Patent Grant
11484114
The invention relates to tuft-picking devices for brush-making machines. Each of the tuft-picking devices comprises a tuft picker that is movable relative to a material box, and a counter piece that is stationary relative to the movable tuft picker, wherein the tuft picker on the front side thereof that in the use position faces a bristle supply kept ready in the material box has at least one tuft-picking notch and for picking a bristle tuft from the bristle supply and for dispensing a received bristle tuft to the brush-making machine by way of the at least one tuft-picking notch is movable past the bristle supply and past the counter piece at least up to a dispensing position, wherein the tuft-picking notch has two mutually opposite blade edges that delimit a notch opening of the tuft-picking notch and are oriented transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker, and the counter piece has a separation edge that faces the tuft picker.
The invention moreover relates to a brush-making machine having a material box for supplying a bristle supply, and having a tuft-picking device which has at least one tuft picker for retrieving bristle tufts from the material box.
The invention moreover also relates to methods for producing a tuft picker and to methods for producing a counter piece of a tuft-picking device.
Tuft-picking devices, brush-making machines, methods for producing a tuft picker as well as methods for producing a counter piece of a tuft-picking device of this type are known in various embodiments from the prior art.
When separating or retrieving bristles, which are also referred to as filaments, from a material box, which in general can also be referred to as a supply container for bristles, filaments, or bristle filaments that are cut to a specific length, individual bristles are retrieved from the material box by way of a so-called tuft-picking notch as a tuft picker moves past. As soon as the tuft picker by way of the tuft-picking notch departs from the retrieving region in front of the material box, the tuft-picking notch is closed with the aid of a so-called counter piece such that a tuft from a defined number of individual bristle filaments or bristles that is disposed in the tuft-picking notch is securely disposed in the tuft-picking notch. Said bristle tuft with the aid of the tuft picker is then conveyed to a next operating step. It can be provided herein that the bristle tuft is fed to a stuffing tool of a brush-making machine and with the aid of said stuffing tool is anchored conjointly with a wire anchor in a brush body.
In the case of another type of brush making it is provided that the bristle tuft with the aid of the tuft picker is fed to a tool which deposits the bristle tuft in a defined manner in a cartridge or another container. However, it is also possible for the bristle tuft that is disposed in the tuft-picking notch to be retrieved from the tuft-picking notch with the aid of a suction device and to be fed to a cartridge or another container. A procedure of this type is often used in the context of the so-called anchor-less production of brushes.
In the case of conventional brush-making machines the bristle tufts are composed of individual round bristle filaments which are cut at both ends. The tufts with the aid of a tuft picker and a counter piece of a tuft-picking device are retrieved from the material box of the brush-making machine, folded in the center by way of a stuffing tool, and by way of an ankle wire are stuffed into a brush body or a toothbrush body. After stuffing, the ends of the tufts are cut to a specific length or to a specific profile with a milling tool. The ends of the bristle tufts are subsequently rounded by way of a plurality of grinding procedures. When separating the bristle tufts from the material box and when introducing the bristle tufts into the brush body, a distortion can arise in individual bristle tufts or else only individual bristle filaments. Distortion in this context means that the bristle tuft or individual bristle filaments in the bristle tuft are unilaterally displaced and after the stuffing procedure can thus project upwards from the bristle field of the produced brush, for example. In the case of brush-making machines previously known from the prior art this is remedied by way of subsequent milling and grinding of the bristle field.
If more sophisticated bristle material is to be used in processing, thus bristle filaments of which the ends are pretreated and which after separating from the material box do not permit any further machining of the filament ends thereof, for example, there can exist higher requirements in terms of quality and precision pertaining to retrieving and feeding the bristle tufts by the tuft picker. These particular requirements resulting in particular in the processing of pre-rounded bristle filaments, chemically and/or mechanically sharpened bristle filaments and also bristle filaments of which the bristle ends are provided with markings. The retrieval of the bristle filaments from the material box and the feeding to the downstream processing steps is particularly demanding also in the case of bristle filaments which are not round, thus for example such which have a square, or polygonal, x-shaped or else hollow cross section.
