to say the wall defining the opening, to the bottom of the hole to warm up.

The deformation should be such that the edge of the bristle carrier at the transition to the front or front side of the bristle carrier presses against the outer bristles of the attached bristle tuft over the entire circumference, so that the bristle tuft is compressed. Of course, the type or extent of compaction depends on the cross section of the bristle tuft. In the case of toothbrushes, the cross section of the anchoring opening is reduced, for example, by a maximum of 0.3 mm, preferably by a maximum of 0.15 mm.

The lack of heating of the opening wall preferably also relates to the other embodiments. This means that the edge is brought to the specified limit temperatures or temperatures only in the area of the front, that is to say at the transition from the front to the anchoring opening, but the ambient temperature essentially remains in the opening itself as long as the tool part does not contact the bristle holder .

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the tool part is also heated in the entire contact area in which the tool part contacts the bristle carrier and not only in the punctiform area or linear area around the edge of the anchoring opening. This has the advantage that the tool part has the entire contact area and thus the entire adjacent material area of the tool part available around this material area due to the high pressure applied

BE2017 / 5204 to move and reshape. It is also advantageous if the tool part even contacts the entire front side of the bristle carrier, ie the front side thereof, facing the tool part, but at least contacts at least 70% of the area of the front side and pressurizes it. In the prior art, a protruding collar was created by protruding beads on the bristle carrier made, which was the only heated and reshaped material. However, the present invention clearly sets itself apart from this by heating and reshaping the portions of the bristle carrier that are distant from the end edge of the anchoring openings.

The back of the bristle holder should not be heated by the tool part during anchoring, so that in fact only the front facing the tool part is heated and reshaped, whereas the back forms a plate-like, stable structure that could be called the base of the bristle holder . This part of the bristle carrier is consequently not reshaped or changed in its shape during the pressurization.

The tool part can also heat up the bristle carrier at the end at least during the entire time in which it exerts pressure on the bristle carrier. The invention is therefore not a matter of briefly preheating the bristle carrier and then moving the bristle tufts quickly into the heated material sections of the bristle carrier, as is the case in the prior art with the preheated bristle carriers into which bristle tufts are then pushed .

The plastics used in the present invention are, for example, copolyesters, in particular EastarTM BR003 (with a melting temperature range of 230 to 280 ° C), polypropylenes, in particular a homopolymer such as PPH5042 with a melting temperature of 165 ° C, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyvinyl acetal or polyethylene. If these materials have a glass transition temperature above the ambient temperature, here 300 ° K, energy should be introduced into the bristle holder via the tool part. This is also advantageous for materials whose glass transition temperature is below the ambient temperature. However, according to a variant of the invention it is with such materials of the bristle carrier

BE2017 / 5204 also possible without heating up the bristle holder by the tool part. Then, at the ambient temperature, the deformation is achieved only by the pressure of the tool part on the bristle carrier.

Bristle carrier materials are advantageously heated to the following 5 temperatures in the method according to the invention and by the device according to the invention, which will be explained below:

Borstentr äger- material Schm elz- temperate ur [° C] Glass transition anxious temperature [° C] Process ss- temperate ur [’C] Polyprop ylen 160 ° - 170 ° -10 ° - 0 ° < 136 ° PET 260 ° 70 ° < 120 ° PBT 220 ° 47 ° <95 ° PA 200 ° - 260 ° 50 - 60 ° <98 ° SECTION 220 ° - 250 ° 95 ° < 150 ° PC 220 ° - 230 ° 148 ° < 210 ° SAN 200 ° 108 ° < 165 °

BE2017 / 5204

The invention provides in particular for PET to heat the front of the bristle carrier in a range from 75-95 ° C., in particular 80-90 ° C. and for PP from 115 to 125 ° C., in particular 110-120 ° C.

In particular, PP with a melt fiow index (MF!) Of 6-35, preferably 10-15 is used.

In the preferred embodiment, the method according to the invention not only provides for a bristle which is inserted overall into a receiving opening, but rather a plurality of anchoring openings and a plurality of receiving openings in the bristle carrier or in the tool part. The receiving openings are each aligned with the assigned anchoring openings. Bristle bushes are inserted into the receiving openings, which are then inserted into the anchoring openings, preferably inserted at the same time. The tool part simultaneously heats up at least the edges of the anchoring openings, preferably the entire contact surface, so that the entire area between the anchoring openings is heated. By exerting pressure on the front of the bristle carrier, the anchoring openings are closed at the same time, thereby anchoring the tufts of bristles at the same time.

The contact area between the tool part and the bristle carrier on the tool part is preferably flat, as is the front side of the bristle carrier, which faces the tool part. However, there are also bristle carriers that have a convex or concave curved front. The tool part has a complementary end face.

The infeed movement of the tool part relative to the bristle holder can be pressure and time controlled and / or pressure and path controlled.

As an alternative to this, the device is simply moved to a block, for example by providing an electric motor (for example via a spindle drive), the current consumption or power consumption of the electric motor being detected and, once a predetermined limit has been reached, it is assumed that the device is in the closed position , in which preferably the holder and the tool part touch each other. From this point on, the so-called hold time could run.

BE2017 / 5204

The term “movement or feed movement of the tool part relative to the bristle carrier” means that one of the two parts or both parts are moved relative to one another.

A further variant of the invention provides that the tool part exerts a preferably constant compressive force on the bristle carrier over a predetermined time from the point in time when the contact with the boron carrier. This optional method is particularly easy to implement, because a compressive force is simply applied and exerted on the bristle holder for a period of time, so to speak as an action time, in order to subsequently remove the tool part and bristle holder from one another again. Here, too, as in the other variants of the invention, further method steps are not necessary in order to anchor the bristle or the tuft or bristles in the bristle carrier.

The infeed movement and / or the applied pressure from the tool part relative to or on the bristle carrier can run non-linearly over time from the contacting of the bristle carrier by the tool part until the maximum delivery path has been reached. In this way, for example, a longer or shorter initial exposure time to the temperature can be achieved, and then a different pressure is then exerted in order to further and permanently deform the bristle carrier material.

in contrast to the previously mentioned prior art, the fastening end of the at least one bristle or the whole or all of the bristle tufts when inserted into the associated anchoring opening (s) can be smaller than the cross section of the anchoring opening, of course before it is deformed and before the bristle carrier is heated , be. This means that the bristle bush egg is not pressed into the side wall of the anchoring opening, as was proposed in the prior art. The fastening end is also not pressed into the bottom of the anchoring opening, because this is not or not sufficiently heated to be soft. Furthermore, no axial force is exerted on the bristles that exceeds the force required to push the bristles out of the receiving opening.

What is important for the present method and a major difference from the prior art is the relatively long exposure time of the tool part to the

BE2017 / 5204

Bristle holder while the pressure is exerted on the bristle holder and this is additionally heated. The exposure time is at least 4 seconds, in particular at least 5 seconds and a maximum of 15 seconds, in particular a maximum of 10 seconds. Over this long exposure time, the pressure can be constant and / or the bristle carrier can be permanently heated. The anchoring opening can be a blind hole, in particular with a maximum depth of 4 mm, further particularly a maximum of 2.7 mm.

Because the bristle carrier is deformed in the region of the front, the thickness of the bristle carrier is reduced by the method according to the invention.

The anchoring opening is only deformed and narrowed to a maximum depth of 85%, in particular a maximum of 70%, preferably even only a maximum of 60% of its total depth, that is to say it is not narrowed in the region of the bottom of the blind hole.

Another significant difference from the prior art is the pressure exerted, which is considerably higher than that in the previously proposed methods. This is because the tool part applies a pressure of at least 200 bar, in particular at least 400 bar, to the bristle carrier.

The invention also makes it possible to produce brushes with tufts of bristles which run obliquely to the front. This is surprising because, due to the oblique orientation of the tufts of bristles, the mouth edge of the anchoring opening lies in sections below the oblique tuft, so to speak, and is therefore more difficult for the tool for shaping to achieve, on the one hand, and on the other hand the shaping of the material in this area is actually for straightening the obliquely extending one Tufts should lead. However, as has been found in experiments, this is not the case. By means of the method and device according to the invention, tufts of bristles can thus also be installed obliquely in the bristle carrier.

In particular, a magazine is used as the tool part, which is equipped with the at least one bristle or the at least one bristle tuft. Are several bristles or several tufts of bristles on the bristle holder

BE2017 / 5204, all bristles or bristle tufts are housed in the same magazine and are inserted at the same time after loading.

The attachment end or ends of the bristles or tufts of bristles protrude from the magazine with their attachment end and are heated at this attachment end without having to leave the magazine. The thickening then forms at the fastening end protruding freely from the magazine. The magazine is therefore not a pure stamping tool, but also a transport tool which is moved laterally to the bristle holder from an assembly station and is then pressed against the bristle holder.

The thickening, i.e. the thickened fastening end can then, i.e. immediately after their generation, be actively cooled before being inserted into the anchoring opening in the bristle carrier. This allows the cycle time to be increased. In addition, it is avoided that the thickening is subsequently deformed when the compressive force is applied so that the bristles are no longer optimally aligned with one another. Active cooling does not mean that the thickened fastening end in the device is cooled by the ambient temperature prevailing there. Rather, a device for cooling is provided, for example an active air flow that is generated by a fan. This air flow can either transport ambient air, for example, from further away from the heated parts, or also transport cooled air, which originates from an air conditioning system. Another possibility is to provide a cold chamber through which the fastening end with the bristle or bristles is transported.

As already mentioned, the tool part has, for example, a flat end face facing the bristle holder (at least in the contact area with the bristle holder) and / or a geometry which cannot protrude into the anchoring opening, that is to say without pin-like projections or the like, as is the case in the prior art Technique has been proposed.

As has been found out, the position of the so-called parting plane between the holder and the tool part, in which both abut each other, relative to the bristle carrier is important. So it is advantageous if the for

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Receiving the bristle carrier formed cavity is not only formed in the holder, but also partially in the tool part · However, based on the thickness of the bristle carrier, the majority of the cavity is formed by a recess in the holder. The parting plane should preferably be close to or immediately adjacent to a rounded transition between the side surface and the front of the bristle carrier, i.e. outside the rounded transition. This rounded transition is in no way provided with any shoulder or burr which is produced by the bristle carrier material pressed out.

