GB2110079A

GB2110079A - Brush making machines

Info

Publication number: GB2110079A
Application number: GB08233272A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Klaus Muschelknautz; Walter Steinebrunner; Heinz Zahoransky
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-11-21
Filing date: 1982-11-22
Publication date: 1983-06-15
Also published as: DE3146183A1; GB2110079B; BE894960A

Abstract

A brush-making machine has a twin filling machine with two filling tools or two individual filling machines provided in the vicinity of a transporting device. A transfer apparatus 10, provided for delivering the filled brushes 9 to the transporting device 11, is arranged and constructed so as to reduce the lateral spacing between the filled brushes 9. For example, the brush gripping means 14 arranged side by side on the transfer apparatus 10 are mounted so as to be movable relative to one another into the receiving position or delivery position. In the case of individual filling machines (not shown), the fact that these machines are arranged side by side at a spacing from one another automatically results in a large spacing between the individual brush bodies, and this is also reduced by the transfer apparatus according to the invention to give the required small lateral spacing between brushes which are to be machined simultaneously. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFiCATION Brush-making machine The invention relates to a brush-making machine with at least two filling tools and one or more finishing machines or the like and transporting means provided between the filling stations and the finishing stations.

In brush-making machines of this kind, there is the problem that the brush bodies arranged side by side for simultaneous filling must be at a comparatively large lateral spacing from one another, in order to provide sufficient room for the filling tools and particularly for the supply means for the tufts of bristles. On the other hand, it is an advantage with the finishing machines if a plurality of brushes arranged side by side can be machined virtually simultaneoulsy. However, to achieve this, it is essential to keep the lateral spacing of the brushes as small as possible, so as to require only a small operating stroke in the finishing machines.

The aim of this invention is therefore to provide a brush-making machine of the kind described hereinbefore, wherein the arrangement of the brush bodies or brushes being machined is such that they are in a substantially optimal arrangement both for the filling process and also for the finishing operations, particularly shearing, polishing, cleaning and the like. In particular, the construction of the finishing machines and the arrangement of the filling tools should also be simplified.

To solve this problem, it is particularly proposed, according to the invention, that between the filling tools and the transporting and other finishing apparatus there is provided a transfer apparatus which is arranged or constructed relative to the workpiece holders of the filling station and the workpiece holders of the transporting or other finishing apparatus in such a way as to adapt to different spacings between adjacent workpiece holders in the filling station, on the one hand, and the transporting device or the like, on the other hand. With a transfer apparatus of this kind, it is then possible to adapt the relative positions of the brushes to one another, during the transfer operation, for example.

Preferably, the filling machine is in the form of a drum machine and has four operating sides each with two workpiece holders arranged in pairs. With a filling machine of this kind, it is readily possible to provide several filling tools and, by rotation of the drum, it is also readily possible to transfer the brushes to the transfer apparatus at a suitable point.

In one embodiment of a filling machine in the form of a drum machine, the transfer apparatus is pivotable, at right angles to the drum axis, out of its receiving position into the delivery position. In this way, a certain distance between the filling machine and the transporting device for finishing machine can easily be bridged. According to an appropriate embodiment of the invention, the brush gripping means arranged side by side on the transfer apparatus are mounted so as to be movable relative to one another in the receiving position or delivery position and preferably engage on the handle of the brush body. The brush gripping means and hence also the brushes held by them can thus be moved laterally into the required position relative to one another.

Preferably, lifting cylinders are provided as the drive for the lateral displacement of the gripping means arranged side by side on the transfer apparatus and preferably also for the pivoting of the transfer apparatus. By being driectly mounted, lifting cylinders of this kind simplify the construction of the transfer apparatus. According to a feature of the invention for which independent protection is claimed, at least two filling machines each with one filling tool are arranged side by side, adjacent to the transporting device. Simiiarly to a drum machine which has two filling tools operating in parallel, two individual filling machines can also be adapted to the operating speed of the finishing machines, which is higher than that of a filling machine, so that a substantially continuous operating sequence is obtained within the processing cycle for a brush.A further advantage of using two individual filling machines is that, in the event of a fault in the filling area, only one machine need be switched off, whilst the other filling machine can carry on. Thus, there is merely a reduction in output, but not a standstill.

If at least two individual filling machines are used, it is proposed according to the invention that the brush gripping means of the transfer apparatus should be pivotable from the filling machines to the transporting device or the like, the distance between the pivot bearings of adjacent transfer apparatus corresponding to the distance between the outermost workpiece holders belonging to adjacent sets of workpiece holders on the transporting device.