The tuft picker having the tuft-picking notch is often guided past the material box by way of a stroke and a return stroke between two reversal points. The tuft-picking notch in the case of the return stroke is empty and can already be filled with bristle filaments after the counter piece has passed the material box. After a fresh reversal of the movement, the tuft-picking notch again meets the counter piece and herein passes a so-called separation edge which is configured on the counter piece and faces the tuft picker.
The closing of the tuft-picking notch starts at this moment, in that the tuft-picking notch slides past the separation edge of the counter piece and is thus obscured by a picker side of the counter piece that faces the tuft picker, said tuft-picking notch thus being closed. The bristle filaments in the tuft-picking notch are finally separated from those bristle filaments in the material box when the tuft-picking notch is being closed. Many bristle filaments are again forced along a counter piece tip on which the separation edge of the counter piece is configured back into the material box. Many bristle filaments are retained in the tuft-picking notch. When the tuft-picking notch is being closed by the counter piece it can now arise that individual bristle filaments are damaged. There is the risk herein that damaged elements are forced back into the material box or else remain in the tuft-picking notch.
It can thus arise that damaged bristle filaments are processed, or else the bristle filaments that have been forced back into the material box are retrieved at a later point in time from the material box by the tuft-picking notch and are then fed to the subsequent processing steps.
The processing of damaged bristle filaments can trigger consequential faults which can even go so far that said consequential faults can lead to finished produced brushes being rejected. Many of the damaged bristle filaments can have a kink and in this instance project laterally from the bristle tuft. Many filaments are distorted and project upward from the bristle field of the produced brush. In particular in the case of toothbrushes, it can arise in the processing of damaged bristle filaments that the latter fall out and are potentially even swallowed while brushing teeth.
It is therefore an object of the invention of providing a tuft-picking device, a brush-making machine, as well as methods for producing tuft pickers and counter pieces of tuft-picking devices of the type defined at the outset, by way of which the above-outlined disadvantages of the tuft-picking devices and brush-making machines known from the prior art can be minimized or even avoided.
This object in the case of a tuft-picking device of the type mentioned at the outset is achieved by the features of a respective independent claim and in particular in that at least one of the two blade edges and/or the separation edge in a manner transverse to the longitudinal extent thereof is/are rounded.
It has indeed been demonstrated that the geometry of the edges that interact in the separation of bristle tufts from the bristle supply of the material box, specifically at least one blade edge of the tuft picker, on the one hand, and the separation edge of the counter piece, on the other hand, play a decisive part a significant part in the damage-limited or even damage-free retrieval of bristle filaments from the material box. The risk that damage to individual bristle filaments arises in the retrieval of the bristle filaments from the material box in that said bristle filaments are jammed between the interacting edges can be reduced by rounding at least one of the edges that interact in the retrieval in the region of the tuft-picking notch. The afore-described consequential faults can thus be minimized or even avoided.
Since the tuft picker by way of the two blade edges thereof for retrieving bristle bundles from the material box and for transporting the retrieved bristle tufts to a downstream processing step is moved past the separation edge of the counter piece by way of only a minor spacing, the blade edges of the separation edge also approach the point of a very minor spacing. The bristle filaments can more carefully retrieved due to the afore-described rounded feature. In particular when the bristle filaments are in danger of being jammed between the separation edge and one of the blade edges the rounded feature of the respective edge can lead to the respective bristle filament being either pushed in a comparatively gentle manner into the tuft-picking notch or else, in a likewise gentle manner, being conveyed back into the material box.
It can be particularly advantageous herein when at least one blade edge of the two blade edges is rounded, said blade edge in the transportation direction of the bristle tufts to the dispensing position thereof in a downstream processing step being the rear blade edge. However, both blade edges and/or else the separation edge can also be rounded. In this way, bristle tufts can bristle tufts can be carefully retrieved from the material box not only in the case of a stroke of the tuft picker in the direction of the dispensing position. The careful retrieval can thus also be possible in the case of a return stroke of the tuft picker.
It is possible that the at least one blade edge and/or the separation edge is/are in each case rounded transversely to the longitudinal extent of said edges by way of a radius. The radius or the radii of the at least one blade edge and/or of the separation edge herein can be between 0.005 millimeters and 0.03 millimeters, particularly preferably between 0.005 millimeters and 0.02 millimeters.
