EP0625604A1 - Work frame guiding and driving for embroidery machines - Google Patents

Abstract

Embroidery machine with a preferably vertically arranged cloth plane and with fastening elements (cloth shafts (11,12)) arranged horizontally in parallel for the embroidery cloth, a plurality of upper and lower horizontal guides (1, 2) being arranged distributed over the length of the embroidery machine, in each case an upper and a lower horizontal guide being connected by means of vertical connections (3) to form a horizontal-guide element and such horizontal-guide elements being adjusted vertically by a respective positioning drive (4) in guides arranged fixedly relative to the machine. <IMAGE>

Description

The construction and arrangement of the tenter frame in large embroidery machines has long been carried out in essentially the same way for all brands.

The stretching frame is arranged vertically and is gradually positioned vertically / horizontally in order to create the stitch pattern stitch by stitch. The embroidery points with the embroidery tools (needles, boats, drills, ...) are arranged in horizontal rows in constant repeat. Such a clamping frame is formed by an upper, 5 - 22 m long side member, to which two vertical shields are attached to the side, which are connected again below by a simpler side member. In the two side plates there are two pairs of fabric shafts running parallel and over the entire length of the tenter frame. The fabric to be embroidered is wound onto these material waves and stretched between two material waves. Several vertical stenter supports are arranged between the upper and lower side members, which in turn support the long material waves by means of special elements (shaft spoons).

In order to position these up to 22 m long, 3 m high and over 1000 kg heavy stenter with the clamped fabric, the upper side member was moved vertically at two or more points, in the horizontal direction one or both of the side shields were driven. Such designs are evident from CH 652 769 and DE 2155 192.

In order to achieve higher speeds, this form of the stenter would have to be constructed much stiffer, which also increases the mass to be moved. Just one fundamentally different structure can bring a solution. Such an attempt at a solution is shown in OE 64 215. Instead of the upper side member, several horizontally guided and moving side members are arranged, on which the vertically moving stenter supports are guided. However, this solution has several disadvantages and has never been carried out.

The aim of the invention is to reduce the moving masses so much by a new construction that much higher speeds are possible without loss of positioning accuracy. The essential idea of the invention is to arrange all drives where possible, where the corresponding part has to be moved, and thus to drop out as many frame parts and transmission elements that would otherwise have to be moved as part of the total mass.

For vertical movement, it would be advantageous to move the shaft-supporting elements (shaft spoons) directly. Since a large tensile stress has to be applied between the upper and lower fabric waves to tension the fabric, the supporting elements must be kept at a constant distance. If the material-shaft-carrying elements are now attached directly to horizontal supports and the corresponding upper and lower horizontal guides are firmly connected to one another, the result is a horizontal guide element which in turn is moved directly vertically via a drive. Several such parallel and synchronously vertically moving horizontal guide elements can support material shaft pairs of any length and position them vertically without the need for a tenter frame.

This solution also makes it possible to store the fabric shaft ends in a carrier that runs in the horizontal guides.

If such supports are moved horizontally in the horizontal guides by appropriate drives, the horizontal movement is initiated directly in the material waves.

The drives for rotating the fabric shafts, or for winding and tensioning the fabric, can be attached directly to the supports running in the horizontal guides, which means that there is no need for additional transmission links.

With this solution, full use is made of the possibilities of modern, light servo drives, which can be used decentrally and yet precisely synchronized. Both the usual upper and lower side members and the side vertical shields are no longer required. Instead of a heavy, stiff tenter frame, the tenter frame supports and the fabric shafts are moved directly, so that the total mass to be moved is reduced to a fraction of the previously usual mass. Together with the distributed, highly dynamic servo drives, it is thus possible to position large, stretched fabric surfaces in a much faster rhythm.

Fig.1 :

Perspektivische Darstellung zweier Horizontalführungselemente mit horizontalen Verbindungselementen und Stoffwellen;

Fig.2 :

Perspektivische Darstellung der oberen und unteren Stoffwellenlagerung mit Antrieben und vertikaler Stütze.

A possible technical embodiment is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Fig.1:

Perspective representation of two horizontal guide elements with horizontal connecting elements and material waves;

Fig. 2:

Perspective representation of the upper and lower fabric shaft bearings with drives and vertical support.

The invention is based on exploiting the possibilities of modern drive technology in the sense that the attack the corresponding motors as directly as possible on the elements that are to be moved. The technology of the highly dynamic servo motors with electronic regulation / control enables these drives to be arranged decentrally and in parallel as required. The drives for winding and tensioning the fabric are therefore attached directly to the fabric shafts. The drives for horizontal positioning directly move the fabric shaft bearings or their supports. The horizontal guides of these supports are in turn positioned vertically by the corresponding drives.

In the present embodiment, upper horizontal guides (1) and lower horizontal guides (2) are arranged parallel and in alignment in the machine frame. A horizontally displaceable carrier (7) is arranged in each horizontal guide (1, 2), which carries material shaft holders (10) or flanges (14) for the material shaft bearing (17). Since tensile forces occur between the fabric shaft bearings (17) or brackets (10) due to the tensioning of the fabric, fixed connections (3) are arranged between the upper and lower horizontal guides (1, 2), which connect the horizontal guides (1, 2) and so that the material waves (11, 12) keep at a fixed distance.

The connection of an upper horizontal guide (1) and a lower horizontal guide (2) by means of the fixed connection (3) creates a rigid horizontal guide element that is positioned vertically as a whole. For this purpose, fixed vertical guides (6) and vertical spindles (5) are attached to the machine frame (19). A positioning drive (4) drives the spindle (5) directly. In short embroidery machines, two such horizontal guide elements are sufficient to support the upper and lower fabric shafts (11, 12), to stretch the fabric in between and to position the stretched fabric surface vertically. With longer ones Machines can arrange several such horizontal guide elements in parallel and position them synchronously vertically via their drives.

