US2105334A

US2105334A - Brush forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2105334A
Application number: US54467A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rees T Scully; Walter S Lang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-12-14
Filing date: 1935-12-14
Publication date: 1938-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 1955-01-11

Description

Jan. 11, 1938. R. 'r. SCULLY ET AL BRUSH FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet l By Wan-'25 444 6 A TTORNEY.

Jan. 11, 1938. R. T. SCULLY ET AL BRUSH FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 WAN/MARY. T4 3 W 5 m 721 F 1, E 4 2W Jan. 11, 1938.

R. T. SCULLY El AL BRUSH FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 8 R mu? w 3 m T 17% A Z 54;. P57

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OOOOOOOOO Jan.- ll, 1938. R. 'r. SVCULLY ET AL 2,195,334

BRUSH FORMING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet- 4 INVENTORS. P555 7 $cu4 y BY MLTCZS AAA/6 A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITE STATES PATENT OFFlCE 12 Claims.

Our invention relates to brush forming apparatus particularly designed for the manufacture of circular, cylindrical or rotary brushes of the type in which looped brush material bristles, i. e.,.hair, wire, fibre, etc., are disposed on the periphery of a core or brush body and main tained in position thereon by suitable means, such for example, as a binding wire.

In the commercial manufacture of brushes of the type specified, it has been the practice to apply looped bristles to grooves on the core or brush body by hand; the operator looping quantities of bristles beneath the clamping wire during the winding of the latter into the grooves.

- This practice in addition to being slow and costly is objectionable in that it is very diificult to effeet, a uniform distribution and thickness of the layer of bristles applied.

Our invention contemplates a machine wherein we provide automatically operable mechanism for feeding and applying bristles to the periphery of the core or brush body, or to the grooves thereof, in an effective and expeditious manner and at the same time maintaining a uniform quantity of bristles and an even distribution thereof for each of the looped masses of bristles.

Among the novel features of our invention are; a picker device for continuous delivery of a uniform layer of bristles from a source of supply; a bending member for looping the bristles beneath and upwardly around a clamping wire; and a feed screw means for receiving and conveying the bristles in a continuous layer from the picker device to the bending member, coacting with the latter for maintaining the looped bristles in parallel relation, and supporting and conveying the looped bristles in the said relation from the bending member to a rotating brush core to be filled.

By the use of the feed screws, we are enabled to accurately provide a constantly uniform feed or travel of the bristles identical with the peripheral speed of the receiving core, and by simple speed adjustment, the apparatus is readily adapted to the filling of brush cores or bodies of various diameters.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken 'in. connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

5 Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of our invention, showing the same associated with a cylindrical brush core for application of bristles thereto; v

'Fig. 2, a part elevational and part sectional view, the section being indicated by the line II- II of Fig. 1, and showing the bristles being applied to the receiving core;

Fig. 3, an elevational view of a preferred form of apparatus for rotating the brush core during the application of bristles thereto;

Fig. 4, a cross-section taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 to 9 inclusive, enlarged detail sectional views taken on lines V-V, VI-VI, VII-VII,

VIII-VIE and IXIX respectively of Fig. 2, 10

illustrating successive positions in the travel of the bristles from the picker device to the receiving core, as hereinafter more specifically described;

Fig. 10, an enlarged detail view of the picker 15 adjustment; and

Fig. 11, a diagrammatic view showing a means of driving the screw conveyor device.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates generally a bristle supply device, including parallel spaced upper and lower feed bars or

ways

3 and 4, providing a passage 5 therebetween for passage of the straight bristles a. The bristles may be inserted in the passage 5 by hand or by gravity feed from a hopper 6, being moved forwardly in said passage by means of a weighted pusher or 5 head I. The bristles are fed in transverse relation to the

bars

3 and 4, and are centrally supported by the latter. Suitable guides B confine the ends of the bristles for maintaining the same substantially parallel and even. 30

Positioned at the forward or discharge end of the passage 5 and in the plane of the bristle-supporting bar 4, we provide a rotary picker device in the form of a toothed wheel ID, the latter being located midway and slightly above the rear ends of a pair of spaced horizontal feed screws or conveyors H and I2. The bristles are fed into the provided spaces or pockets l3 between picker teeth of the wheel ID by the action of the feeder head I, and are rotated or carried downwardly for discharge transversely onto the upper surfaces of the feed screws II and I2.