Since the quality of the interacting surfaces can also be of importance in the careful picking of bristle tufts from the material box, it can be advantageous when a surface of the at least one blade edge and/or a surface of the separation edge is/are smoothed. The afore-mentioned surfaces can advantageously have a mean roughness value or surface roughness value of Ra<0.1, or even Ra<0.05, and particularly preferably of Ra<0.02. In this way, particularly smooth edge faces on which the bristle filaments can slide in a particularly easy manner in the direction of the tuft-picking notch or else back into the material box without being damaged, distorted, or kinked are generated.
In order for the object to be achieved, a tuft-picking device of the type mentioned at the outset having one or more features of the invention is also provided. Accordingly, it is in particular provided that a length of at least one blade edge of the tuft-picking device is smaller than a height of the tuft-picking notch measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker. In this way, a length on which the bristle filaments can be jammed and damaged between the blade edge and the separation edge on the counter piece can be reduced. The length of the at least one blade edge herein can be shorter than a length of bristle filaments that are to be a retrieved by the tuft-picking device.
It is to be mentioned that this feature can also be combined with the features described above in the context of a tuft-picking device according to the invention.
In order for the danger of damage to individual bristle filaments in the retrieval thereof from the material box with the aid of the tuft-picking notch to be able to be further reduced, a blade edge chamfer and/or a blade edge arc can be configured between a flat side of the tuft picker that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tuft-picking notch and the at least one blade edge. Due to this a length of the blade edge can be delimited. However, it is also possible that at least one blade edge chamfer and/or at least one blade edge arc are/is respectively configured between each of the two flat sides of the tuft picker that are oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tuft-picking notch and the at least one blade edge. All this leads to the at least one blade edge being disposed between at least two blade edge chamfers and/or blade edge arcs, due to which a length of the at least one blade edge can be smaller than a height of the tuft-picking notch measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker.
In this way, a length of the blade edge can also be reduced and be smaller than a height of the tuft-picking notch measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker. Moreover, the blade edge here can be disposed symmetrically between the at least two blade edge chamfers or blade edge arcs.
The tuft-picking notch, at least adjacent to one of the two blade edges, in particular adjacent to the blade edge that in the transportation direction of the bristle tufts to the dispensing position thereof is the rear blade edge, can have a flattened run-in ramp into the tuft-picking notch. It can be provided herein that the run-in ramp, proceeding from the blade edge, ascends, that the run-in ramp, proceeding from the blade edge, in the profile of said run-in ramp thus has an increasing material thickness and, adjacent to the blade edge, thus has a smaller thickness than in a region of the run-in ramp that faces away from the blade edge.
It can also be advantageous when at least one notch edge of the tuft-picking notch that is oriented transversely or orthogonally to a longitudinal central axis of the tuft-picking notch is rounded. The at least one notch edge herein can be rounded by way of a notch edge radius, specifically preferably by way of a notch edge radius having a length between 0.005 millimeters and 0.03 millimeters.
In order for the object to be achieved a tuft-picking device of the type mentioned at the outset having one or more features of the invention is also provided. Accordingly, it is in particular provided that a length of the separation edge is smaller than a height of the counter piece measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker and/or is smaller than a height of the tuft-picking notch measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker.
The length of the separation edge can thus also be shorter than a length of bristle filaments which can be retrieved from the bristle supply by the tuft-picking device.
It is to be mentioned that this feature can also be combined with the features described above in the context of the tuft-picking devices according to the invention.
In the case of one further embodiment of the tuft-picking device according to the invention it can furthermore be provided that the counter piece has at least one separation edge chamfer that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the separation edge and/or at least one separation edge arc that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the separation edge, the separation edge in terms of the length thereof being delimited by said separation edge chamfer and/or said separation edge arc.
However, it is also possible that the counter piece has at least two separation edge chamfers that are oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the separation edge and/or at least two separation edge arcs that are oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the separation edge, the separation edge being disposed between said separation edge chamfers and/or said separation edge arcs. The foregoing being such that a length of the separation edge is smaller than a height of the counter piece measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker.
The separation edge can be connected to an upper side and/or to a lower side of the counter piece by way of the at least one separation edge chamfer and/or the at least one separation edge arc.
