US3258038A - Weft end cutting devices for shuttleless looms - Google Patents

Description

June 28, 1966 v. M. J. ANCET ET AL 3,258,038

WEF'I' END CUTTING DEVICES FOR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS INVENTORg @mj (refs Filed Dec. 16, 1965 4M4. nM 561 United States Patent 3,258,038 WEFT END CUTTlNG DE'VlClES lFUlR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS Victor Marie Joseph Ancet and Marius Fayolle, known as Marcel, Lyon, France, assignors to Brelic International lino, Panama, Panama, a corporation of Panama Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,833 Claims priority, application France, Dec. 21, 1962, 43,161, Patent 1,352,200 7 Claims. (Cl. 139-302) This invention refers to shuttleless looms of the kind in which the weft thread is inserted into the shed by a transversely reciprocatable weft-inserting member from a stationary weft supply, the said member catching the cut end of the weft thread on one side of the loom and pulling it through the shed.

In these looms the successive wefts of the fabric protrude on at least one side of the latter and they thus form an unsightly lateral fringe. It is known to fold back these protruding ends into the shed so as to realize a selvedge. When such a selvedge is not desired or when it is obtained by another means, as for instance by auxiliary selvedgeforming threads, the lateral fringe should be regularly cut at a small distance from the edge of the fabric in order to obtain a good appearance. The cutting operation may be facilitated by means of a suction nozzle which acts on the ends of the last weft threads in the vicinity of the cutting mechanism in order that these ends may be correctly disposed with respect to the said device. But the operation of these suction nozzles is sometimes unsatisfactory, as for instance in the case of threads of highly resilient character, commonly called live threads, which have a .tendency to curl as soon as they are released by the weft-inserting member and before they pass in front of the nozzle which is of course situated somewhat in front of the transverse path of the weft-inserting memher and of the foremost position of the beating up reed. It may therefore occur that some of the weft ends be not caught by the cutting device and thus cause defects along the edge of the fabric.

The present invention has for its object to avoid this disadvantage.

In accordance with the present invention a device for cutting the lateral fringe formed along the edge of the fabric by the protruding ends of the successive wefts in shuttleless looms, comprises a cutting mechanism and a suction nozzle having a rearwardly directed inlet opening and a lateral slit of small width extending along the inner side of the nozzle on the loom, the said nozzle and the said mechanism being so arranged that in the course of the slow advancing movement of the fabric on the loom the edge thereof, together with the lateral fringe to be cut, enters the said inlet opening and the said lateral slit and that thereafter the said edge disengages from the slit while the protruding ends which form the said lateral fringe are still in part engaged into the said slit, the said cutting mechanism then acting on the portion of the fringe comprised between the edge of the fabric and the lateral slit of the nozzle.

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmental plan view illustrating a cutting device according to the present invention mounted on the right-hand side of a shuttleless loom.

3,25%,38 Patented June 28, 1965 FIG. 2 is a vertical section thereof taken along line 11-11 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line III-III in which the cutting mechanism has not been illustrated.

The loom illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a reed 1 through which are passed the Warp threads 2, the latter being selectively raised and lowered by an appropriate shed-forming mechanism, not illustrated. The reed 1 is itself carried by :a beating up slay, also not shown, so as to act on the successive wefts in the conventional manner.

The weft thread 3 is inserted into the shed by a transversely reciprocated weft-inserting needle 4 from an appropriate stationary weft supply, not illustrated, which is provided on the left-hand side of the loom. This weftinserting needle passes through the shed from the right to the left in FIG. 1; it then catches the portion of the weft thread which is comprised between the stationary supply and the last weft which has been beaten up by the reed 1; this thread portion is out between the needle and the edge of the fabric; and the needle then returns towards the right while pulling the cut end of the thread in order to form the next weft 3 of the fabric. When the weft-inserting needle is almost disengaged from the shed, as illustrated in FIG. 1, it liberates the Weft thread 3 the free end of which protrudes somewhat beyond the right-hand side of the fabric. It results therefrom that the successive wefts of the latter tend to form on this side a more or less important lateral fringe which is generally rather irregular. Each one of the weft ends may be folded back into the next shed so as to realize a selvedge. When such is not the case the lateral fringe should be cut at a short distance from the edge of the fabric by means of an appropriate cutting device. However, as above indicated, in the case of highly resilient or live threads, the weft ends have a marked tendency to curl as soon as they are released by the weft-inserting needle and it often occurs that they are not caught by the suction nozzle or other guiding means associated with the said cutting device and that they are not therefore submitted to the action of the latter.