For the purpose of supporting the bristles in their travel with the picker and for discharge 45 therefrom, the forward end of the lower feed bar 4 is provided with a downwardly extending arouate ramp l4, terminating at its lower forward end midway between the rear ends of the feed screws and slightly below the upper surfaces 5 thereof. At its upper end, the ramp is spaced from the picker circumference only for clearance, but the space gradually increases downwardly to a maximum at the terminal end of the ramp. 55

Supported from the upper bar 3 by adjustable connections I5, we provide a pair of arcuate fingers I 6, one on either side of the picker til, the curved edges 1) of which are substantially coinplemental with the forward surface of, the ramp I4, to form a bristle passage 5a. therebetween, said edges b of the fingers however being eccentrically disposed with relation to the periphery of the picker. The bristles will be out of the open ends of the pockets at a point above the upper surfaces of the feed screws, whereby the bristles carried by the picker IG are deposited onto the screws.

It will be readily seen in Figs. 2 and 10, that by varying the position of the fingers IS with respect to the pockets I3 of the picker i and the ramp I4, the volume of the bristle feed may be adjusted in accordance with the requirements of the brush or brushes to be filled, and a bristle layer of any desired thickness or volume may be thereby applied to the feed screws. The upper feed bar 3 may also be adjustedby its suspensionbrackets I'I tovary the bristle passage 5 as desired. Suitable guide plates 8a confine the ends of the bristles during their travel in the picker,

device to insure-proper alinement.

The feed screws H and I2 are mounted at their rear ends in suitable bearings I 8 and are provided with meshing gears I9 and 20 respectively. The screws are of different form, screw II being of right-hand thread and screw I2 being of lefthand thread, and are designed to be rotated in synchronism' in opposite directions for the purpose of simultaneously advancing corresponding portions of each, thereby conveying the bristle layer longitudinally while maintaining said bristles transversely thereof without angulation or separation. 3

2I designates a bending device in the form of a disk which is mounted for rotation between the feed screws II and I2 forwardly of the picker It). This bending device or disk has a peripheral groove 22 for receiving a continuous strand of bristle clamping wire 23 fed from a tension roll 24. The wire 23 passes along the under portion of the disk between the feed screws and thence outwardly to the brush core or core section A, where it is secured by any suitable means 25 within the bristle-receiving groove 25 thereof. wire is wound several times upon the roll 26 and is fed thereto from a reel or other source of supply (not shown) through afriction clamp 21. Roll 24 is mounted on a transverse shaft, which shaft is secured by its ends in adjustable split bearings 28 adapted for regulating the required tension on the wire.

In addition to'the peripheral groove 22 the bending disk 2| is preferably serrated, providing fine teeth 29 for positive engagement with the unsupported center portions of the bristles a, the

latter'being presented transversely to the rotation of the disk by the feed screws II and I2. Bb'

designates suitable guides for the bristle ends during their travel from the picker iii to the bending disk 2|.

The action of the bending disk BI is clearly illustrated in Figs. 2, 7, and 8, wherein it is shown that the disk bends'the bristles centrally downward between the feed screws for looping the bristles beneath the clamping wire 23 carried by the disk. Since the direction of rotation of adjacent portions of the feed screws I I and i2 isupward, as indicated by the arrows, the resulting wiping action thereof urges the lower or looped portions of the bristles a upwardly into firm con- The tact with the clamping wire 23, and the frictional contact thus obtained is sufiicient to support said bristles during theremainder of their travel by the feed screws to the receiving core A.

In this manner, the bristles are looped and uniformly applied to the clamping wire 23, and by reason of the synchronized action of the feed screws, the terminal portions or ends of the bristles are positioned and maintained in correct upright position, normal to the clamping Wire.

Feed screws H and I2 preferably extend beyond the disk 2I to a point directly over the brush core A, and are supported a distance back from their free ends by backing-up rolls or worm gears 30. These gears mesh with and aid in supporting the screws, while preventing any separation thereof due to the thrust applied particularly during the bending or looping of the bristles. While we prefer to employ feed screws of the tapered form illustrated, straight or uniform diameter feed screws may be satisfactorilyemployed without departing from our invention. The tapered screws having small terminal ends, have the added advantage of minimizing interference with the bristles being applied to the core A, as shown in Fig. 9. The reduced ends of the screws pass through the previously applied bristles on the rotating core without injury to the same.