By applying pressure and heat or only pressure, the overall thickness of the bristle carrier is permanently reduced, that is to say not only partially, but overall. The end face of the tool part opposite the bristle carrier is in particular brought to a temperature which is a maximum of 140 ° C., in particular a maximum of 130 ° C. For example, polypropylene, PET, ABS or SAN is used as the material for the bristle carrier.

When using PET as the bristle carrier material, it has been found that the front side of the bristle carrier when forming to 75-95 ° C, in particular 80-90 ° C, and when using PP (for example with a melt flow index (MF!) ) should be brought from 6-35, preferably 10-15, to 105-125 ° C, in particular 110-120 ° C.

As already briefly mentioned, at least one elastic cleaning element protruding from the front and made of an elastomer, in particular TPE, can be injection molded onto the bristle holder and attached to the bristle holder, at the edge of the bristle holder and / or is arranged inwards of the edge between bristles or tufts of bristles. Mixed forms of cleaning elements in the same brush are therefore conceivable. Injection molded cleaning elements, bristle bush egg, which are attached to the bristle holder by reshaping the edge of the anchoring opening, and singular bristles in the form of elastomeric, prefabricated cleaning elements, which are also attached to the bristle holder by reshaping the edge of the anchoring opening, can be in any combination on the bristle holder

BE2017 / 5204. Furthermore, the brush body can be designed as a multi-component injection molded part

The bristles can also be pre-tipped, namely chemically or mechanically pre-tipped or pre-rounded.

Several bristle tufts can be anchored in the same bristle carrier, at least one bristle tuft consisting of bristles made of a different material with a different melting temperature than the bristles of at least one other bristle tuft. The bristle bushes consisting of different bristle materials are heated to different extents in order to fuse the bristles of a tuft to form a thickened fastening end. This can be implemented in various ways: the distance between the end of the bristle tuft facing a heating device and the heating device is set differently depending on the bristle material and / or the heating device is heated to different temperatures and / or different, depending on the bristle material heated heating devices, matched to the assigned bristle material, are used.

For example, the bristle tufts are pushed out of the magazine to different degrees. Those tufts of bristles made of more easily melting material remain e.g. closer to the magazine than the others, so that the bristle tufts which are moved further out come closer to the heating device than the others and are therefore heated to a greater extent. Alternatively, the bristle tufts can also be processed one after the other by pushing the bristle tufts, which have different bristle materials, one after the other with their fastening end out of the magazine, in order then to get closer to the heating device. Either the heating device is then heated to two suitable, different temperatures, or heating devices of different temperatures are used for their respective tufts of bristles.

With a brush with Nyion and with PBT bristles e.g. first the nylon bristles are heated and then the PBT bristles.

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The aforementioned advantageous variants can also be expressly combined with one another as desired.

The invention further relates to a device for producing a brush having at least one bristle or at least one tuft of bristles, which has a bristle carrier with at least one anchoring opening for the at least one bristle or at least one tuft of bristles, for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims, thereby characterized in that the device comprises a plurality of stations, including an injection station for producing the bristle carrier and a later anchoring station for fastening the at least one bristle in the bristle carrier, wherein an injection mold half part with at least one pin protruding into an injection cavity is present in the injection station, which part of the Injection mold half part forms and which produces the anchoring opening designed as a blind hole, the pin protruding from a bottom surface of the injection mold half part and wherein at the transition from the bottom surface to the handle If a bevel is formed to form the complementary bevel on the bristle carrier in the region of the transition edge, and that the device has a tool part with at least one receiving opening for the at least one bristle or the at least one bristle tuft, the receiving opening on the end face of the tool part facing the bristle carrier opens, and wherein the tool part has at least a portion of the end heating the heater, which is designed and controlled so that the end is heated to a temperature of a maximum of 140 ° C, in particular a maximum of 130 ° C.

In the following, the term “injection mold half part” is understood to mean a one-piece part which covers the inside of the cavity in the

Forms injection mold half completely, or understood a part or an assembly of several parts of a multi-piece injection mold half, in which several parts together the inside of the cavity in the

Form the injection mold half. In the latter case, in particular the bottom section of the cavity in the injection mold half is a separate part which is slidably inserted into an opening in a second part, which in turn defines the edge of the cavity.

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The device according to the invention does not necessarily have to have stations which are accommodated in the same production hall or at the same production location. Rather, the individual stations can of course also be spatially separated from one another at different locations. The bevel on the pin to the bottom surface creates the desired bevel on the transition edge during injection molding, which then provides the advantages of compressing the bristle carrier and anchoring the bristle tufts.

The tool part exerts a pressure of at least 200 bar, in particular at least 400 bar, on the bristle carrier.

In order to produce the aforementioned advantageous dimensions of the bevel on the transition edge, the complementary bevel on the injection mold half part at the transition between the pin and the bottom surface has an axial length of at least 0.1 mm to a maximum of 0.5 mm, in particular a maximum of 0.35 mm , and a radial width of at least 0.1 mm to a maximum of 0.35 mm.

Finally, the invention also relates to an injection mold half part which is used in the aforementioned injection station. The injection mold half part has at least one pin protruding into an injection mold, which forms a section of the injection mold half part and which produces the anchoring opening designed as a blind hole, the pin projecting from a bottom surface of the injection mold half part and with a bevel at the transition from the bottom surface to the pin to form the complementary bevel is formed on the bristle carrier in the region of the transition edge. At the transition between the pin and the bottom surface, the bevel on the injection mold half part has an axial length of at least 0.1 mm and a maximum of 0.5 mm, in particular a maximum of 0.35 mm, and a radial width of at least 0.1 mm to a maximum of 0.35 mm.

The injection mold half part can have a insert manufactured as a separate component, which projects into a hole in the rest of the mold part half and protrudes with a free end against the front side and thus forms the pin. This can significantly simplify the production of the injection mold half part as a whole, because there is no need to mill recesses out of the base surface

BE2017 / 5204 or eroded. Rather, holes have to be made into which an insert is then inserted, which has the pin.

The insert itself can also be designed in such a way that it has a base which sits in the hole and the free end, which defines the pin, has a reduced width compared to the base. In this case, the bevel is completely formed on the insert, because the base forms the transition between the pin and the rest of the base surface. The base can also define part of the base surface itself.

in particular, polypropylene, PET, ABS or SAN is used as the material for the bristle carrier.

In the device according to the invention, a tool part, which acts as a temporary support for the bristle or the bristle bush or bristles, is used as a press stamp and at the same time as a means of transport. A heater on the front of the tool part is designed and controlled via a control system so that the front is heated to a temperature of maximum 140 ° C, in particular maximum 130 ° C, when it is moved against the bristle holder. A device that can theoretically drive higher temperatures, but whose control or regulation limits the temperature accordingly, naturally also falls under the device according to the definition.

As previously explained in connection with the method, the infeed movement of the tool part relative to a holder of the bristle carrier can be realized by movement of the holder and / or the tool part, the infeed movement being pressure and time controlled and / or pressure and path controlled or only time controlled or can only be steered.

The device according to the invention can apply a pressure of at least 200 bar, in particular at least 400 bar, to the bristle holder, that is to say in the direction of the holder.

The irritability of the tool part should be carried out in the entire area of contact with the bristle holder or even in the entire area of the end face of the tool part, which is opposite the holder and thus the bristle holder used in the holder.

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As further explained in connection with the method according to the invention, the tool part is, for example, a magazine which is equipped with the at least one bristle or the at least one bristle tuft in a loading station of the device. The at least one bristle or at least one bristle tuft (under “at least one bristle” generally includes, for the entire description at hand and one or more tufts of bristles) protrudes from the magazine after being fitted with its attachment end, in a melting station, which is after the assembly station, the or the fastening ends are heated, whereby a thickening is formed in each case. When using one or more tufts of bristles, the bristles of the corresponding tufts of bristles are combined with one another by thermal shaping. In particular, a type of mushroom, spherical or spherical thickening is formed.

In general, in the device according to the invention, either the magazine can be moved and the stations can be stationary, or the magazine remains stationary and stuffing tools or heating devices or holders are moved to the magazine. These tools or postures can be arranged, for example, on a rotating carousel that successively travels magazines that are stationed. The device according to the invention has a control which controls the infeed movement of the tool part relative to the bristle holder and the heating process of the tool part in such a way that the tool part is heated before it contacts the bristle holder. This means that the tool part is already warm before the additional movement of the tool part in the direction of the holder, in this phase the maximum operating temperature may, but does not have to, be present. The bristle carrier is heated by the tool part only after the at least one bristle has been introduced, which is achieved by the protrusion of the thickened end relative to the magazine and the distance from the front side of the magazine to the corresponding contact surface on the bristle carrier.

The device according to the invention is in particular designed such that the tool part is permanently heated to the desired temperature, which is necessary for heating up the front of the bristle carrier for the deformation process. This means that the tool part is already warm and at the desired temperature if the at least one bristle or the or

BE2017 / 5204 the tufts of bristles are inserted into the receiving opening or receiving openings. If the tool part also receives the at least one bristle / tuft of bristles when the bristle ends melt to form the thickened fastening end, care must be taken to ensure that the temperature of the tool part and / or the dwell time of the at least one bristle / bristle bush in the receiving opening does not increase deformation of the bristle or bristles of a bristle bush egg.

The controller can heat the tool part to such a temperature and control the delivery of the tool part to the bristle holder such that the tool part brings the bristle holder to a temperature in the region of the contact area with the tool part during the feed movement of the tool part to the bristle holder and / or when the bristle holder contacts , which is below the melting temperature of the material of the bristle carrier and, preferably, greater than or equal to the glass transition temperature of the material of the bristle carrier, in particular wherein the control is programmed such that it is the temperature of the tool part in a bristle carrier material with a glass transition temperature of greater than or equal to 300 ° K sets a maximum of 15% above the glass transition temperature in ° K and sets a maximum of 50% above the glass transition temperature in ° K for a bristle carrier material with a glass transition temperature of less than 300 ° K.

Of course, brush bodies or bristle carriers can be supplied in the method according to the invention or the device according to the invention, which are manufactured in the standard one-component or multi-component injection molding method. So handles, or more generally, brush bodies or bristle holders can be used, which are used in toothbrushes that are actually traditionally stuffed with the (metal) anchor technology. Usually, however, these handles / brush bodies / bristle carriers have deeper anchoring openings than is necessary in the method according to the invention.

Multi-component handles or brush bodies or bristle holders have also been used in anchor technology for years, where elastomeric structures are molded onto the head area between the anchoring openings and / or the edge of the brush head. Also on the back of the brush head

BE2017 / 5204 can e.g. B. eiasiomeric tongue cleaner attached and sprayed. All of these possibilities also apply to the method and the device according to the invention.