This arrangement of the individual transfer apparatus in turn permits the desired positional adjustment of the brushes, whilst these brushes, having been delivered by the delivery means from several filling machines, are again arranged at the small lateral spacing which is favourable for further processing. The transporting device appropriately as a conveyor belt equipped at intervals with sets of workpiece holders, this conveyor belt being arranged substantially parallel to the transfer apparatus of adjacent filling machines, whilst the pivoting movement of the transfer apparatus about their pivot axes is about 90 . Then, within the sets of workpiece holders, the individual workpiece holders are arranged at the desired small lateral spacings from one another.

Preferably, the brush gripping means of the transfer apparatus are movable in the longitudinal direction of the brush bodies clamped therein, for the purpose of delivering the brush bodies. In this way, the brushes can be delivered in the longitudinal direction to workpiece holders belonging to the transporting device or a finishing machine. It is advantageous if the workpiece holders of the transporting device have rigid sliding jaws with a conically convergent receiving aperture between them. As a result of the transfer movement in the longitudinal direction from the transfer apparatus, the brush bodies are received by the fixed sliding jaws and are clamped in place by the movement of insertion.

The invention also relates to a process for producing, more particularly for filling and finishing, brushes, wherein generally two brushes are filled simultaneously by means of the machine according to the invention. This process is particularly characterised in that the lateral spacings between two simultaneously filled brush bodies, where two brushes are to be further processed accordingly, are reduced.

The advantages achieved in this way will become apparent from what has already been said in connection with the apparatus claims.

In particular, this ensures, on the one hand, that there is sufficient room for brush bodies to be filled simultaneously and also, during further processing, the adjacent brushes are at a smaller spacing so that finishing can be carried out at less expense and also more rapidly.

Some additional embodiments of the invention are recited in the other subsidiary claims.

In order that the invention may be readily understood certain embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 a side view of a brush-making machine with filling machine, transfer apparatus and transporting device, Figure 2 a plan view of a transfer apparatus with a transporting device (partly shown) arranged laterally thereof, Figure 3 a side view of a transporting device with a plurality of finishing stations, Figure 4 a plan view of a modified embodiment of a brush-making machine with two individual filling machines and a transporting device, Figure 5 a side view of the transporting device which is also shown in Fig. 4, in the form of a conveyor belt, Figure 6 a side view corresponding substantially to Fig. 1, except with a differently arranged and constructed transfer apparatus and a transporting device, and Figure 7 a view corresponding substantially to Fig. 6, but with workpiece holders differently mounted on the transporting device.

A brush-making machine 1 (Fig. 1) has a filling machine 2 with two filling tools 3 which operate simultaneously and in parallel to provide brush bodies 4 clamped side by side with tufts of bristles and thus fill them.

The filling machine 2 is in the form of a drum machine and has four operating sides 5 each with two workpiece holders 6, arranged in pairs, for brush bodies 4. In the case of the drum-type filling machine shown in Fig. 1, the brush bodies are supplied from above through a double magazine 7. The brush bodies 4 supplied at this point are then transported in front of the filling tools 3 by a rotation of the drum 8 (arrow Pf 1). In order to provide sufficient space for this rotation in the region of the magazine 7, this magazine 7 is mounted so as to be capable of being raised or lowered in the direction of the double arrow Pf 2. After the brush bodies 4 have been filled, the drum 8 again rotates through about 90 so that the brushes 9 are then in the delivery position at the bottom of the drum 8.Below the drum 8 there is a transfer apparatus 10 by means of which the brushes 9 can be picked up and then passed on for further treatment. The transfer apparatus 10, which is shown only by broken lines in Fig. 1, is thus mounted between the filling machine 2 and a finishing apparatus or a transporting device 11. The pivot axis 1 2 of the transfer apparatus 10 is arranged at right angles to the axis 1 3 of the drum.

The brushes taken from the workpiece holders 6 of the drum by the brush gripping means 1 4 of the transfer apparatus 10 are thus pivoted laterally out of the range of the filling machine and, in the embodiment by way of example, are pushed into the workpiece holders 1 5 of a transporting device 11.

As the brushes 9 are transferred from the filling machine 2, the brush gripping means 1 4 grip the brushes on their handles, preferably in the central region, so that the head of the brush remains free. This is clearly shown in Fig. 2. The brush gripping means 14 could also be rotated through 90 , in which case they would grip the flat sides of the brush handles.

The brush gripping means 14 are movable longitudinally of the brushes 9 which they grip, in a manner not shown in detail here.