The cutting device illustrated comprises a suction nozzle 6 which is connected by a hose or flexible pipe 7 with an appropriate suction apparatus, not illustrated, such as a centrifugal blower. This nozzle 6 has an end opening 6a (FIG. 3) which opens towards the rear of the loom, i.e. towards the beating up reed 1. It is further formed with a lateral slit 6b which extends from the rear opening 6a to a point situated near the front end of the nozzle. In order to facilitate the manufacture of tthe nozzle, the latter is first realized with an open lower side which is thereafter closed by means of a thin metallic bottom plate 6 0 secured by means of screws or otherwise, this plate leaving the said slit 6b along the inner lateral side of the nozzle. As shown in FIG. 3 in the vicinity of the transverse weaving line (i.e. of the last weft which has received the action of the beating up slay) the lateral side of the fabric 5 enters the inlet opening 6a and the slit 6b. At its front end the nozzle 6 is formed on its inner side with a recessed portion 6d in which the cutting mechanism proper is disposed, as explained below. The slit 6b is of quite small width in its portion comprised between the rear inlet opening 6a and the recess 6d, but in the latter it is substantially wider, as illustrated. It terminates short of the front side of the nozzle. The suction hose 7 opens in the nozzle substantially in front of the recessed portion 6d.

It is to be noted that in the example described the loom has no lateral templets in such a manner that the fabric contracts in front of the reed 1, its edge being thus obliquely directed, as shown.

The suction nozzle 6 thus formed is supported by means of a transverse bar 8 on which it is clamped by a collar 9. This supporting bar 8 is mounted in bearings such as 10 and it carries a lateral arm 11 to which is attached a spring 12 which thus tends to lower the arm 11 and the nozzle 6 itself, the latter being rotatably supported about the axis of bar 8 which is distant from the plane containing the axis of spindle and the axis of drum 14.

In the embodiment illustrated the cutting mechanism associated with the nozzle 6 comprises a disc 13 having a thin cutting or crushing rim and a cylindrical drum 14. This disc 13 is mounted on a spindle 15 which is secured to the lateral wall of the recessed portion 6d of the suction nozzle 6, while the drum 14 is keyed on a transverse shaft 16 rotatably supported by the loom frame. It will be understood that under the action of the abovementioned spring 12 the disc 13 is applied against the drum 14. The shaft 16 may be given a to and fro angular motion in order to obtain a safe cutting of the protruding weft ends in the manner described in our patent application Serial No. 296,274. 4

The operation of the device described is as follows:

When the loom is in operation, the reed 1 beats up the successive wefts which have been inserted into the shed by the reciprocating weft-inserting needle 4 and the fabric advances at each stroke under the action of the takingup beam, in the conventional manner. As soon as a weft is beaten up, its protruding end is drawn by the intense air draft which enters the rear inlet opening 611 of the nozzle 6. Due to the advanced position of the inlet of the suction hose 7, this air draft is substantially directed towards the front of the loom and such is also the direction which is imparted to the successive protruding ends such as 17. Owing to the slow advancing movement of the fabric each protruding end enters the slit 6b and comes nearer and nearer with respect to the inlet of the hose 7. The width of the slit being quite small, the air draft in which the weft end under consideration is situated is now of low intensity, but it is however sufiicient for maintaining this end under tension, the direction of the latter becoming more and more transverse with respect to the loom. When the said weft end reaches the recessed portion 6d (or slightly before owing to the obliquity of the fabric edge), the fabric becomes disengaged from the slit, but its lateral fringe is still pulled and retained by the air draft which enters the nozzle. When the weft end under consideration reaches the cutting mechanism it is cut between the roller 13 and the drum 14, the cut portion being carried away through the hose 7.

It is to be noted that between the weaving line and the cutting mechanism all the protruding ends are maintained in the same plane owing to the quite small width of the slit 6b and that they are therefore regularly fed to this mechanism whatever the latter may be. Since the edge of the fabric enters the said slit at the rear end of the nozzle the weft ends cannot escape the action of the said nozzle even if they have curled after they have been liberated by the weft-inserting needle.

In the embodiment illustrated it has been supposed that the loom had no templets and no selvedge-forming mechanisms, but the invention may be applied to looms provided with such devices. The nozzle and the cutting mechanism associated therewith are then disposed somewhat more in front of the weaving line so as to leave the space required for the mounting of these devices. The operation remains substantially unchanged.

We claim:

1. In a shuttleless loom having warp threads which form successive sheds, a reciprocated weft-inserting member which inserts a weft into each of said successive sheds and a beating up reed which beats said wefts to form with said warp threads a fabric which advances on said loom, a cutting device to cut the lateral fringe formed by the protruding ends of said successive wefts along one edge of said fabric, said device comprising a suction nozzle on said loom having a rearwardly directed inlet opening and a narrow lateral slit extending from said inlet opening along the lateral side of said nozzle which is inwardly disposed with respect to said loom, said nozzle being positioned so that in the course of the advancing movement of said fabric thereon said one edge of said fabric enters said inlet opening and said lateral slit together with said lateral fringe, and that said one edge thereafter leaves said slit while said lateral fringe is still in part engaged therein so as to leave a portion of said fringe exposed between said one edge and said slit; and a thread cutting mechanism on said nozzle positioned so as to out said fringe in said exposed portion thereof comprised between said one edge and said slit.