In anchor technology, these egg-elastomeric structures are attached to the front or back before the bursting takes place. Only in exceptional cases is the egg-elastomeric structure attached after the bursting, which is, however, not common. Mostly, these eiastomeric structures are injected onto a stiffer support structure in a multi-component injection molding tool. Such multi-component tools for toothbrush bodies are very common.

The handles, brush bodies / bristle carriers which are supplied in the method and / or the device according to the invention can be injection-molded without problems using all brush body injection molding techniques and tools known today. The anchoring openings are pre-sprayed using shaped pins that can be round or any cross-sectional shape and that protrude into the injection cavity. These pins can then be pulled out of the cavities after sufficient cooling and / or curing of the injected plastic, for. B. by means of slides before a complete demolding of the injection molded part takes place. The so-called shaped pins can be attached parallel and / or angled to one another in order to consequently produce parallel and / or angled anchoring openings in the injection molded part. In the method and the device according to the invention, pins can typically dip somewhat less deeply into the injection cavities when spraying such parts than when spraying brush bodies or bristle carriers which are to be plugged with the anchor technology. As a result, the anchoring openings are somewhat less deep in the spray lengths. Since these openings are less deep, the total head thickness of the brushes, which are manufactured with the method and the device according to the invention, can be made significantly less than with brush heads, which are stuffed with the anchor technology. This results in a clinical advantage when producing toothbrushes.

The method and the device according to the invention have particular advantages when using clear, i.e. transparent

BE2017 / 5204

Materials for the bristle holder or brush body. Such materials are usually PET, copolyester, SAN, ABS etc. These materials, like bristle holders / brush bodies / handles made of polypropylene, can also have pre-injected anchoring openings and / or can be provided with elastomers (e.g. TPE, TPU) using the multi-component process. After the bristle carriers / brush bodies / handles are then injection molded in the multi-component process, they can be processed further as described above and subsequently using the device, as the invention provides.

In the process sequence for producing the brush, in terms of time and / or space in front of the station with the holder and the tool part, which acts, for example, as a pressing die, an injection station for producing the tuft carrier can be provided, with an injection mold half part with at least one pin protruding into an injection cavity in the injection station, which is immovably attached to the injection mold part or part, possibly a one-piece part thereof, is present. This means that the active slides previously used in injection molding dies are partially or even completely unnecessary. Each pin creates an anchoring opening designed as a blind hole. Valves are not only expensive to manufacture, but also expensive to maintain and repair. Because the bristle or bristle bushes in the device according to the invention are not fixed with an anchor in the bristle carrier that requires a minimum depth for the anchoring opening, anchoring openings with a smaller depth are sufficient to fix the bristle or bristle tufts. It should be emphasized that the spraying station does not necessarily have to be placed spatially next to the station with the holder. Rather, the spray station can be located locally in another manufacturing hall or in a remote manufacturing location, e.g. be in another city so that the bristle carriers e.g. can be made in stock and then transported to another hall or to another manufacturing location in order to be provided with the bristle brushes.

The injection mold part can be formed in the exemplary embodiment by a first part and / or an insert accommodated in the first part. The insert has the pins that protrude from the insert on the front. The insert is displaceable relative to the first part, in a corresponding opening in the first part, which is closed by the insert.

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The device according to the invention has at least one electric motor, preferably a servo motor, for applying the compressive force to the bristle carrier. Electric motors have the advantage that the pressure can be adjusted very easily and that they can be adjusted reliably and easily.

Several electric motors can be provided to apply the compressive force. Furthermore, an electric motor can also apply pressure to a plurality of bristle carriers at the same time by delimiting a plurality of cavities between a tool part and a holder. In order to increase the ejection rate of the device, in particular several electric motors are provided, each of which pressurize a plurality of bristle carriers.

Furthermore, the use of turntables or the like is useful to increase the ejection rate. Depending on the stations in which a longer cycle time is required, for example, several units can be provided.

The device according to the invention should have a control system which is programmed in such a way that, during operation, the tool part is permanently heated to the temperature desired when the pressure is applied to the bristle holder. There are therefore no desired temperature fluctuations during operation, so that there is no heating-up time for the tool part, which would have a negative effect on the cycle rate.

Incidentally, it is expressly pointed out that the advantages and features mentioned above in connection with the method according to the invention can also be applied to the devices according to the invention, individually or in combination, in accordance with the method according to the invention.

It should also be emphasized that the method and the device according to the invention can be used with any brushes, not only with toothbrushes. For example, the method and device can also be used for household brushes, scrubbers, household brooms or brooms of all kinds, dishwashing brushes, toilet brushes, hair brushes, vacuum cleaner brushes, hand washing brushes and brushes of all kinds, for example for painting, painting or nail polishing brushes, face brushes (just like toothbrushes manual or electric brushes ) deploy. The one in the following drawings

The details and variants described in BE2017 / 5204 can therefore also be used for all these brushes.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the following description and from the following drawings, to which reference is made.

in the drawings show:

1a to 1g show different successive steps of the method according to the invention in a perspective top view and a perspective bottom view, which also shows the device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the perspective bottom view of the anchoring station in FIG. 1e,

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view through the anchoring station shown in FIGS. 1e and 1f before the magazine and bristle carrier are moved towards one another,

FIG. 4 shows a corresponding view of the station according to FIG. 3 when the magazine and the bristle carrier are first contacted,

5 shows a corresponding view of the anchoring station according to FIG. 3 after the end of the infeed movement and after the end of the exposure time, immediately before the station is moved apart and opened,

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view through an alternative assembly station,

FIG. 7 shows a sectional view through the anchoring station according to FIG. 3, in which obliquely directed bristle bushes are processed,

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view through a first embodiment of an injection mold and an injection mold half part according to the invention for injection molding a bristle carrier which is used in the method according to the invention and in the device according to the invention,

8a shows an enlarged detail of the area designated X in FIG. 8 according to a first variant,

8b shows an enlarged detail of the area designated X in FIG. 8 according to a second variant,

FIG. 9 shows a front view of a bristle carrier produced in the present invention,

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10 shows another injection mold and another injection mold part according to the invention for injection molding a bristle carrier, which is used in the method according to the invention and in the device according to the invention,

FIG. 11 shows a sectional view through a bristle carrier when bristle tufts and / or individual elastomeric bristles are inserted,

FIG. 12 variants of singular, prefabricated bristles used in the invention,

FIG. 13 variants of the method and the device according to the invention,

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of a bristle carrier produced in an injection mold half part according to the invention for carrying out the method according to the invention,

FIG. 15 shows an enlarged sectional view through the bristle carrier according to FIG. 14,

FIG. 16 shows an enlarged sectional view through the bristle carrier according to FIG. 14 after insertion and before the bristle tufts have been reshaped, the magazine not being shown for the sake of simplicity.

FIG. 17 shows a greatly enlarged Deîaii Schniîtansichî through a tuft of bristles and the surrounding bristle carrier after deforming, differently deformed bristle carriers being shown as variants in the left and in the real half of the drawing, and FIG. 18 shows an enlarged perspective top view of one in one Injection mold halves according to the invention produced bristle carriers according to another variant.

FIG. 1 shows a device for producing brushes, for example toothbrushes. Such a toothbrush is known to have a brush head with tufts of bristles projecting from the front, a shark and a handle. These three sections can merge into one another, they form the so-called brush body, the brush head can either be plugged directly, or it can be made in two parts, with a plate-like bristle holder, which has pre-made blind hole-like anchoring openings after injection molding, this plate-like bristle holder then also with the rest of the head

BE2017 / 5204 is brought together, either by welding, gluing or by injection molding. An alternative to this is that the brush head is made in one piece so that it forms the bristle holder itself.

Such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, the brush head forms the bristle holder 10 at the same time. In this illustration, the bristle holder 10 is at the same time the brush body, because it includes the style, neck and head of the brush. The bristle carrier 10 is a prefabricated, injection-molded part. FIG. 2 shows that the bristle carrier 10 has numerous prefabricated openings 12, produced during injection molding, on its underside, inserted into the bristle tufts and anchored therein. However, the following description can be transferred and read identically to plate-like bristle carriers 10.

The device shown in Figure 1 comprises several stations, namely an assembly station 14, which is shown in Figures 1a and 1b, a melting station 16, which is shown in Figure 1c, and an anchoring station 18 for the bristle tufts, which in Figures 1e and 1f is shown.

All stations are traversed by a magazine 20, also called a tool part, which transports tufts of bristles through the individual stations.

Although a magazine 20 is shown in FIG. 1 with receiving openings for a brush that will be described in more detail later, in practice the magazines 20 are preferably so large that a plurality of adjacent groups of receiving openings for several brushes are formed in the magazine 20. There can also be several rows of groups of receiving openings for several brushes.

The magazine 20 is, for example, a plate-shaped part with a constant thickness, which has an upper, flat end face 22 according to FIG. As an alternative to this, the magazine, which is essentially plate-shaped, has on its flat end face 22 a depression 200 with a bottom 202, which can also be flat, as shown in FIG. 14, around a part of a cavity for receiving the bristle carrier 10 form.

Since the magazine runs through several stations and is then used for the production of further brushes, a magazine circulation operation is in the

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Device available, with numerous identically designed magazines 20 being successively cycled through the individual stations. The magazine 20 is thus a means of transport for tufts of bristles 24 through the device. Alternatively, the magazine can be stationary and the individual stations are clocked around the magazine, for example on a carousel. Several fixed magazines can be processed simultaneously, more precisely the tufts of bristles arranged in the magazines.

The magazine 20 has numerous receiving openings 26 which have a hole pattern which corresponds to the hole pattern of the bristle carrier 10.

Each bristle bush egg 24 consists of a plurality of bristles, which are separated from a bristle supply and, as shown in FIG. 1a, are pushed into the magazine 20, for example by means of pins, as will be explained later. The individual tufts of bristles 24 can be transported in via pipes with compressed air or vacuum.

The bristles are made of a thermoplastic material, in particular PA, PBT, polyester, copolyester or polypropylene, but they can also consist of elastomers. It is also possible to use coextruded bristles, for example with a core made of PA with an elastomer coating. As will be explained later with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, it is also not absolutely necessary that only bristle tufts 24 are used and embedded in the anchoring opening, but only a singular, prefabricated bristle in the form of, for example, an elastomeric cleaning element can be in it Anchoring opening can be used and fixed in accordance with the aforementioned method and described below. Such cleaning elements are injection molded or foamed separately and are softer than the bristle carrier 10.