In both cases, due to this a length of the separation edge can be smaller than a height of the counter piece measured transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker. These measures, in a manner analogous to attaching blade edge chamfers and/or radii and/or blade edge arcs to the tuft picker in the region of the at least one blade edge also serve for reducing the length of the separation edge. The foregoing with the objective of keeping a length of a clamping region which can be configured between the separation edge and the at least one blade edge of the tuft picker as small as possible and to in this way minimize or even avoid any damage to bristle filaments in the retrieval of bristle filaments from the material box.
In this context it can be advantageous when at least one of the blade edges and/or the separation edge are/is oriented orthogonally to a direction of movement of the tuft picker and/or parallel with an alignment of the bristle tufts to be positioned in the tuft-picking notch. Both the at least one blade edge as well as the separation edge can also be configured on a portion of an arcuate edge or overall be arcuate.
In principle, at least one edge that is oriented transversely or orthogonally to the separation edge can be rounded. A rounded feature of this type can be expedient above all in the case of such edges which can come into contact with bristle filaments. It is also possible that all of the edges of the counter piece are rounded in such a manner. The rounded edges herein can be rounded by way of a radius, preferably by way of a radius having a length of 0.005 millimeters to 0.03 millimeters.
The object is also achieved by a tuft-picking device which has one or more features of the invention. It is in particular provided in the case of a tuft-picking device of the type mentioned at the outset that the tuft picker has an end side which is oriented transversely or even orthogonally to the front side of the tuft picker and which comprises an end face that is delimited by at least one end chamfer and/or by an end radius.
The at least one end chamfer herein can be aligned at an angle of 20° to 80° in relation to the end face of the tuft picker. A chamfer width of the end chamfer can be between 0.05 millimeters and 0.4 millimeters.
It can be advantageous when chamfer edges of the at least one end chamfer are rounded by way of a radius having a length between 0.005 millimeters and 0.03 millimeters.
The object is also achieved by a tuft-picking device which has one or more features of the invention. It is provided in particular in the case of a tuft-picking device of the type mentioned at the outset that a box side of the counter piece that faces the bristle supply, and/or a picker side of the counter piece that faces the tuft picker, have/has at least one lateral chamfer and/or at least one lateral radius, a respective lateral front face of the box side and/or being delimited by said lateral chamfer and/or said lateral radius.
The at least one lateral chamfer on the box side herein can be aligned at an angle of 20° to 80° in relation to a lateral front face of the box side that is adjacent to the lateral chamfer. It is also possible that the at least one lateral chamfer on the picker side of the counter piece is aligned at an angle of 20° to 80° in relation to a lateral front face of the picker side that is adjacent to the lateral chamfer.
The respective lateral chamfer herein can have a chamfer width between 0.05 millimeters and 0.4 millimeters. Chamfer edges of the lateral chamfer can be rounded by way of a radius having a length between 0.005 millimeters and 0.03 millimeters.
In the case of brush-making machines of this type material boxes having two or three or else a plurality of individual bristle magazines are often used, the bristle tufts being able to be retrieved from said bristle magazines with the aid of the tuft picker and of the at least one tuft-picking notch. This is typically performed in that the individual bristle magazines of the material box are sequentially moved to a retrieving position. To this end, the material box can be pivotable about a pivot axis. In order for the pivoting of the material box about the pivot axis thereof to be enabled, it can be advantageous when a counter piece side of the material box that faces the counter piece and tuft picker has a correspondingly curved contour, in particular a contour curved along an arc, by way of which contour said material box can be pivoted past and along the counter piece.
In this context it can be advantageous when a box side of the counter piece that faces the bristle supply is subdivided at least into a first portion and into a second portion. The first portion herein along the longitudinal extent thereof can be bent about a first radius. The second portion along the longitudinal extent thereof can also be bent about a second radius. It is possible that the second radius is larger than the first radius.
In the case of another embodiment of a tuft-picking device according to the invention a box side of the counter piece, for example the box side already mentioned, that faces the bristle supply can be subdivided at least into a first portion, the separation edge being disposed on the one free end of said first portion, and into a second portion. The first portion herein along the longitudinal extent thereof can be bent about a first radius, while the second portion has a straight, thus non-bent, profile.
