EP0157066A1 - Automatic machine for manufacturing artificial branches and Christmas trees - Google Patents

Abstract

The automatic machine for making the branches and trunks of artificial Christmasristma trees consists of a first head (1) which rotates in the vertical plane and is mounted on a horizontal rail (2). This first head forms a large trunk (30) by helically winding several wires (3) and plastics tape (4) guided by grooved rollers (5). A second head (6) moves to and fro on a horizontal rail (7) running at right angles to the first rail (2). This second head has a pair of grippers (9) and two pairs of blades (11) which cut a continuously fed wire (10) into lengths (10') which are used to form branches attached to the trunk (30).

Description

The invention relates to an automatic machine for continuously manufacturing artificial Christmas trees and branches.

Subject matter experts know that Christmas trees have so far been made by attaching the branches to a cylindrical trunk, usually made of wood or plastic, and that the branches have so far been made by putting them side by side. and by joining one of the ends of a piece of wire twisted in a spiral, with fringes, with an intermediate rod of another piece of wire which seems similar, twisted in a spiral and with fringes.

This mode of operation leads to discontinuous manufacturing and low and not always uniform production.

The main objective of the present invention is to eliminate these drawbacks by proposing a machine for the automatic manufacture and in large number of branches and artificial Christmas trees.

This result was achieved in accordance with the invention by adopting the idea of feeding the pieces for the ramifications transversely to a small fringed cable comprising several threads twisted in a spiral during its formation and to fix them there by their middle zone.

The advantages obtained thanks to the invention consis Essentially, it is possible to continuously fabricate artificial whole branches and Christmas trees with branches of the same length or different lengths, with branches at equal or different distances as well as with unbranched areas; with branches of the same color or different colors; that the machine allows a production far greater than that which can be obtained with the means known to date; that the machine is fully automatic and can be variously programmed; that operation is safe and has high reliability, even after long periods of uninterrupted work.

The machine will be explained below in more time using a drawing which represents only one possible embodiment. The single figure shows a partial overview of the operating means of a machine according to the invention in the operating phase.

• - une première tête 1, tournant rapidement dans un plan vertical et circulant sur un rail 2 rectiligne, horizontal, destinée à tenir par leur extrémité libre et en outre à enrouler en hélice étroite et à tendre, quatre fils métalliques 3 prélevés de quatre bobines correspondantes 31 en combinaison avec un ruban coloré 4 de plastique prélevé d'une bobine 41 correspondante, ces fils 3 formant un cable 30 plus ou moins rigide selon l'épaisseur des fils 3 utilisés : lesdits fils 3 étant réunis et guidés, deux à deux, par deux rouleaux 5 cannelés, parallèles, et superposés à courte distance l'un de l'autre et avec l'interposition dudit ruban4 de manière à permettre, avec la rotation de la tête 1, l'enroulement des fils 3 et leur revêtement par le ruban 4 ;
• - une seconde tête 6 circulant sur un rail rectili gne horizontal 7 , perpendiculaire audit rail 2 et dont le mouvement alternatif est obtenu au moyen d'un système à bielle 8 et manivelle 80 à son tour asservi à un organe moteur 81 ; ladite tête 6 est pourvue de deux pinces 9 placées côte à côte, actionnées alternativement et destinées à tenir par une extrémité et à transférer devant lesdits rouleaux 5 un fil 10 tor du en spirale, à franges, prélevé alternativement à proximité des deux fins de course de la tête 6 et en. suite coupé sur mesure par deux paires de ciseaux 11 correspondantes : lesdits ciseaux 11 étant fixés à deux supports correspondants 12 glissant sur le rail 7 de la tête 6 simultanément et en même temps que la dite tête 6, en phase de fonctionnement, par l'effet de l'accouplement obtenu par une vis 13 passant dans la tête 6 et dans les supports 12 et dont le filetage droit et gauche permet, en outre, de régler à volonté la distance entre les supports 12 et, partant, la distance séparant les ciseaux 11 et , ainsi, de régler la longueur des morceaux 10' ;
• - un double bras 14 avec des extrémités crochues, oscillant sur un pivot parallèle au rail 7 de la tête 6, de et vers lesdits rouleaux 5, de la partie opposée au morceau 10' et avec pour fonction de presser le morceau 10' entre les rouleaux 5 de sorte qu'il reste, avec sa zone médiane, pris entre les fils 3 qui, par leur torsion, le bloquent ensuite avec une inclinaison perpendiculaire au cable 30.