The bristle tufts 24 have opposite ends and, with their rear ends 28, called fastening ends, protrude somewhat from the magazine 20, that is to say they protrude somewhat from the end face 22. This is shown in Figure 1b.

The magazine 20, which is completely equipped with the bristle tufts 24, is transported laterally into the melting station 16, as shown in FIG. 1c in FIG

BE2017 / 5204 of this station there is a heating device 30 which can be, for example, a plate heater or a hot air heater. The rear ends 28 of the bristle bush egg 24 are heated without contact, so that the individual bristles exceed their melting temperature and the bristles of a tuft flow together to form a thickened fastening end. The bristles of a bristle bush egg 24 are thus connected to one another in one piece. The thickening 32 of a tuft of bristles 24 does not merge into adjacent thickenings of the adjacent bristle tufts 24, but remain spherical or lenticular thickenings. Also, preferably no stamp is pressed against the thickening or the still liquid material of the melted bristle ends.

Several bristle tufts 24 can be anchored in the same bristle carrier 10, at least one bristle tuft 24 consisting of bristles made of a different material with a different melting temperature than the bristles of at least one other bristle tuft 24. The bristle bushes 24, which are made of different bristle materials, are heated to different extents in order to fuse the bristles of a tuft to form a thickened fastening end. This can be implemented in different ways: the distance between the end of the bristle bush 24 facing a heating device 30 and the heating device 30 is set differently depending on the bristle material and / or the heating device 30 is pickled to different temperatures depending on the bristle material and / or different , Heating devices 30 heated to different temperatures, matched to the associated bristle material, are used.

For example, the tufts of bristles are pressed out of the magazine 20 to different extents depending on the bristle material. Those bristle bushes 24 made of more easily melting material remain e.g. closer to the magazine 20 than the others, so that the bristle tufts 24 which are moved further out come closer to the heating device 30 than the others and are therefore heated to a greater extent.

Alternatively, the bristle tufts 24 can also be processed one after the other by using different bristle materials

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Bristle tufts 24 are pushed one by one with their fastening end out of the magazine in order to then get closer to the heating device 30. Either the heating device 30 is then heated to two suitable, different temperatures, or heating devices 30 of different temperatures are used for their respectively associated bristle bushes.

Individual or groups of bristle bushes are pushed out e.g. with a divided base plate 44 (see FIG. 5), the parts of which can be moved independently of one another in the longitudinal direction of the bristles.

The thickenings 32 can optionally be actively cooled while still in the melting station 16 or on the way to the subsequent anchoring station 18 or in the anchoring station 18. This is done, for example, by means of a cold air flow 214 brought in via a fan (see FIG. 1d) or by the station 1d being designed as a cold chamber through which the magazine 20 with the thickenings 32 which are still soft on the back is passed. The cycle time can be increased by cooling the thickenings 32.

The magazine 20 transports the bristle bushes 24 further into the subsequent anchoring station 18. This anchoring station ensures that the bristle bushes 24 are only locked in the anchoring openings 12 of the bristle carrier 10 in a permanently anchorless manner.

The anchoring station 18 comprises at least one holder 34 (preferably a plurality of holders 34) which has a recess 38 on its end face 36 opposite the end face 22 (see FIG. 2) (several recesses in the case of a plurality of bristle carriers 10 to be accommodated) which complement the corresponding shape of the bristle carrier 10 is formed so that it rests flatly with its back on the holder 34 (see also FIG. 14).

The holder 34 itself has a flat end face 36, but towards which the bristle holder 10 protrudes somewhat, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to protrude into the recess 200 in the magazine 20 which is complementary to the region of the front of the bristle holder 10, as is shown, for example, in FIG. 14 .

The magazine 20 can be heated, for example either by a plate heater supplied from the outside, which is laterally connected to the in the anchoring station 18

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Magazine 20 is moved up and, because the magazine 20 is made of metal, can heat it up quickly.

As an alternative to this, a heater, in particular an electrical resistance heater 39, is formed in the magazine 20, which is shown in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 14. The heating coils are indicated symbolically, they are close to the end face 22 or, in the case of a depression 200, close to the bottom 202 of the depression 200, which forms part of the end face 22.

Electrical connection contacts 41, for example sliding contacts on a side surface of the magazine 20, make it possible to electrically couple the magazine 20 when the magazine 20 is being driven into the anchoring station 18 in order to activate the heater 39. Of course, it is also conceivable that the end face 22 including the bottom 202 of the recess 200 itself represents an electrical resistance pickup, so that the end face is heated directly here.

If the magazine 20 is stationary, the electrical connection for the heating can be implemented very easily; it can be permanently formed.

The heater 39 ensures that the entire end face 22, which comes into contact with the bristle carrier 10, is preferably heated, that is to say also the sections between the thickenings 32.

The temperature to which the end face 22 is brought (in the area of contact with the bristle carrier 10) is below the melting temperature of the bristle and / or bristle carrier material, preferably both materials. In particular, it is at most 85% calculated in ° C of the respective melting temperature of these materials. For example, if both materials have a melting temperature of 100 ° C, the temperature of the finally heated magazine 20 on the end face 22 is at most 85 ° C.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view through the anchoring station 18 in FIG. 1e before the magazine 20 and the bristle carrier 10 are moved towards one another.

The thickening 32 has such a dimension, seen in the longitudinal direction A (also referred to as the axial direction or infeed direction), that it is smaller than the corresponding cross section of the anchoring opening 12, so that it also without the inside edge 40 of the anchoring opening 12, the inside 40 of the

BE2017 / 5204

Called anchoring opening delimiting wall, or to contact the inside 40 into which the anchoring opening 12 can be inserted.

In particular, the cylindrical anchoring opening 12 at this point has an excess of at most 0.2 mm, in particular a maximum of 0.15 mm, compared to the largest cross section of the thickening 32 (fastening end). In other words, the lateral dimensions of the thickened fastening end are smaller than the lateral dimensions of the anchoring opening 12 itself in the region of the bottom 208 of the anchoring opening.

The underside of the thickened fastening end 32, with which the tufts of bristles 24 are guided into the anchoring opening 11, is rounded or beveled.

Since, as will be explained later, the at least one anchoring opening is injected. It has an inner side 40 with a draft angle, that is to say the inner side still runs slightly inwards towards the bottom 208.

The permanent, i.e. during the entire operation, the magazine 20 heated to the desired temperature and / or the holder 34 are moved towards one another, in the present case only the holder 34 with the bristle carrier 10 is moved, so that the thickened portion 32 first reaches the anchoring opening 12 before the end face 22 contacts the flat end face and front face 42 of the bristle carrier 10 facing it. During the feed movement, the bristle carrier 10 is hardly heated at all, as long as the bristle carrier 10 is not contacted by the magazine 20, since the feed movement takes place very quickly and there is no dwell time in the open position of the anchoring station 18 shown in FIG. 3.

A base plate 44 (see FIG. 3), on which all of the bristle bushes 24 rest with their front, front, free ends and which forms a support, can serve to align the bristle bushes 24 at their front end and at the same time a distance, if desired is to create between the thickening 32 and the end face 22. The

BE2017 / 5204

Base plate 44 serves as a support for the individual bristles and for the bristle bush 24.

FIG. 4 shows that the end face 22 contacts the front side 42 of the bristle holder 10 and thus heats up the bristle holder 10 on the entire contact surface between the two parts.

The bristle carrier 10 is made of thermoplastic material, in particular of the plastics already mentioned above, such as polypropylene, ABS, PA, PBT, PET or PC.

However, the movement of the holder 34 does not remain in the position of the first contact, which is shown in FIG. 4, because a very high pressure is applied to the bristle carrier 10 via the holder 34 and the magazine 20.

For example, a pressure of at least 200 bar, preferably at least 400 bar, is exerted on the bristle carrier 10 when it moves towards one another. This pressure is applied from the first contact between the bristle carrier 10 and the magazine 20 and remains the same over the contact time (contact time).

This pressure is maintained with simultaneous heating of the bristle carrier 10 over an exposure time of at least 4 seconds, in particular at least 5 seconds and a maximum of 15 seconds, in particular a maximum of 10 seconds.

The exposure time is composed of a holding time and a time period (called the compression time) during the infeed movement, which begins when the front side 42 of the magazine 20 and at the same time the rear side of the bristle carrier 10 are contacted by the holder 34. The compression time ends when the maximum collapsed position is reached and the distance between the holder and tool part is kept constant for the holding time. The hold time is the time in which the infeed movement has ended, i.e. the device is completely closed and the bristle carrier 10 is received in the closed cavity. This holding time is preferably at least 1 second, preferably at least 1.5 seconds and / or a maximum of 3 seconds, in particular a maximum of 2.5 seconds.

BE2017 / 5204

During the compression time, the distance between the holder and the tool part is reduced extremely slowly and at a constant speed. For example, a total compression distance of 0.3 mm can be covered in 3 seconds.

The magazine 20 is preferably further heated during the exposure time, the large mass of the magazine 20 possibly also allowing the additional heating to be stopped after the first heating to the operating temperature. Nevertheless, the bristle carrier 10 would continue to be heated during the exposure time.

The device is moved in particular on a block, ie the holder 34 contacts the section of the end face 22 outside the recess 200 outside the cavity formed by the recess 38 and the recess 200 with an end face 36 (see FIG. 14). There is none in this contact area Gap provided into which material from the cavity could penetrate, rather the cavity is sealed by an annular contact area.

Incidentally, in general, not only limited to the embodiment shown, there is preferably no heating in the contact area between holder 34 and magazine 20, so that the heating is only present and effective in the area of contact between front side 42 and magazine 20.

The parting plane between the holder 34 and the tool part (here magazine 20), which is defined by the end face 36, is preferably closer to the front side 42 than the back side of the bristle carrier 10. To be precise, the parting plane is just or immediately adjacent to a rounded transition between the the side surface 212 connecting the front side 42 and the rear side.

It is advantageous if the support in the form of the base plate 44 is removed at least during the last phase of the application of the compressive force, that is to say at the end of the exposure time, and no longer contacts the bristles. This improves the alignment accuracy of the bristles both with respect to one another and relative to the bristle carrier 10. However, the base plate 44 is preferably removed before the start of the holding time or even before the exposure time, as is shown in FIGS. 3-5

BE2017 / 5204 is symbolic with the arrow Y dargestelii. For example, the base plate 44 is only used in the station c) and optionally d) according to FIG. 1.