In order for the production of the counter piece to be facilitated and in particular for a material-saving rounded feature of the separation edge on the counter piece to be enabled, it can be advantageous in this context when the first radius is bent in the direction counter to the second radius, thus for example being bent away from the material box and the bristle supply. The separation edge in this instance can be disposed on a free end of the first portion of the counter piece.
In the case of a conventional variant of the counter piece it is provided that the separation edge is formed from two tangentially converging radii, specifically a radius that faces the material box and a radius that faces the tuft picker. Were the separation edge to be rounded herein, this rounding would be associated with a relatively large loss of material on the counter piece. This means that the separation edge on a counter piece conventionally produced in such a manner is retracted comparatively far due to the rounded feature, this in consequence requiring a complex adaptation of the geometry of the entire tuft-picking device.
Due to the radius by way of which the first portion of the box side is bent and which is aligned in a negative manner as compared to the radius of the second portion, a desired rounding of the separation edge is possible by way of a lower loss of material. The separation edge herein is created again from the two converging radii of the first portion of the box side of the counter piece, on the one hand, and of the picker side of the counter piece, on the other hand, wherein the radii do not have a tangentially converging profile but rather an intersecting profile, this leading to the more favorable geometric conditions for rounding the separation edges with low losses of material.
In order for the retrieval of bristle filaments from the material box to be designed so as to be even more reliable and gentle, at least one surface of the tuft picker can be smoothed.
Specifically, the following surfaces can be smoothed in such a manner, for example: a surface of at least one or the blades edge radius, of one or the blade edge chamfer, of a blade edge arc, of a notch edge radius, of an end face, of an end chamfer, of an end radius and/or of a chamfer edge of at least one chamfer. Moreover, an internal face of the tuft-picking notch can also be smoothed. The respective smoothed surface can have a mean roughness value or surface roughness value Ra of less than 0.1, of less than 0.05, and particularly preferably of less than 0.02. This can also cause a more gentle processing of bristle filaments.
In analogous manner, the counter piece can also have at least one smoothed surface. The following surfaces of the counter piece can inter alia thus be smoothed: a surface of a separation edge radius, a separation edge chamfer, a separation edge arc, a lateral front face of a box side, a lateral front face of a picker side of the counter piece, a lateral chamfer, a lateral radius and/or at least one chamfer edge of at least one of the chamfers on the counter piece.
A mean roughness value or surface roughness value Ra of the respective smoothed surface herein can be less than 0.1, preferably less than 0.05, particularly preferably less than 0.02.
The smoothing or the extremely smooth design of surfaces of the tuft picker and/or of the counter piece, in particular of the specific afore-mentioned surfaces of the tuft picker and/or of the counter piece which during the retrieval procedure can come into direct contact with bristle filaments can facilitate a retrieval or a separation procedure of bristle filaments from the bristle supply into the material box. This holds true above all when separating a last bristle filament from the bristle supply and/or when at least one blade edge on the tuft-picking notch and/or the separation edge of the counter piece are/is rounded.
On the picker side, the counter piece in a region which is disposed so as to be adjacent to a dispensing position of the bristle filaments to a downstream processing step, in particular to a stuffing tool, can be provided on one side or else on both sides with a run-in chamfer into a tool.
The tuft-picking notch of the tuft picker can be an adjustable tuft-picking notch. In order for the tuft-picking notch to be adjusted, the tuft-picking device can moreover have an adjustment device by way of which a notch depth of the tuft-picking notch can be modified if required. By way of said adjustment device a notch geometry of the tuft-picking notch can optionally also be modified, and/or a bristle tuft positioned in the tuft picker can be ejected from the tuft-picking notch.
The at least one tuft-picking notch, and/or the at least one blade edge, and/or the separation edge, and/or at least one chamfer on the tuft picker and/or on the tuft-picking notch and/or on the counter piece can be produced in a particularly efficient manner and at a satisfactory quality by HSC milling and/or HSC grinding.
Smoothed surfaces of the tuft picker and/or of the counter piece can be produced by polishing. Moreover, at least one at least one blade edge radius of the at least one blade edge, a separation edge radius of the separation edge, and/or at least one the radius on a chamfer edge of at least one chamfer on the tuft picker and/or on the counter piece can also be produced and/or post-machined by polishing.