Then, at least during the pivoting of the transfer apparatus 10, they are in a position in which the clamped brushes 9 can be moved past the workpiece holders 1 5 of the transporting device 11 at their head end 16.

In the end position of pivoting in which the brush gripping means 14 and workpiece holders 1 5 are aligned with one another, the brush gripping means 14 are then moved longitudinally (arrow Pf 5) so that the brushes may be inserted into the workpiece holders 1 5. The workpiece holders 1 5 are appropriately in the form of rigid sliding jaws by means of which the brushes are fixed in position solely by being inserted in the longitudinal direction without any movement of the workpiece holders 1 5 themselves. For this reason the workpiece holders 1 5 have conically convergent receiving apertures.

An essential feature of the invention is that the brush gripping means 14 arranged side by side on the transfer apparatus 10 are mounted so as to be laterally movable relative to one another. Fig. 2 also shows the receiv ing position, whilst the spacing a of the brushes 9 still corresponds to the spacing of the workpiece holders 6 on the filling machine 2.In the embodiment by way of example, the right-hand brush gripping means 14 is rigidly mounted on the pivot arm 1 8 of the transfer apparatus 10, whilst the left-hand brush gripping means 14 is mounted so as to be laterally movable and is connected to a lifting cylinder 1 7. By actuation of the lifting cylinder 1 7 the left-hand brush gripping means 14 can be moved up to the right-hand brush gripping means, this lateral movement (arrow Pf 6) being continued until the lateral spacing of the brushes 9 corresponds to the lateral spacing b of the workpiece holders 1 5 of the transporting device 11.This movement of lateral displacement, for adapting the position of the brush bodies clamped side by side to the smaller spacings of the workpiece holders in the transporting device 11, may usefully be effected during the pivoting movement of the transfer apparatus 10 so as to avoid any time delay.

For the longitudinal movement of extraction of the brushes 9 from the workpiece holders 6 of the filling machine 2 and for the movement of insertion into the workpiece holders 1 5 of the transporting device 11 there is also provided a lifting cylinder 19 (shown in Fig. 2).

It should also be mentioned that the spacing of the pivot bearing 1 2 of the transfer apparatus 10 from the delivery point of the brush gripping means 1 4 is adapted to or capable of being adapted to the spacing between the filling machine 2 and the transporting device 11 or other further processing apparatus. By using a pivot arm 1 8 of variable length it is readily possible to adapt the transfer apparatus 10 to the spatial arrangement of the filling machine and transporting device or other further processing machine.

If necessary, the movement of lateral displacement of the brush gripping means 1 4 could also be derived from the pivoting movement of the transfer apparatus, e.g. by means of cams and/or stop elements.

Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment of a brush-making machine 1 a which has two individual filling machines 2a. These filling machines 2a are also constructed as drum-type machines with a drum 8. Underneath this drum 8 there is a transfer apparatus 10a with a brush gripping member 1 4. The two filling machines 2a are mounted side by side adja cent to the transporting device 11. The trans fer apparatus 1 0a are also pivotally mounted about pivot axes 1 2a so that they can be brought into the receiving position (Fig. 4) and the delivery position. The spacing of the pivot bearings 1 2a of the two adjacent trans fer apparatus 1 0a corresponds to the spacing of the two outermost workpiece holders 1 5 belonging to adjacent sets of workpiece hol ders 20.The brushes 9 clamped in the work piece holders 1 5 are transported to finishing machines by means of the conveyor belt 21 which forms the transporting device 11 in this case. These finishing machines are mounted in the path of the conveyor belt 21, as shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 4 and 5 show that the brushes 9 arriving from the filling machines 2a are carried on the lower run of the conveyor belt 21, held by the workpiece holders 1 5. The transporting movement of the conveyor belt 21 is preferably designed to occur intermit tently from one set of workpiece holders 20 to the next. The direction of travel is indicated by the arrow Pf 3 in Fig. 5. The finishing machines shown in Fig. 3 may then be ar ranged in the path of the upper run 22 of the conveyor belt 21 (Fig. 5).

These finishing machines may include, in particular, in the sequence of machining oper ations, a shearing apparatus 23 for the bristles, a polishing or grinding apparatus 24 for rounding off the ends of the bristles and a cleaning apparatus 25 for removing any bris tle ends cut off or any particles produced by grinding; if desired, these may be followed by further finishing machines and a packaging apparatus (Fig. 3).

Both with the brush-making machine 1 with a twin filling machine 2 and also with the brush-making machine 1a with two individual filling machines 2a, the transfer apparatus 10, 1 Oa provides the desired adaption of the lateral spacing between the brush bodies which are mounted side by side and ma chined simultaneously, both for the filling operation and also for the subsequent machin ing.