However, in order to be able to determine the axial position of the bristle tufts and the individual bristles during the entire exposure time, the cross section of the receiving opening 28 and the cross section of the bristle tuft 24 inserted therein are matched to one another such that the bristle tuft 24 is clamped in the receiving opening 26 and thus axially is securely positioned. The bristle tuft 24 is not displaced by the dead weight or also by the inertia during the movement within the stations and from station to station.

In the example mentioned, the entire flat end face, at least where there is contact with the magazine 20 on the front side 42 of the bristle carrier 10, is heated. If the magazine 20 has a depression 200, it is sufficient and it is advantageous if the heater is only fitted in the area of the bottom 202 of the depression 200. However, after the magazine 20 is usually made of steel, the entire magazine 20 is heated. The temperatures that are set, however, are about bringing the front 42 of the bristle carrier 10 to the desired temperature.

The temperature to which the boron carrier is heated in the area of the front 42 during the exposure time is below the melting temperature of the bristle and / or bristle carrier material, in particular at or lower than 85% of the respective melting temperature, calculated in ° C. This corresponds to this temperature the aforementioned maximum operating temperature of the magazine 20 in the area of the end face 22 or the bottom 202.

As an alternative to this, at least the edge 50 of the anchoring opening 12 can be heated in the region of the front side 42, which forms the region of the wall of the anchoring opening 12 that adjoins the opening to the front side 42.

The temperature to which the bristle carrier 10 is brought at least in the region of the edge 50, preferably in the entire contact region with the magazine, should not only be below or significantly below the melting temperature of the materials, but rather in a region of the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material. With an extremely high pressure, e.g. over 600 bar

BE2017 / 5204 it is possible to heat the bristle carrier 10 in the region of the front side 42, at least in the region of the edge 50, only to a temperature which is above a limit temperature, which is 60% in ° C., in particular 80% in ° C., of the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material is when the bristle carrier material has a gas transition temperature of greater than or equal to 300 ° K. However, this limit temperature is preferably at or slightly above the glass transition temperature. In the case of a bristle carrier material with a glass transition temperature of less than 300 ° K, the heating temperature is at most 50% above the glass transition temperature in ° K.

A further variant provides that the heating of at least the edge 50 of the front 42, in particular the entire contact surface of the bristle carrier 10 in the region of the front 42, is heated to a temperature which is at least 30 ° C. above the ambient temperature, in particular before the inside 40 is heated in the interior of the anchoring opening 12 above the ambient temperature by the magazine 20.

As can be seen in the figures, the magazine 20 has no extensions or the like with which it would protrude into the anchoring opening 12 since it has a flat end face 22 or a flat bottom 202 in the region of the front side 42.

Since the front 42 is also flat and there is no collar or the like in the region of the mouth of the anchoring opening 12, that is to say in the region of the edge 50, as was the case in the prior art, the bristle carrier material becomes applied when pressure and temperature are applied optionally even completely deformed in the area of the front 42. The material wants to dodge and thus moves into the anchoring openings 12 in the area of the mouth and constricts it.

By applying heat and pressure, the entire thickness D and thus the maximum thickness of the bristle carrier 10 in the region of the mouth of the anchoring opening 12 to the front side 42 is permanently reduced. A kind of bulge or constriction is created, which engages behind the thickened fastening end in the pull-out direction and thus secures the bristle tuft 24.

BE2017 / 5204

There is no adhesion between the thickened fastening end and the wall of the anchoring opening 12.

The reshaping of the edge does not have to be extreme. It has been found that, for example in the case of toothbrushes, it is sufficient to reduce the cross section of the anchoring opening 12 with the original width or the original diameter D3 in the region of the edge 218 (see FIG. 5A) only to a width or an inner diameter D1 that the difference in the width or the diameter D2 of the thickest parts of the thickening 32 (in relation to the respective cross-sectional plane) to the width or to the diameter D1 in the region of the edge 218 is only about 0.1-0.5 mm.

It is advantageous if the thickening 32 has an undersize compared to the still undeformed anchoring opening 12 during insertion (i.e. D2 is less than D3).

This idea of inserting the thickening 32 into the anchoring opening 12 in a state that has not yet completely solidified also makes it possible to generally use a thickening 32 which is designed with an excess compared to the cross section of the anchoring opening 12, i.e. D2 larger than D3.

5A shows the space formed by the anchoring opening 12 and delimited to the outside by the narrowed edge 218 for accommodating the thickening 32, just as the thickening 32 is exaggerated in relation to the diameter D1.

The fact is, however, that the entire wall that forms the anchoring opening 12 does not abut the thickening 32 or the external bristles that start from the thickening 32. Rather, the wall is reshaped only in the area of the edge 218 and in an immediately adjacent section 220, which widens outwards in the direction of the bottom 208 and only rests against the bristles or the thickening 32 in these areas and exerts pressure on them out.

However, the thickening should contact the bottom 208 in order to precisely fix the axial position of the bristle tuft.

BE2017 / 5204 in the remaining area, for example between floor 208 and thickening 32 or in the area of the circumference of the wall adjacent to floor 208, there are one or more air gaps 222 between the wall and the outside of thickening 32, so that this does not occur in this area is compressed, jammed and / or deformed.

in the area of the edge 218, the bristle bush ice 24 is compressed by at least 3%, in particular at least 5%, from its state in the magazine 20 by narrowing and constricting the edge 218. The cross-sectional area of the receiving opening in the magazine is compared with the cross-sectional area of the edge 218 at its narrowest point.

All of the anchoring openings 12 are closed simultaneously by the device shown and the corresponding method, and thus anchored in the bristle carrier 10 at the same time as a borsia bush 24.

As can also be seen in FIGS. 5 and 5A, not the entire anchoring opening is reshaped, but only to a certain depth t, which corresponds to a maximum of 85%, in particular 70% of the total depth T of the anchoring opening 12 and / or which has an axial extension of 0.5-1.3 mm, in particular 0.6-1.0 mm. The depth t is measured from the front 42. If the front side 42 is flat, the plane lying on the front side 42 is used as a reference surface. If the front side 42 is concave or convexly curved, an envelope of the front side 42 is formed, from which the depth t is measured.

The thickening 32 itself is preferably clamped in the anchoring opening only in the axial direction over a maximum of 50% of its total axial length. The rest of the clamping takes place in the area of the bristles emanating from the thickening 32.

The wall of the anchoring opening 12 is not deformed over a depth Z (see FIG. 5A) of at least 0.8 mm, starting from the bottom 208 and / or the thickening 32 and also the bristles do not jam in this area.

The depth T of the anchoring opening after the manufacture of the brush is a maximum of 4 mm, in particular a maximum of 2.7 mm.

BE2017 / 5204

All anchoring openings 12 are blind holes, so that the bristle carrier 10 does not have to be covered on the back, since no parts of the bristle bush are visible or protrude on this side.

The anchoring created in this way is the only anchoring for the bristle carriers, no metal anchor or metal wire is necessary.

It should be emphasized in general, this relates not only to the embodiments shown, that the bristle carrier 10 should not be brought close to its melting temperature, but rather far from it to the glass transition temperature. in particular, the heating temperature and thus also the temperature on the magazine 20 in the region of the end face 22 and the bristle carrier 10 should not be higher than 15% above the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material and / or the bristle material.

When using PET, according to a preferred variant of the invention, the front side 42 is heated to a temperature of 75-95 ° C., in particular 80-90 ° C. during the shaping, and to a temperature of 105-125 ° C., in particular 110-120, in the case of PP ° C. The PP is selected in particular so that it has a melt flow index (MFI) of 6-35, preferably 10-15 in the initial state.

An embodiment of the invention provides that the end face 22 and thus the bristle carrier 10 are heated to a temperature of at most 140 ° C., in particular at most 130 ° C., preferably in the range from 100 to 115 ° C. In particular, polypropylene, PET, ABS, copolyester and SAN are used as materials for the bristle carrier.

The rear side 206 of the bristle carrier 10 and the area extending from the rear side 206 to at least the bottom 208 of the anchoring openings 12 (preferably even further towards the front side 42) should not be deformed. In order to move the temperature limit above which a deformation due to the applied pressure would take place as close as possible to the front side 42 of the bristle carrier 10, the holder 34 can be provided with active cooling.

In BE2017 / 5204 in FIG. 3, this cooling is symbolized by cooling channels 210 through which the cooling liquid flows. The cooling channels 210 are connected to a cooling water circuit which pumps cold water through the holder 34, preferably below 20 ° C., in particular even below 10 ° C. The rear side 206 thus becomes a maximum of 25 ° C. warm during the application of the compressive force. The side surface of the bristle carrier 10 which connects the front side 42 and the rear side 206 can also be cooled sufficiently in the holder 34 in order not to be deformed and to remain below the corresponding temperature from which a deformation and deformation would take place.

After the predetermined exposure time, the holder 34 and the magazine 20 are moved apart again, so that the bristle tufts 24 are pulled out of their receiving openings 26. Post-processing in the form of a different shape for the bristle carrier 10 is not necessary.

The moving apart is preferably not carried out in one piece, but rather a resting phase is built into the process of moving apart. For this purpose, the tool part, that is to say magazine 20, and holder 34 are minimally separated from one another, so that there is a small ventilation gap 228 (see FIG. 5A) of greater than or equal to 0.5 mm between the front 42 and the top of the tool part, that is to say magazine 20 results. When the height of this predetermined ventilation gap 228 is reached, the distance for the rest phase, which is at least 1 second, in particular at least 1.5 seconds, preferably remains constant.

In this rest phase, cooling air can optionally also be blown in to the front of the bristle carrier 10 via the ventilation gap 228 in order to cool the front.

During this rest phase, however, the bristles remain in the receiving opening 26, as shown in FIG. 5A. In the rest phase, the deformed area of the anchoring opening stabilizes, so that the bristles of a tuft run parallel to one another and evenly directed.

After the rest phase, the device is moved apart so that the finished bristle holder can be removed.