On the supports (7) in the horizontal guides (1, 2), fabric shaft holders (10) are fastened, in which the fabric shafts (11, 12) are rotatably held. Flanges (14) are fastened to the supports (7) in one or in the two end horizontal guide elements. These flanges (14) carry the material shaft bearings (17). Material shaft motors (15) and material shaft gears (16) drive these material shaft bearings (17) in such a way that material is wound up or unwound onto the material shafts, or that the material is stretched by rotating the material shafts in opposite directions. The resulting tension forces are absorbed by the supports (18). Turning the fabric waves in the same direction winds the fabric from the lower to the upper wave or vice versa.

If the two material shafts are rotated in opposite directions, the torque can be measured by known means and thus the material tension can be determined directly. This material tension can be displayed continuously during the tensioning process, or it can be entered as a setpoint in the drive control and thus automatically achieved.

Analogous to the vertical drives, spindles (9) are arranged in the horizontal guides (1, 2) in one or in the two end horizontal guide elements. With the positioning drives (8), the supports (7) are moved horizontally via the spindles (9). The horizontal positioning movement is transmitted to the material shafts (11, 12) via the flanges (14) and the material shaft bearings (17). The synchronization of the upper and lower drives (8) is easily accessible with electronic controls.

The material waves (11, 12) are pressed onto the material shaft holders (10) by the material tension. The resulting frictional engagement moves the corresponding brackets (10) and thus the carriers (7) synchronously when the material waves move horizontally. If this frictional engagement is not sufficient to take it with a slight material tension, each horizontal guide could be equipped with a positioning drive (8). However, a horizontal connection of all supports (7) or brackets (10) and bearings (17) is more cost-effective, so that a synchronous movement of all elements carrying material waves is ensured.

In a further embodiment, the embroidery height or the distance between the upper and lower horizontal guides can be made adjustable. For this purpose, the fixed connections (3) and supports (8) must be adjustable in length or fixable to certain lengths. This can be done by hand or with the help of motorized adjustments and fixations. The material waves (11, 12) or elements replacing them can be fixed at certain intervals. This version is particularly advantageous if the material to be embroidered runs "endlessly" horizontally through the machine step by step. The material waves are replaced by horizontal tensioning and guiding elements. This method of "adjustable embroidery height" allows the embroidery machine to be easily adapted to different widths of fabric. Vertical stretching of the fabric can also be achieved with the same means.

Drawing legend

1

Upper horizontal guides

2nd

Lower horizontal guides

3rd

Fixed connection between the upper and lower horizontal guides

4th

Positioning drive vertical

5

Spindle vertical

6

Vertical guidance

7

Carrier, horizontally movable

8th

Positioning drive horizontally

9

Spindle horizontal

10th

Fabric shaft bracket

11

Upper fabric wave

12th

Lower fabric wave

13

Horizontal fasteners

14

Flange for fabric shaft bearings

15

Material wave motor

16

Material shaft gear

17th

Material shaft bearing

18th

support

19th

Machine frame

Claims (11)

Embroidery machine with preferably a vertically arranged fabric plane and horizontally parallel fastening elements (fabric shafts 11, 12) for the nitrogen, characterized in that several upper and lower horizontal guides (1,2) are arranged over the length of the embroidery machine, each with an upper and lower one Horizontal guidance is connected by vertical connections (3) to form a horizontal guidance element and such HF elements are adjusted vertically by a positioning drive (4) in machine-fixed guides. Embroidery machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical positioning drives of all HF elements are mechanically, hydraulically or electrically / electronically synchronized. Embroidery machine according to claim 1, characterized in that horizontally displaceable supports (7) are arranged in each of the upper and lower horizontal guides, to which bearings (17) or holders (10) for the fabric shafts are fastened. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the horizontal guides (1, 2) arranged on one or both ends of the machine are preferably equipped with a positioning drive (8) such that the horizontal or upper horizontal guides are mounted on them Carrier (7) and thus the material waves (11, 12) with the stretched material can be moved horizontally. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the horizontal drives (8) in the upper and lower horizontal guides (1, 2) are synchronized mechanically, hydraulically or electronically. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in the case of horizontal guides (1, 2) without a horizontal drive (8) only fabric shaft holders (10) are fastened to the supports, these fabric shaft holders and thus the supports (7) in the event of horizontal displacements of the fabric waves can be taken along the horizontal guide by friction between the fabric on the fabric shaft and the fabric shaft support. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the lower and the upper support (7) or fabric shaft holders (10) and bearings are connected horizontally by light connecting elements (13) in such a way that the fabric shaft bearings or supports also Follow the horizontal movements without friction. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1-7, characterized in that on one or both ends of the machine on the upper and lower supports (7) in the corresponding horizontal guides, material shaft bearings (17) are provided which are coupled to drives (15, 16) are through which the material waves can be rotated in the same direction or in opposite directions for winding and unwinding the fabric and for tensioning the same. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the material tension is measured by measuring the torque in the fabric shaft drives (15, 16) and displayed, or a desired preset material tension can be generated. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1-9, characterized in that these upper and lower fabric shaft bearings (17), fabric shaft holders (10) or their supports (7) are firmly connected by a vertical support (18) in order to absorb the fabric tension. Embroidery machine according to one of claims 1-10, characterized in that the vertical connections (3) between the upper and lower horizontal guides (1, 2) and the supports (18) between the upper and lower fabric shaft bearings (17) are variable in length and are fixable, so that any distance between the lower and upper material wave can be set and / or the nitrogen is stretched.

Images