Fig. 3 also clearly shows that the lateral spacing between the adjacent brushes 9 should be as small as possible in the region of the finishing machine. In fact, this lateral spacing determines both the independent lateral movement (double arrow Pf 4) and also the dimensions of the machining tools (polish ing apparatus 24). The smaller the lateral spacing of the brushes 9, the smaller the machining movement required of the machin ing apparatus.

In the case of the brush-making machine 1 a shown in Fig. 4 it should also be pointed out that the transfer apparatus 1 0a of the up stream filling machine 2a, is intended for filling the upstream workpiece holder 1 5 within a set 20, whilst the downstream trans fer apparatus 1 0a serves to fill the downstream workpiece holder 1 5 belonging to a set 20. This prevents the apparatus from obstructing one another. Advantageously, the two filling machines 2a have common drives which may optionally be selectively coupled.

This ensures that they operate substantially in phase in normal operation. However, if there is a fault in one machine, this machine can be disconnected so that the other filling machine can carry on operating. After the fault has been corrected, the second machine is reconnected. It should also be mentioned that more than two individual filling machines may also be provided along a transporting device.

A modified embodiment of a brush-making machine 1b is shown in Figs. 6 and 7; in this case, the transfer apparatus 1 0b is mounted between the filling machine 2 and the transporting device 11 a. This transfer apparatus lOb is constructed so that it pivots through an angle of about 180 during the transfer movement. Similarly to Figs. 3 to 5, the workpiece holders 1 5 in Fig. 6 are arranged in adjacent sets of workpiece holders on the conveyor belt 21. The spacing c of the brush gripping means 14 arranged side by side on the transfer apparatus 1 Ob is unalterably set to the lateral spacing of the workpiece holders 6 on the drum 8 of the filling machine.The arrangement and spacings of the sets 20 of workpiece holders on the conveyor belt 21 are such that this spacing c of the brush gripping means corresponds to the spacing f of workpiece holders 1 5 belonging to different sets 20 and facing one another on the conveyor belt 21. Thus two sets 20 of workpiece holders 1 5 are each simultaneously supplied with one brush 9. The upstream workpiece holder 1 5, of the upstream set 20 which has already been fitted with one brush is then, after a movement of advance of the conveyor belt 21, supplied by the second brush gripping means 14 during a subsequent feed movement.The stroke of the transporting movement corresponds to the spacing c of the brush gripping means plus a spacing d between adjacent workpiece holders 1 5 belonging to one set 20 of workpiece holders. This in turn results in different spacings between, on the one hand, the brushes which are to be machined simultaneously in the filling machine (spacing c), and on the other hand, those in the finishing operations (spacing d, where d < c).

In the machine shown in Fig. 7, the workpiece holders 1 5 are arranged close together consecutively, side by side, at the same spacings, on the conveyor belt 21. In this arrangement, the spacing c of the brush gripping means of the transfer apparatus 1 Ob corresponds to an integral multiple of the spacing e between adjacent workpiece holders 1 5 arranged in the progressive series. In the embodiment by way of example, the spacing c of the gripping means is three times the spacing e between adjacent workpiece holders 1 5 on the conveyor belt 21. Accordingly, the transporting movement of the conveyor belt 21 is such that, on each movement of advance, this belt travels a distance corresponding to twice the spacing e between adjacent workpiece holders 1 5 on the transporting device.In this way, too, the relative arrangement of the workpiece 6, 1 5 and brush gripping means 14 relative to one another results in a change in the relative position of the brush bodies to one another (e < c).

It should also be mentioned that the brush gripping means 1 4 of the transfer apparatus 1 Ob can perform longitudinal lifting movements during the transfer or delivery.

The reduction in the lateral spacing between two brushes bodies which have been filled simultaneously ready for further processing can be achieved in different ways using the same basic principle. On the one hand, this may be achieved by taking the adjacent brushes after they have been filled, reducing their lateral spacing and subsequently passing them on to the transporting device for further processing, as shown in Fig. 2 in particular.

Another possibility is to take the adjacent brushes after filling and pass them on for further processing, initially without altering their lateral spacing, to the conveyor belt 21 in particular, and then reducing the lateral spacing between adjacent brushes 9 by means of at least one further transporting movement of the conveyor belt 21 and at least one further transfer movement by the transfer apparatus 1 0a or 1 0b. Thus, in the latter case, the gaps or larger spacings occurring between inserted brushes 9 on the conveyor belt 21 after a first transfer are closed up by the introduction of additional brushes by additional transfer movements, so that adjacent brushes are again at a spacing smaller than the spacing during the filling operation.