BE2017 / 5204

In order to precisely control the corresponding movements and temperatures, the device has a control 51, by means of which not only the heating temperature but also the pressure applied and the movement sequences are controlled. The heater 30 can also be controlled via the same controller 51.

if the bristle carrier material is a material such as certain types of poly-propylene, in which the gas transition temperature is not above the ambient temperature, heating of the bristle carrier can be omitted, but this need not necessarily be the case. A minimal heating just above the glass transition temperature can also be advantageous here, but again clearly below the melting temperature. If such bristle carrier materials do not have to or need to be pickled, the anchoring openings 12 are closed exclusively by applying the aforementioned pressure over the aforementioned exposure time. It is possible to use magazines 20 without heating or the same magazines with heating, the heating simply not being activated.

Regardless of the bristle carrier material, the following applies: during the additional movement of the magazine 20 relative to the holder 34 and thus to the bristle carrier 10 (the relative movement of the parts means that one or both of these parts can be moved in the direction of the other part), a pressure and time-controlled feed movement and / or a pressure- and path-controlled feed movement can be advantageous.

In particular, it is advantageous if, in a first phase of the infeed movement, the edge 50 or the entire front side 42 is heated to a temperature which is above a limit temperature. This limit temperature is 60%, in particular 80% below the glass transition temperature of the bristle carrier material, determined in ° C. if the bristle carrier material has a gias transition temperature of over 300 ° K. However, the limit temperature is preferably at a glass transition temperature, at most up to 20% above the glass transition temperature in ° C. In a subsequent second phase of the infeed movement, the edge 50 is then deformed and the edge 50 is pressed against the bristles.

As an alternative to this, the infeed movement takes place at a constant, low speed when the bristle carrier contacts and on the front and back

BE2017 / 5204 is thereby axially compressed, and the magazine 20 and the holder 34 are moved onto one another in a block.

Also in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the material presses in the region of the edge 50 against the bristles in the closed state, so that there is no gap between the bristles and the edge 50.

The magazine 20 can be loaded either directly via a bristle separator, as in FIG. 1a, or via another variant, which is shown in FIG. Here, a cassette 60 with numerous receiving openings is filled with tufts of bristles. The isolated bristle tufts can then also be stored via this cassette until they are finally pressed directly into the magazine 20, for example via movable pins 62.

Alternatively, a deflection plate 64 can also be present between the cassette 60 and the magazine 20, which has slanted transport openings 66 for bristle tufts 24 moved through it. It is also possible to combine several bristle tufts 24 into a larger bristle tuft via converging transport openings 66, as shown on the left in FIG. 6, if, for example, the brush is to contain bristle tufts of different thicknesses. Furthermore, the magazine can of course also have inclined receiving openings 26, because there are brushes in which the tufts of bristles are not perpendicular to the front side 42 and thus cylindrical, but are arranged obliquely to it. Here too, however, the anchoring is as shown in the figures. Alternatively, the anchoring openings 12 for such obliquely directed bristle tufts 24 can of course also be made slightly oblique or conical or conical only in the region of the side of the bristle tuft 24 inclined towards them, as shown in FIG. 7. This means that the receiving opening 26 can have differently inclined edge sections.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 7, an edge section 80 of the anchoring opening 12, which runs obliquely, in particular parallel to the inclined receiving openings 26, and an edge section 81 lying opposite it is provided. In the embodiment shown, the edge section 81 runs perpendicular to the front of the bristle carrier 10. Alternatively, however, it is possible the

BE2017 / 5204

Edge section 81 also also runs obliquely, possibly at a different inclination than the edge section 80, as is shown with broken lines.

The bristle carrier 10 is produced in an injection mold belonging to the device according to the invention in an injection mold, as shown in two variants in FIGS. 8 and 10, with injection mold halves 100 and 102. This spraying station is connected upstream of the previously described station for stuffing the bristle carrier 10 in terms of time and / or space, as previously described. The spray station forms a bristle carrier spray device. The injection mold halves 100 and 102 form between them a cavity 104 into which liquid plastic is injected in order to produce the bristle carrier 10. While the injection mold half 100 was previously provided with pin-shaped, active sliders in injection stations that had protruded through the injection mold half 100 into the cavity 104 and were pulled out before opening the injection mold, this variant provides a much simpler solution. This is because one or more pins 106 of any cross-section are integrally attached to the injection mold half 100 and project freely into the cavity 104. These pins 106 then create the anchoring openings 12. The depth of the anchoring openings 12 is significantly less than in the case of bristle carriers which have been produced to date and which have been stuffed with the anchor technology.

in FIG. 10 it can be seen on the right-hand pin 106 that this can be used to produce oblique openings 12 such as that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in the case of a one-piece injection mold half (see FIG. 10) in which a part covers the entire inside defined in the cavity, the injection mold half is referred to as the injection mold half.

8), on which the extensions sit pins 106, on which they are, for example, attached in one piece. The insert 107 preferably has all of the pins 106 that are necessary for producing anchoring openings 12. After spraying, the insert 107 is pulled down into a recess in the injection mold half for easier removal from the mold, so that the pins 106 are pulled out of the injection-molded anchoring openings 12, which simplifies the subsequent ejection or removal of the bristle carriers 10.

BE2017 / 5204

In this case, the injection mold half 100 comprises a first injection mold half part 101, which defines the entire lower mold half 100 except for the area of the insert. Furthermore, the injection mold half 100 comprises the insert 107, which is received in an opening complementary to the insert 107 in the first part 101 and which forms a second injection mold part. The insert 107 is movably mounted in the direction of the tuft carrier and away from the tuft carrier relative to the first part 101 of the injection mold half 100. There is preferably no gap between the first part 101 and the insert 107, into which the liquid plastic can penetrate.

in FIG. 10 it can be seen from the right extension 106 that this can be used to produce inclined openings 12 such as that shown in FIG. The pin 106 can have at least one edge section running obliquely to the adjustment direction of the insert 107 (see double arrow in FIG. 10).

The insert 107 preferably defines the entire area of the front of the brush head. The insert 107 makes it possible to produce brushes with the same bristle holder 10, but with a different hole pattern and a different pattern of bristle bushes, without great effort.

In the variant according to FIG. 8a, all the pins 106 are integrally formed on the insert 107, which defines an injection mold part. In the variant according to FIG. 8b, the injection mold part is made in several parts, because it comprises a base part 300 with a plurality of holes 302 and inserts 304 inserted into the holes 302. These inserts 304 have a sock! 306, with which they shoot the respective hole in the base 300. The respective pin 106 protrudes from the base 306. This variant is technically simpler.

When producing the bristle carrier 10, it is important that, where necessary, the so-called transition edges 320 (see FIG. 14) between the front side 42 and the inside 40 of the anchoring opening 12 are chamfered.

in FIG. 14 it can be seen that not all transition edges 320 need to have such a bevel 322.

15, the bevels 322 are shown partially enlarged. is in the enlarged views with the hatched

BE2017 / 5204

Surfaces K symbolically represent the material that the transition edge 320 no longer has due to the bevel 322. The continuation of the front side 42, also called the envelope 323, and a line 324, which represents the linear continuation of the inside 40 up to the envelope, are provided as comparison lines.

The bevels 322 can have a different cross section from the anchoring openings 12 to the anchoring opening 12, which are shown, for example, in the enlarged illustration in FIG. 15. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 18, the bevel 322 can have different cross sections along the circumference of the transition edge 320. Here, for example in FIG. 18, a section 330 is chamfered more steeply than a section 332 of the same chamfer 322.

The bevels 322 can extend along the entire circumference of the transition edge or only over a partial area. For example, it can be seen from the anchoring opening 12 'in FIG. 15 that the left side of the transition edge 320 has a bevel 322, whereas the right side has no bevel, so that in this area the inside 40 runs at right angles to the front side 42 and onto it hits to form a sharp transition edge.

If there are different cross-sections in the chamfer 322 along the circumference of the transition edge 320, they can begin at the same axial depth of the anchoring opening 12, measured from the front 42 adjacent to the chamfer 322 or the portion of the front 42 adjacent thereto.

The bevels 322 can be rounded by a curve, in particular a radius or a chamfer, as shown in the two central magnifications in FIG.

The bevel 322 is only at the mouth of the anchoring opening 12, i.e. present in the area of the transition edge 320 and hardly extends into the anchoring opening 12. The bevel 322 extends just once, measured from the front 42 adjacent the bevel 322

BE2017 / 5204 maximum 0.5 mm, in particular maximum 0.35 mm and at least 0.1 mm into the anchoring opening 12.

The radial width of the bevel 322 is in particular at least 0.1 mm and at most 0.5 mm, in particular at most 0.35 mm.

As can be seen from FIG. 15, but also from FIG. 14, even in the case of a very thin web 340, this web 340 projects between adjacent anchoring openings to the front side 42 of the bristle carrier 10 and forms a section thereof. This means that the web extends to the envelope of the front side 42 (if it is convex or concave) or, if this front side 42 is flat, to the level of the front side 42 without projecting beyond it.

Since the anchoring openings 12 and the front side 42, like the bevels 322, are all formed by injection molding, the associated injection mold half part has a bevel 342 complementary to the associated bevel 322 at the transition between pin 106 and bottom surface (end face) of the injection mold half part. The preferred dimensions for bevel 322 above also correspond to the corresponding dimensions for bevel 342.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 8b, the bottom (end face) is also formed in sections by the insert, more precisely in the base 306. The bevel 342 is thus completely formed in the insert 304.

When the bristle tufts 24, 24 'are inserted into the associated anchoring openings, the thickened fastening ends do not contact the bevels 322, because the receiving openings in the magazine 20 are aligned too well with the anchoring openings 12 for this purpose.

When deformed, the bevels 322 form additional buffer spaces or receiving spaces for material which is pressed in and narrows the anchoring opening 12 at its mouth.

In FIG. 16 it can be seen that bristle tufts 24 are inserted at right angles or, like the bristle tuft 24 ′, at an angle to the front side 42. In the case of the oblique tufts of bristles 24 ', the bevel 322 is on the bristle tufts 24'

BE2017 / 5204 near side of the transition edge is larger than on the remaining circumference of the transition edge, in the present case there is no bevel even on the (right) side removed from the bristle tufts 24 and in the remaining part of the circumference there is a bevel 322 on the transition edge 320.

FIG. 17 shows a tuft of bristles 24 that is already anchored in detail.

The corresponding magazine 20 has already deformed the material of the bristle carrier 10 in the region of the front side 42 in FIG. 17, so that the overall thickness of the bristle carrier 10 is reduced.

The material partially closes the anchoring opening 12, like a bottle neck, and can thereby press against the outer tufts of bristles 24 (see left half of FIG. 17) or be slightly removed therefrom (see right half of FIG. 17). However, the material that migrates inward does not get into the gap 350 between the receiving opening in the magazine 20 and the outside of the bristle tuft 24. Thus, no material migrates out of the anchoring opening 12 to protrude from the front 42.