2. In a cutting device as claimed in claim 1, said slit being wider in the portion thereof situated in front of said cutting mechanism.

3. In a cutting device as claimed in claim 1, said cutting mechanism comprising a disc having a thin rim to sever the successive weft ends which form said fringe; a spindle carried by said lateral side of said nozzle to rotatably support said disc; a drum supporting said lateral fringe and cooperating with said disc; and means to press said disc against said drum.

4. In a cutting device as claimed in claim 1, said lateral side of said nozzle which comprises said slit being formed with a recessed portion in the vicinity of the front end of said nozzle, and said cutting mechanism positioned at least in part in said recessed portion.

5. In a shuttleless loom having warp threads which form successive sheds, a reciprocated weft-inserting member which inserts a weft into each of said successive sheds and a beating up reed which beats said wefts to form with said warp threads a fabric which advances on said loom, a cutting device to cut the lateral fringe formed by the protruding ends of said successive wefts along one edge of said fabric, said device comprising a suction nozzle on said loom having a rearwardly directed inlet opening and a narrow lateral slit extending from said inlet opening along the lateral side of said nozzle which is inwardly disposed with respect to said loom, said nozzle being positioned so that in the course of the advancing movement of said fabric thereon, said one edge of said fabric enters said inlet opening and said lateral slit together with said lateral fringe, and that said one edge thereafter leaves said slit during the time that said lateral fringe is still 11'! part engaged therein so as to leave a portion of said fringe exposed between said one edge and said slit in the v cinity of the front end of said nozzle; a spindle carried by said lateral side of said nozzle above said slit in the vicinity of the front end of said nozzle, said spindle being directed transversely and inwardly with respect to said loom; a disc rotatably supported by said spindle, said disc having a thin rim to sever the successive weft ends which form said lateral fringe; a drum rotatably supported on said loom with its axis transversely disposed thereon, at such a position to support said lateral fringe during the course of the advancing movement of said fabric to be cut by said disc; means to rotatably support said nozzle about an axis distant from the plane containing the axis of said spindle and the axis of said drum; and means actmg on said nozzle to maintain said disc resiliently pressed against said drum.

6. In a cutting device as claimed in claim 5, said lateral side of said nozzle having a recessed portion in the vicinity of the front end of said nozzle, and said spindle and said disc being disposed in said recessed portion.

7. In a cutting device as claimed in claim 5, said slit being Wider in front of said disc.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 4/1932 Dickie et a1 139-491 10/ 1932 Richardson 26-104 5/1933 Schulz 28-1.2 5/ 1933 Valentine 28-1.2 7/1934 P001 139 -302 10 5/1937 Pool 139302 Bernstein 26-10.4

Vollenweider 26-10.4 Ancet et a1 139-291 Remington 2610.4 Reyes 139265 X FOREIGN PATENTS France.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

J. KEECHI, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A SHUTTLESS LOOM HAVING WARP THREADS WHICH FORM SUCCESSIVE SHEDS, A RECIPROCATED WEFT-INSERTING MEMBER WHICH INSERTS A WEFT INTO EACH OF SAID SUCCESSIVE SHEDS AND A BEATING UP REED WHICH BEATS SAID WEFTS TO FORM WITH SAID WARP THREADS A FABRIC WHICH ADVANCES ON SAID LOOM, A CUTTING DEVICE TO CUT THE LATERAL FRINGE FORMED BY THE PROTRUDING ENDS OF SAID SUCCESSIVE WEFTS ALONG ONE EDGE OF SAID FABRIC, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A SUCTION NOZZLE ON SAID LOOM HAVING A REARWARDLY DIRECTED INLET OPENING AND A NARROW LATERALS SLIT EXTENDING FROM SAID INLET OPENING ALONG THE LATERAL SIDE OF SAID NOZZLE WHICH IS INWARDLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO SAID LOOM, SAID NOZZLE BEING POSITIONED SO THAT IN THE COURSE OF THE ADVANCING MOVEMENT OF SAID FABRIC THEREON SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID FABRIC ENTERS SAID INLET OPENING AND SAID LATERAL SLIT TOGETHER WITH SAID LATERAL FRINGE, AND THAT SAID ONE EDGE THEREAFTER LEAVES SAID SLIT WHILE SAID LATERAL FRINGE IS STILL IN PART ENGAGED THERE IN SO AS TO LEAVE A PORTION OF SAID FRINGE EXPOSED BETWEEN SAID ONE EDGE AND SAID SLIT; AND A THREAD CUTTING MECHANISM ON SAID NOZZLE POSITIONED SO AS TO CUT SAID FRINGE IN SAID EXPOSED PORTION THEREOF COMPRISED BETWEEN SAID ONE EDGE AND SAID SLIT.

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