In accordance with the present invention and with reference to the single figure in the attached drawing, an automatic machine for the manufacture of artificial Christmas trees and branches comprises:

• - A first head 1, rotating rapidly in a vertical plane and circulating on a rectilinear, horizontal rail 2, intended to hold by their free end and further to wind in a narrow helix and to stretch, four metal wires 3 taken from four corresponding coils 31 in combination with a colored ribbon 4 of plastic taken from a reel 41 corresponding, these wires 3 forming a more or less rigid cable 30 depending on the thickness of the wires 3 used: said wires 3 being joined and guided, two by two, by two grooved rollers 5, parallel, and superimposed at a short distance one on the other and with the interposition of said ribbon 4 so as to allow, with the rotation of the head 1, the winding of the wires 3 and their coating by the ribbon 4;
• - A second head 6 circulating on a rectilinear horizontal rail 7, perpendicular to said rail 2 and whose reciprocating movement is obtained by means of a connecting rod system 8 and crank 80 in turn controlled by a motor member 81; said head 6 is provided with two clamps 9 placed side by side, actuated alternately and intended to hold by one end and to transfer in front of said rollers 5 a wire 10 tor of the spiral, with fringes, taken alternately near the two limit switches of head 6 and in. continuation cut to measure by two pairs of corresponding scissors 11: said scissors 11 being fixed to two corresponding supports 12 sliding on the rail 7 of the head 6 simultaneously and at the same time as said head 6, in operating phase, by the effect of the coupling obtained by a screw 13 passing through the head 6 and into the supports 12 and the right and left threads of which also makes it possible to adjust the distance between the supports 12 as desired, and hence the distance separating the scissors 11 and thus adjust the length of the pieces 10 ';
• - a double arm 14 with hooked ends, oscillating on a pivot parallel to the rail 7 of the head 6, from and towards said rollers 5, from the part opposite to the piece 10 'and with the function of press the piece 10 'between the rollers 5 so that it remains, with its median zone, caught between the wires 3 which, by their twist, then block it with an inclination perpendicular to the cable 30.

The operation is as follows. Once the constant length of the ramifications 10 ′ of the trunk 30 has been established, action is taken on the screw 13 with the machine stopped to adjust the corresponding distance between the scissors 11; then, while the head 1 provides for the formation of the trunk 30, the head 6 takes care to take, with one of the pliers 9 at a time, alternately one of the two wires 10 twisted in a spiral, with fringes, continuous, coming from 1 and B, and to transfer it to the zone C at the start of formation of the cable 30; and there, hardly one of those pairs of scissors 11 has cut a piece 10 ', the arm 14 with hooks carries the latter between the rollers 5 at the outlet of which the wires 3, as a result of their rolling in a narrow helix, the tighten in its central area with the two parts of the piece inclined at 90 ° to the axis of the cable 30. It is planned to turn the screw 13 in one direction and in the other, even with the machine in operation, in the purpose of modifying, for example gradually decreasing, the length of the ramifications 10 'of the same portion of cable 30 corresponding to a tree of similar height, and this to allow better imitation of natural trees which have branches always shorter as you approach the summit; similarly, it is possible to alter the symmetry of the ramifications. It is also planned to deactivate one of the clamps 9 or both for a certain time in order to obtain portions of trunk 30 with ramifica more distant or without ramifications.

In addition it is expected that the two sons. 10 twisted in spiral with fringes are of a number greater than two, that is to say more than one for each zone (A) (B) of feeding, each clamp 9 being able to take more than one wire in same time; and said threads 10 in spiral, with fringes, having the advantage of being able to be of the same color or of different colors.

Claims (7)

1) Automatic machine for the manufacture of branches and artificial Christmas trees characterized by the fact that it comprises: a first head 1 rotating in a vertical plane and also movable on a rectilinear rail 2, tal horizon, to form a large trunk 30, by winding in a narrow helix several metallic wires 3 and at least one plastic ribbon 4 , coming out of two fluted rollers 5, close together and superimposed; - a second reciprocating head 6 on a horizontal rail 7 perpendicular to the rail 2 of the head 1 and provided with two independent clamps 9 placed side by side and two pairs of scissors 11 placed on either side of the head for transferring into the zone situated in front of said rollers 5 at least one wire 10 twisted in a spiral, with fringes, the pieces 10 'of which cut alternately by scissors 11 are intended to form the ramifications of the trunk 30; an arm 14 oscillating rapidly around an axis parallel to the rail 7, opposite said rollers 5 and the part opposite to the piece 10 ′ for depositing it between the rollers 5 and ensuring that it is taken up by the wires 3 immediately before their winding in a narrow helix. 2) Machine according to claim 1) characterized in that the supports 12 of the scissors 11 of said head 6 are interconnected and with the head 6 by means of a screw 13 left-right whose rotation in one direction or in the other determines whether the machine is stopped or in motion, brings it closer or further away from the scissors 11 and thus determines - respectively - a smaller or greater length of the piece 10 '. 3) Machine according to claim 1) characterized in that the two clamps 9 of said head 6 are actuated separately and alternately. 4) Machine according to claim 1) characterized in that the two pairs of scissors 11 of said head 6 are actuated separately and alternately. 5) Machine according to claim 1) characterized in that said head 6 is controlled by a rod system 8 and crank 80. 6) Machine according to claim 1) characterized in that the pieces 10 'are obtained alternately from at least two separate son twisted in a spiral 10, with fringes, continuous, coming from two zones (A) (B) located in correspondence with the head limit switches 6. 7) Machine according to claim 1) characterized in that the son 10 twisted in a spiral with fringes are of identical color or different colors.

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