Preferably, as can be seen in FIG. 14, none of the anchoring openings 12 has a projection before the deformation, which protrudes from the front. This means that the entire material with which the anchoring openings 12 are closed must be made available by reducing the thickness between the rear side 206 and the front side 42 of the bristle carrier 10.

FIG. 9 shows different variants of how the bristle carrier 10 can be designed. Not only can circular or oval anchoring openings 12 be provided, but any shape can be designed. For example, elongated openings can be realized, X-shaped, C-shaped or any other designed anchoring openings. These large anchoring openings are equipped with bristle tufts, which are composed of several, isolated bristle tufts, which are connected by melting their ends to form a large bristle tuft. Such large tufts of bristles result in a corresponding wall-shaped bristle structure.

BE2017 / 5204

It should be emphasized that the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention can be used not only with a plurality of bristle tufts, but also only with a bristle tuft, for example for producing a brush, and for fastening only one or only individual bristles in a bristle carrier.

The anchoring openings 12 therefore generally do not necessarily only have to serve for receiving and fixing tufts of bristles; rather, prefabricated, unique bristles of any shape made of any elastomeric plastics can be picked up and fixed exactly as previously described in connection with tufts of bristles. These bristles can have a piatien shape and can be introduced, for example, into the elongated anchoring openings 12 and embedded therein by reshaping the edge of the anchoring openings 12. In the C-shaped anchoring opening 12, for example, a cleaning element with a C-shaped cross section and pre-sprayed is inserted as a singular bristle. In addition, bristle bush egg 24 consisting of numerous bristles 24 'can of course also be inserted into the bristle carrier 10. The singular bristles 24 'can e.g. also be positioned in the middle of a field of bristle tufts 24 or, conversely, surround one or more bristle tufts 24.

It should be emphasized that the above-mentioned features, which were explained on the basis of the bristle bush, can also be used for singular, large bristles. An example is a piatien-shaped bristle which runs obliquely to the bristle carrier 10 and which is inserted into the oblique anchoring opening 12 in FIG. 7 and anchored therein. However, the singular bristle can also have an anchoring end 32, from which the elongate remainder protrudes at an angle, so that it can be inserted into a cylindrical anchoring opening 12 according to FIG. 4, but the bristle extends obliquely outside the anchoring opening 12.

The singular, separately manufactured bristle 24 ″ or bristle 24 ′ is or are preferably fixed simultaneously with the bristle tufts 24 by reshaping the corresponding edges of the anchoring openings 12 in the bristle carrier 10. As an alternative to this, it is possible to carry out several separate, successive forming operations for the different bristles or tufts of bristles

BE2017 / 5204. If necessary, different pressures and / or temperatures can also be applied by the heated tool part (s) because the bristles or bristle bushes are made of different materials.

In addition or as an alternative to the above variants, elastomeric cleaning elements 108 can, for example, be injection molded onto the edge of the bristle carrier 10. These cleaning elements 108 are not prefabricated, but they also protrude from the front of the bristle carrier 10 and are used to massage the gums.

For this purpose, the bristle carrier 10 can have holes at the edge, for example, or only recesses on the edge into which the cleaning elements 108 are injected. Furthermore, as is more and more common with brushes, the back of the bristle holder 10 can be extrusion-coated with a softer plastic.

in the latter case, it makes sense for the cleaning elements 108 to pass into the rear layer made of softer plastic in one piece. As shown in the upper half in FIG. 9, which shows a variant of the lower half, this rear layer made of softer plastic can also form a kind of frame around the harder plastic of the bristle carrier 10, for example to act as a damper.

Another variant is that the bristle carrier 10, here the head of the toothbrush, is coupled to the shark of the brush body via a hinge 110 made of softer plastic.

In general, it applies to all variants that the bristle carrier can be a plate as part of the later brush body or the entire brush body. For example, the bristle carrier can also be a multi-component injection molded part, which then already forms the finished brush body when the bristles are finally embedded. Conversely, however, it is also possible to embed the bristles in a part of the brush body, which then forms the bristle carrier, and to subsequently extrusion-coat this bristled bristle carrier.

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Accordingly, the spraying station can also be designed as a multi-component spraying station, or several spraying stations can be provided, between which the station in which the bristles are anchored is then located.

The cleaning elements 108 and / or the singular, prefabricated bristles made of elastomeric material with a cross-sectional shape preferably extend forwards at least as far as the bristle bushes, but they can also protrude beyond them or be shorter than them.

FIG. 11 shows that not only, as already explained above, bristle bushes 24 with their thickening 32 at the fastening end are inserted into the anchoring opening 12 and anchored therein by reshaping the edge, but that singular, prefabricated bristles 24 '(any shape both in Side view as well as seen in cross section) can be embedded without anchors in the bristle carrier by the aforementioned method and the aforementioned device. The bristles 24 'are injection molded from an egg-elastomeric material, in particular TPE.

The bristles 24 'in their section protruding from the bristle carrier 10 have a greatest wall thickness d (measured in cross section) which is greater than 0.6 mm, in particular greater than 0.9 mm.

Furthermore, the prefabricated bristles 24 ″ may have a thickened fastening end 32 ’, the height of which is less than the depth of the associated anchoring openings 12, so that the inwardly deformed edge engages around the fastening ends 32 ″ in order to achieve a form-fitting holder. The fastening ends 32 'are, for example, flat cylinders, the shape of which is adapted to the shape of the anchoring opening 12. The outer dimensions of the respective fastening end 32 'are, however, matched to the cross section of the anchoring opening 12 such that when inserted, there is a lateral gap between the fastening end 32' and the wall of the anchoring opening 12 before the deformation takes place.

The fastening end 32 'can be made of a different material, in particular a harder material than the rest of the bristle 24'. An example of this would be a fastening end 32 'made of polypropylene. Also, only one core of the bristle 24 ″ can consist of a harder material, which is then covered with a

BE2017 / 5204 softer material is encapsulated. A disk made of harder material would be conceivable, which forms the whole or a core of the fastening end 32 '.

Likewise, according to FIG. 12, the disk 112 forming the core could have an extension 114 integrally molded thereon, which protrudes into the part of the bristle 24 ″ that will lie outside the bristle carrier 10.

The variant of a bristle 24 'shown on the right in FIG. 12 is formed with a fastening end 32' made of a hard plastic and a section 118 molded onto it made of a softer plastic.

The singular bristles 24 'shown in FIG. 12 are tapered, which is not to be understood as restrictive.

FIG. 13 shows a complete device with different stations. It should be emphasized that the device according to the invention does not have to have all of the stations which are explained below.

in particular, all variants and details that were explained with reference to the previous figures, in particular with reference to FIG. 1, can also be implemented individually or in combination in this embodiment, regardless of whether this is e.g. the cooling, ventilation, etc., as well as the aforementioned temperatures, temperature ranges or times and the materials used.

In station A, bristles or tufts of bristles are separated and transported on. The left picture shows a so-called fiber box 120, from which finished bristles, which can be mechanically or chemically sharpened, are removed in tufts by a single bush 122.

These bristle tufts 24 are transported via a transport device to a station B, in which the bristle tufts 24 are then possibly already converted into the final bush geometry and into the hole pattern of the subsequent brush.

For example, the tufts of bristles 24 are pushed into a first intermediate magazine 124, in particular in the form of a plate. Under certain circumstances, the tufts of bristles 24 are then pushed into a further plate 128 via the intermediate magazine 124 by means of a plunger 126, possibly in a softer manner

BE2017 / 5204

Forming or deflection openings 130 or openings 132 for bringing together a plurality of bristle tufts 24 into a common larger bristle tuft or for obliquely aligning bristle tuft 24 are provided.

The tufts of bristles 24 are then pushed further into the magazine 20, the hole geometry of the later brush is then preferably realized in the magazine 20, but this need not necessarily be the case, as will be explained later.

If necessary, however, the plate 128 and / or the intermediate magazine 124 can also be omitted, so that the bristle tufts 24 are transported directly into the magazine 20. All of this depends on the desired final tuft position or tuft geometry and the hole pattern of the finished brush.

The bristle tufts 24 can be transported mechanically via slide or the plunger 126 shown in FIG. 2 into the first intermediate magazine 124 and / or the magazine 20 in station B. In station A, as a further alternative, the second image from the left shows that the individual tufts of bristles are conveyed into the intermediate magazine 124 or the magazine 20 via tubes or hoses 134 in which an overpressure or a negative pressure is applied.

No matter which means of transport is used for the tufts of bristles, they can be fed in one after the other, in groups one after the other or all at the same time and / or inserted into the magazine 20.

A third alternative in station A shows a wound strand 136 of parallel filaments. The strand 136 is wound onto a roll 138 and is continuously unwound from it. The end of the strand 136 is inserted into openings in an intermediate magazine 124 or the magazine 20 and then cut off. After the ends of the strand have been cut off, bristle tufts 24 which have been cut to length are formed, for example by means of a movable X-Y table, on the one hand the coil or the end of the strand accommodated in a movable guide becomes relative to the magazine 20 or intermediate magazine 124 or on the other hand the magazine 20 / intermediate magazine 124 becomes relative moved to the end of the strand so that all openings in the magazine 20 or

BE2017 / 5204

Intermediate magazine 124 are filled in succession. Furthermore, a plurality of coils and strands can also be moved relative to the magazine 20 / intermediate magazine 124. The completely filled magazine 20 or intermediate magazine 124 is then moved out of this station and transported to station B or directly to station C. In station B the shocks hit! 126 the bristle tufts 24 into the magazine 20.

In order to save the X-Y table, strands of several rollers 138 can simultaneously be transported into the individual openings in the magazine 20 or the intermediate magazine 124 and then cut off.

Station C is a so-called professional station. Here the bristle tufts 24 are axially displaced so that the later ends of the tufts with which brushing is carried out lie in one plane or, more generally, end in a predetermined, arbitrary area.

In the illustrated embodiment, a welien shape is specified, which is why a stop plate 140 with a complementary welien shape is spaced from the magazine 20. The bristle tufts 24 are then pressed downwards by a pressure plate 142, which preferably has a shape complementary to the surface of the stop plate 140, until all the ends of the tufts lie against the stop plate 140.