In operation, the core or core section A, is rotated by any suitable means at a constant predetermined speed. Hence, knowing the lead or number of threads per inch of the feed screws and the circumference of the core A, it is possible to adjust the speed of the screws to feed the bristles a at the peripheral speed of the core; and since the clamping wire 23 is secured to the circumference of and driven by the core, the wire and bristles travel at the same rate of speed.

Likewise, the picker I0 and bending disk 2I are driven at a peripheral speed equal to the feed of the screws, whereby it will be seen that the en- 34 on this shaft drives one of the feed screw gears I 9 through an idler 35, and gear I9 in turn drives the other feed screw gear 20, as in Fig. 11.

A worm 38 on shaft 33 drives a cross shaft 31 by a worm gear 38, and said shaft also drives the picker shaft 39 by a sprocket and chain drive 40. 4| indicates a sprocket and chain drive for driv-' ing the bending disk shaft 42 from the picker shaft 39.

The respective drive ratios of the mechanism are so'proportioned as to synchronize the periph.-

eral speeds of the picker and bending disk with the feed of the screws II and I2 for'the purpose described. Adjustment of the mechanism for filling brush cores of various diameters is effected by simple adjustment of the variable speed device 31, as will be readily understood.

Various means may be provided for mounting and rotating the brush cores for filling by the device described. For example, we have illustrated a frame or bed B having longitudinalrails or ways 43 upon which a carriage C is slidably mounted, this carriage comprising a tail stock 44 and a head stock 45 connected by suitable members Both the head and tail stocks are provided with upper and lower rollers 41 for engaging the rails 43 for longitudinal movement of the carriage thereon.

Suitable centering devices are provided in the tail and stocks for rotatably supporting the brush body r core A therebetween. and the members have adjustable means 48 in connection with the tail stock. 44, for accommodating the carriage to cores of various lengths.

The shaft 43 of the head stock is mounted for rotation in suitable bearings, and mounts a pulley driven from a second pulley by a belt 5'2. The pulley El is slidably mounted on a square or splined drive shaft 53 between spaced abutments on the carriage, said pulley having a plurality rollers 55 for assisting in the; sliding action thereof.

The drive shaft 53 is driven at constant speed by a motor P through a speed reducing device diagra matically indicated at 56. The weight of the rlage and the core A thereon is counter- I balanced by a weight W to facilitate sliding thereof.

In filling brush cores or core sections having a ingle circular groove, it is merely necessary to rotate the through one revolution, but in other cores such as the cylindrical spiral grooved core illustrated, it also becomes necesessary to translate said core longitudinally.

For this purpose, we prefer to employ a variable f suitable form, including a toothed rack nted on and extending longitudinally of the carriage C, and movable by a meshing gear 6 l.

5i, and therefore the rack and carriage, aw driven from the shaft 53 by a variable belt drive or other suitable means, through connecting bevel gearing 63, whereby the carriage and its core A may be translated at a regulated speed. During such movement, the drive pulley 5i slides along its shaft 53, and at the same time drives the pulley 59 to rotate the core A, the speeds of translation and rotation of the core A beingconstant during the entire filling operation.

The brush filling mechanism is mounted in any suitable manner adjacent the bed B of the core rotating device, with the feed screws H and i2 thereof extending transversely of and terminating directly over the core A. In order to accommodate the filling mechanism to cores of various diameters, the base or plate 58 mounting this mechanism, as well as the motor M and variable speed means iii, are vertically adjustable by means of threaded supports 59 or the like.

In. operation, the clamping wire 23 is threaded in the machine and secured by means 25 to the core A in one terminal end of the bristle-receiving groove and suitable tension is applied thereto by means 28 associated with roll 2 2.

The bristle feed mechanism is started, and a continuous layer of bristles a is fed through the bending disk 2i and thence to the core A in looped relation. Upon the bristles reaching the core the latter is rotated by motor P, and with both feed mechanism and core in motion, the spiral groove is continuously filled until completed, whereupon the motors P and M are shut off and the wire 23 is secured to the core to complete and secure the filling of the brush.

It will thus be seen that by our invention, the bristles are automatically and uniformly fed and filled into the grooved receiving core, where they are tightly secured by the tension of the clamping Wire.

Various changes and modifications are contemplated within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. In brush making apparatus, means for supporting and rotating a brush core, a screw conveyor including a pair of screw threaded members leading directly to the core for conveying and depositing bristles onto the core, a bristle bending disk disposed intermediate the ends of the conveyor between the screws and cooperating therewith for bending and looping bristles prior to deposit on the core, said screw members being closely spaced to engage opposite sides of the loop portions of the bristles, and means for feeding a wire under tension to the bristles, said bending disk acting against the tension on the wire.