All the features in the specification, claims and drawings may be essential to the invention both individually and in any desired combination with one another.

Claims

1. Brush-making machine with at least two filling tools and one or more finishing machines or the like and a brush transporting device provided between the filling stations and the finishing stations, wherein between the filling tools and the transporting or other finishing apparatus there is provided a transfer apparatus which is arranged or constructed relative to the workpiece holders of the filling station and the workpiece holders of the transporting or other finishing apparatus in such a way as to adapt to different spacings between adjacent workpiece holders in the filling station, on the one hand, and the transporting device or the like, on the other hand.

2. Machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a filling machine is provided, having at least two filling tools operating in phase, and two workpiece holders are provided substantially paralllel and side by side on each operating side of the filling machine.

3. Machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the filling machine is constructed as a drum machine and has four working sides each with two workpiece holders arranged in pairs.

4. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, including a filling machine in the form of a drum machine, wherein the transfer apparatus is pivotable at right angles to the drum axis out of its receiving position into its delivery position.

5. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the brush gripping means arranged side by side on the transfer apparatus are mounted so as to be movable relative to one another into the receiving position and delivery position and engage on the brush handle of the brush body.

6. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the spacing of the pivot bearing of the transfer appratus from the delivery point of the brush gripping means is matched to or capable of being matched to the spacing between the filling machine and the like and the transporting device or the like.

7. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein lifting cylinders are provided as the drive for the lateral displacement of the brush gripping means provided side by side on the transfer apparatus and also for the pivoting and longitudinal movement of the transfer apparatus.

8. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the movement of lateral displacement of the brush gripping means is derived from the pivoting movement of the transfer apparatus via cams and/or stop elements.

9. Machine, as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least two filling machines each with a filling tool are arranged side by side, adjacent to the transporting device.

10. Machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein the brush gripping means of the transfer apparatus can be pivoted from the filling machines to the transporting device or the like, the spacing of the pivot bearings of adjacent transfer apparatus corresponding to the spacing of the outermost workpiece holders belonging to adjacent sets of workpiece holders on the transporting apparatus.

11. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the transporting device comprises a conveyor belt provided at intervals with sets of workpiece holders, this belt being mounted substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum or drums of the adjacent filling machine or machines and the pivoting movement of the transfer apparatus about the pivot axis or axes thereof is about 90 , for example.

1 2. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the finishing machines and the like are arranged in the path of the conveyor belt or the like.

1 3. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the filling tools and possibly also the individual filling machines have common drives which may optionally be selectively coupled.

14. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the brush gripping means of the transfer apparatus are movable in the longitudinal direction of the brushes clamped therein for the purpose of transferring these brush bodies.

1 5. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the workpiece holders of the transporting device have rigid sliding jaws with a conically convergent receiving aperture between them.

1 6. Machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the transfer apparatus is mounted between the filling machine and the transporting device or the like and the movement of transfer extends through an angle of about 180 .

1 7. Machine as claimed in 16, wherein the spacing between the brush gripping means mounted side by side on the transfer apparatus corresponds to an integral multiple of, e.g. three times, the spacing between adjacent workpiece holders on the transporting device and workpiece holders are arranged close together consecutively, side by side, at equal spacings on the transporting device.

1 8. Machine as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spacing between the brush gripping means on the transfer apparatus corresponds to the spacing of facing workpiece holder belonging to different sets of workpiece holders on the transporting device, and the stroke of the transporting movement corresponds substantially to the spacing of the brush gripping means plus a spacing between adjacent workpiece holders belonging to one set of workpiece holders.

1 9. A brush making with at least two filling tools and one or more finishing machines or the like and a brush transporting device provided between the filling stations and the finishing stations substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

20. Process for filling and machining brushes, wherein two brushes are generally filled simultaneously, by means of the machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 19, and the lateral spacings between two brush bodies which are filled simultaneously are greater than the lateral spacings between two brushes which are to be further machined.

21. Process as claimed in claim 20, wherein after filling, the adjacent brushes are picked up, the lateral spacing between them is reduced and then the brushes are passed on for further machining.

22. Process as claimed in claim 20, wherein after being filled, the adjacent brushes are picked up and passed on for further machining, initially without any change in their lateral spacing, and the reduction in the lateral spacing between adjacent brushes is effected by means of at least one further transporting movement and at least one further movement of transfer.

23. A process for filling and machining brushes substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.