However, station C can also be omitted if the desired profile can already be achieved in station B by suitable plungers 126 of different lengths or of the same length. The two variants can also be mixed with one another by performing a so-called pre-profiling in station B using plungers 126 of different lengths and then fine profiling in station C using the stop plate 140.

Station D is a cutting station in which the rear ends of the bristle tufts are cut off in order to achieve an optimal melting of the tuft ends in the subsequent station. The bristle tufts 24 which may protrude to the rear of the magazine 20 to different degrees are mechanically cut off relatively close to the magazine 20 by means of a knife 144 or thermally with a hot wire 146. If necessary, using a mechanical knife 144

BE2017 / 5204

Magazine 20 also act as a counter knife, in this case the bristle bushes 24 are slid out of the magazine 20 a little after being cut off so that they protrude somewhat from them.

If necessary, station D can be omitted if the ends of the tufts protrude evenly towards the rear of the magazine 20 after station B or C. This is particularly the case if the front tuft ends are to end in one plane.

The protruding section of the bristle bush egg 24 is then melted in the station E, so that all the filaments of a tuft are connected to one another, specifically via the mushroom-shaped, thickened bush egg end that then arises. The thickness of the tuft ends is controlled by the amount of filament material that protrudes from the back of the magazine 20. This also allows the geometry of the tuft end to be divided.

The fusion can take place by means of a heated stamp 148, which can touch the ends of the tufts or can remain at a distance from them, so that the filaments melt through radiant heat (in particular via infrared light). Alternatively, fusion can also be achieved with hot air. It is important that only a single, assigned thickening is always produced for the bristle bushes formed, because only those filaments which are also later to be fixed in the same anchoring opening are to be connected to one another. If necessary, the thickenings 32 can be cooled here, as previously explained.

In the subsequent station F, the bristle tufts with their thickened fastening ends are pushed into the anchoring openings 12 of the bristle carrier 10 and pressed therein, as already explained in detail above. This insertion can take place simultaneously, sequentially or sequentially in groups.

Another alternative is that a deflection plate with corresponding channels is provided, into which the bristle tufts 24 are inserted with their thickened fastening ends in advance, in order then to be pushed further into the anchoring openings of the bristle carrier.

BE2017 / 5204

This variant is offered by sieve if the later hole pattern of the brush or the alignment of the bristle tufts 24 has not yet been fully realized in the magazine.

The aforementioned separately manufactured, singular bristles 24 'can be fed in any station, either to the magazine 20 or only to the bristle carrier 10.

The pressure force is, for example, via at least one drive, e.g. an electric motor 240 (see FIG. 1f) is preferably applied to the holder 34, optionally with the interposition of a gear such as a spindle nut 242. This naturally applies to all embodiments.

The electric motor is in particular a servomotor.

In general, a plurality of bristle carriers 10 can also be deformed simultaneously with one drive in order to hold the at least one bristle or the at least one bristle bush 24 in the anchoring opening. For this purpose, the holder 34 has a plurality of recesses 38 that are complementary to the bristle carrier.

In order to increase the output of finished brushes, several drives are in particular provided side by side, which in turn drive a plurality of brackets 34, which in turn accommodate a plurality of bristle carriers 10.

The control 51 is designed in such a way that the aforementioned method is carried out in the device.

With the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention, bristle bush egg can be anchored in the bristle carrier, which are extremely long and thin. The invention provides bristle carriers with tufts of bristles with a length of more than 8 mm and a width of less than 2 mm, in particular less than 1 mm.

With these large edge lengths, the corresponding edges of the anchoring openings do not necessarily have to be formed the same distance inwards. It has been found that it is sufficient to provide some overhanging edge sections which are deformed further inwards in the direction of the anchoring opening and which alternate with edge sections which are deformed less far inwards.

BE2017 / 5204

Claims (5)

Expectations 1. A method for producing a brush, which has a bristle carrier made of thermoplastic material with a front and a back and at least one anchoring opening, into which at least one bristle made of thermoplastic material with a thickened fastening end is inserted and anchored therein, so that it is anchored by protrudes from the front of the bristle carrier, the at least one anchoring opening being defined by an inside and having an end edge surrounding the anchoring opening on the front, characterized by the following steps: a) the bristle carrier is provided, which has a transition edge to the inside in the region of the front edge, which is chamfered at least in sections over the circumference of the transition edge, the anchoring opening and the transition edge being produced during injection molding of the bristle carrier, b) the at least one bristle is received in the receiving opening of a tool part, c) the at least one bristle is pushed with its thickened fastening end, while it is still seated in the receiving opening, into the anchoring opening formed in the bristle carrier when the bristle carrier is manufactured, d) the distance between the tool part and the bristle holder is reduced, so that the tool part contacts the bristle holder, e) the front of the bristle carrier is brought to a temperature which is below the melting temperature of the bristle material and / or the bristle carrier material, in particular at most 85% in ° C. of the respective melting temperature of the bristle and / or bristle carrier material, f) the tool part exerts a compressive force on the heated bristle carrier and deforms the bristle carrier at least in the region of the front edge surrounding the anchoring opening while reducing the cross section of the anchoring opening in such a way that the at least one bristle is embedded in the anchoring opening and BE2017 / 5204 is anchored, material of the bristle carrier in the region of the edge and the inside being pressed laterally into the anchoring opening and in the region of the transition edge and pressing against the at least one bristle, and g) the distance between the tool part and the bristle carrier is increased, so that the at least one bristle is pulled out of the receiving opening. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the bevel extends along the entire circumference of the transition edge. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the Bevel along the entire circumference of the transition edge Cross section. 4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the Bevel along the circumference of the transition edge has different cross sections. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the bevel along the circumference of the transition edge has different cross sections, which begins at the same axial depth of the anchoring opening, measured from the front of the bristle carrier adjacent to the bevel. 6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bevel in the anchoring opening at a depth of at least 0.1 mm and a maximum of 0.5 mm, in particular a maximum of 0.35 mm, away from the front of the adjacent to the bevel Bristle carrier begins. 7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bevel has a radial width of at least 0.1 mm and at most 0.5 mm, in particular at most 0.35 mm. 8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bevel in cross section is formed at least in sections by a chamfer and / or an arc, in particular a radius. BE2017 / 5204 9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that adjacent anchoring openings are separated between them by a web which is provided with the bevel at least towards one of the anchoring openings, the web projecting up to the front of the bristle carrier and forming a section thereof . 10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front of the bristle carrier is a flat or a convex or concave curved surface. 11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of anchoring openings are provided, at least some anchoring openings each having a bevel and the bevels of anchoring openings are different. 12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one anchoring opening of the bristle carrier in the region of the front edge surrounding the anchoring opening is only reduced in cross section to a maximum of the beginning of the thickened fastening end, in particular to a depth of maximum 1 mm . 13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bristle carrier is compressed so that material of the bristle carrier in the region of the edge and the inside is pressed laterally into the anchoring opening and in the region of the transition edge without passing through the front of the Bristle carrier formed to protrude outwards. 14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thickened fastening end has a rounded or beveled underside, with which it is guided into the anchoring opening in advance. 15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one tufts of bristles inserted with its thickened fastening end ahead into the anchoring opening BE2017 / 5204 indicates that the thickened fastening end does not contact the bevel of the anchoring opening. 16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lateral dimensions of the thickened fastening end are smaller than the lateral dimensions of the respectively associated anchoring opening in the region of the bottom of the anchoring opening. 17. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bristle body is injected together with the at least one anchoring opening and the at least one anchoring opening has an inside with a draft angle for demolding after the injection molding. 18. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bristle or the bristle tuft is inserted obliquely to the front into the anchoring opening and the bevel is formed on the side of the transition edge close to the bristle or bristle tuft larger than on the remaining circumference of the transition edge or that there is no bevel on the side remote from the bristles or tufts of bristles and there is a bevel on the transition edge in the remaining part of the circumference. 19. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the back of the bristle carrier is actively cooled while the compressive force is exerted on the bristle carrier. 20. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bristle carrier has a plurality of anchoring openings and none of the edges of the anchoring openings is equipped with a projection which protrudes from the front of the bristle carrier. 21. Device for producing a brush having at least one bristle or at least one tuft of bristles, which has a bristle carrier with at least one anchoring opening for the at least one bristle or at least one tuft of bristles, for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contraption BE2017 / 5204 comprises a plurality of stations, including an injection station for producing the bristle carrier and a later anchoring station for fastening the at least one bristle in the bristle carrier, an injection mold half part having at least one pin projecting into an injection cavity, which forms a section of the injection mold half part, being present in the injection station and which produces the anchoring opening in the form of a blind hole, the pin projecting from a bottom surface of the injection mold half part and wherein a bevel is formed at the transition from the bottom surface to the pin to form the complementary bevel on the bristle carrier in the region of the transition edge, and that the device is a tool part with at least has a receiving opening for the at least one bristle or the at least one bristle tuft, the receiving opening opening on the end face of the tool part facing the bristle carrier, and wherein Tool part has a heating element which heats at least sections of the end face and which is designed and regulated in such a way that the end face is heated to a temperature of a maximum of 140 ° C., in particular a maximum of 130 ° C. 22. The apparatus according to claim 21, characterized in that the device is designed such that the tool part can apply a pressure of at least 200 bar, in particular at least 400 bar, to the bristle carrier. 23. The device according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that the bevel on the injection mold half part at the transition between the pin and the bottom surface has an axial length of at least 0.1 mm to a maximum of 0.5 mm, in particular a maximum of 0.35 mm, and has a radial width of at least 0.1 mm to a maximum of 0.35 mm. 24. Injection mold half part for the device according to one of claims 21-23 for producing a bristle carrier for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the injection mold half part has at least one pin protruding into an injection cavity, which has a section of the injection mold half forms and which creates the anchoring opening designed as a blind hole, the pin protruding from a bottom surface of the injection mold half part and a bevel being formed at the transition from the bottom surface to the pin to form the complementary bevel on the bristle carrier in the region of the transition edge, BE2017 / 5204 wherein the bevel on the injection mold half part at the transition between the pin and the bottom surface has an axial length of at least 0.1 mm to a maximum of 0.5 mm, in particular a maximum of 0.35 mm, and a radial width of at least 0.1 mm up to a maximum of 0.35 mm. 5 25. Injection mold half part according to claim 24, characterized in that the injection mold half part has an insert produced as a separate component, which projects into a hole in the remaining injection mold half part and protrudes with a free end opposite the front side and thus forms the pin. ^ 2017/5204 BE2017 / 5204 BE2017 / 5204 BE2017 / 5204