2. In brush making apparatus. means for supporting and rotating a brush core, a screw conveyor including a pair of oppositely rotatable screw threaded tapered members leading directly to the core for conveying and depositing bristles onto the core, a bristle bending member disposed intermediate the ends of the conveyor between the screws and cooperating therewith for looping bristles prior to deposit on the core, said screw members being closely spaced to engage opposite sides of the loop portion of the bristles, and means for feeding a wire under tension to the bent bristles.

3. In brush making apparatus, means for supporting and rotating a brush core, means for conveying and depositing bristles directly onto the core comprising a pair of oppositely rotatable spaced screw threaded members. a rotatable bristle bending member operable between the screws and coacting with the threaded members for looping the bristles prior.to deposit on the core. said screw members being closely spaced to engage opposite sides of the loop portion of the bristles and to convey the bristles after being looped, and wire feeding means for feeding a wire to the bent bristles.

4. In brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotating brush core having grooves on the periphery thereof, of a pair of closely spaced oppositely threaded and oppositely rotating feed screws for delivering bristles directly to the grooves of the core, the feed of the screws being equal to the peripheral speed of said rotating core, and a rotatable bristle bending member cooperating with the screws and disposed inter mediate of the ends thereof.

5. In brush making apparatus, the combina-' tion with a rotating brush core, of a pair of closely spaced feed screws, a picker device for delivering uniform layers of bristles onto and transversely of the screws, a bending member disposed intermediate the ends of the screws for looping said bristles between the feed screws and about a clamping wire, said looped bristles being supported by the feed screws and conveyed thereby directly to the rotating core.

6. In brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotating brush core, of a pair of closely spaced feed screws, 2. picker device for delivering bristles onto and transversely of the screws, a rotating bending disk disposed intermediate of the ends of the screws for looping said bristles between the feed screws and about a clamping wire, said looped bristles being engaged on opposite sides thereof by the feed screws and conveyed thereby directly to the rotating core.

7. In brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotating brush core, of a pair of closely spaced feed screws, a picker device and means associated therewith for delivering bristles in uniform layers onto and transversely of the screws, a rotating bending disk disposed intermediate of the ends of the screws for looping said bristles between the feed screws and about a clamping wire secured to the core, said looped bristles being supported by the feed screws and conveyed thereby directly to the rotating core, the peripheral speed of the bending disk and the feed of the screws being equal to the peripheral speed of said core.

8. In a brush making apparatus, a screw conveyor, means for delivering bristles onto the conveyor in uniform layers, and a bristle bending member associated with the screw conveyor, said delivering means being adjustable to change the 7 thickness of the layers of bristles.

9. In brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotating brush core, of a clamping wire adapted to be wound upon said core under tension, means spaced from the core for bending and looping a supply of bristles beneath the wire, and means for supporting and conveying said looped bristles from the bending means to the core, said conveyor means including a pair of rotating screw members engaging the bristles on opposite sides of their looped portions, said members rotating in opposite directions in frictional contact with said bristles, whereby the looped portions of the bristles are maintained in contact with the clamping wire.

10. In brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotating brush core, of a clamping wire adapted to be wound upon said core under tension, means spaced from the core for bending and looping a supply of bristles beneath the wire, and means for supporting and conveying said looped bristles from the bending means to the core, said conveyor means including a pair of oppositely threaded and oppositely rotating feed screws for frictionally engaging the bristles, whereby the looped portions of the bristles are maintained in contact with the clamping wire.

11. In brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotating brush core, of a clamping wire adapted to be wound upon said core under tension, means spaced from the core for bending and looping a supply of bristles beneath the wire,

and means for supporting and conveying said looped bristles from the bending means to the core, said conveyor means including a pair of oppositely threaded and oppositely rotating feed screws for frictionally engaging the bristles, whereby the looped portions of the bristles are maintained in contact with the clamping wire, the feed of the screws being equal to the travel of said wire.

12. In a brush making apparatus, the combination with a rotatable brush body, means-for rotating the brush body at a predetermined speed, a screw conveyor for brush bristles, means for delivering bristles to the conveyor, said conveyor extending from the delivery means to the brush body, means for looping said bristles disposed intermediate of the ends of the conveyor, and means for rotating the screw conveyor and the looping means synchronously with the rotation of the brush body.

REES T. SCULLY. WALTER S. LANG.