Potential methods to be used herein are inter alia friction grinding, flow grinding, plasma polishing, drag grinding, drag finishing, and/or manual polishing and/or electrochemical deburring. It is possible herein for the afore-listed surfaces or else radii and arcs to be produced by only one of the afore-mentioned methods or else by a plurality of successively carried out methods.
In the case of one particularly advantageous embodiment of the tuft-picking device according to the invention the tuft picker can be an arcuate separator that is pivotable or rotatable about a pivot axis. It is to be mentioned at this point that arcuate separators can also be referred to as arcuate pickers.
In the case of another variant of the tuft-picking device according to the invention it can also be provided that the tuft picker is a circular tuft-picker disk that is pivotable or rotatable about a pivot axis. Independently of how said tuft picker is designed in specific terms, a plurality of tuft-picking notches optionally having dissimilar notch geometries can also be disposed on the tuft picker, so as to be able to simultaneously retrieve in one stroke a plurality of bristle tufts from the material box.
In particular in the case of the use of tuft pickers which are configured as arcuate separators or as arcuate pickers or as circular tuft-picker disks, it can be expedient when a picker side of the counter piece that faces the tuft picker is bent in a concave manner about the same radius as a front side of the tuft picker that is bent in a convex manner at a specific radius.
It is favorable when the blade edges and/or the separation edges have a length between 0.4 millimeters and 1.4 millimeters and/or have at least one straight portion that is oriented orthogonally to the direction of movement of the tuft picker, for example, having a length between 0.01 millimeters and 0.8 millimeters.
The afore-mentioned object is also achieved by a brush-making machine of the type mentioned at the outset which comprises the means and features of the independent claim directed toward the brush-making machine. The object in the case of a brush-making machine of the type mentioned at the outset is in particular achieved in that the tuft-picking device is one claimed in one of respective claims of the tuft-picking device.
The object is also achieved by a method for producing a tuft picker, in particular a tuft picker of a tuft-picking device having one or more features of the invention. In the case of a method for producing a tuft picker, in particular a tuft picker of a tuft-picking device having one or more features of the invention, it is accordingly in particular provided for achieving the object mentioned at the outset that at least one tuft-picking notch and/or at least one blade edge chamfer and or one blade edge arc and/or an end chamfer and/or an end radius and/or an upper-side and/or lower-side picker notch on the tuft picker and/or a notch edge radius of a tuft-picking notch and/or chamfer edges of at least one chamfer on the tuft picker and/or an internal face of the tuft-picking notch are/is generated by HSC milling and/or HSC grinding.
The object is also achieved by a method in which at least one smoothed surface of the tuft picker is/are produced and/or post-machined by grinding and/or polishing. This method herein can optionally be combined with the afore-defined method steps.
A surface of at least one blade edge radius, of a blade edge chamfer, of a blade edge arc, of a notch edge radius, of an end face, of an end chamfer, of an end radius, of a chamfer edge of at least one chamfer and/or an internal face of the tuft-picking notch herein can be produced and/or post-machined by grinding and/or polishing.
In the case of this method it can furthermore be provided that the production or post-machining of at least one surface and/or of the end face of the tuft picker and/or of at least one radius on the tuft picker, in particular on a blade edge of at least one tuft-picking notch of the tuft picker and/or of at least one chamfer on the tuft picker, in particular on a blade edge of a tuft-picking notch of the tuft picker and/or of an internal face of at least one tuft-picking notch is performed by friction grinding, flow grinding, plasma polishing, drag grinding, drag finishing and/or by manual polishing and/or by electrochemical deburring.
Wet and/or dry granules, porcelain grinding tools, plastics-material grinding tools, ceramic grinding tools, inox chips, copper pins, in particular such which have a diameter of approximately 0.2 millimeters and a length of approximately 1 millimeter, stainless-steel grinding tools, zirconium balls, micro finishing grinding tools, plastics-material grinding tools, wet-grinding pastes, polishing pastes, walnut granules, corn granules and/or dry-grinding granules can be used herein as grinding or polishing means.
The afore-mentioned object is also achieved by a method mentioned at the outset for producing a counter piece which has the means and features of the independent claim directed toward the method for producing a counter piece of a tuft-picking device. In order for the object mentioned to be achieved a method for producing a counter piece of a tuft-picking device, in particular a tuft-picking device with one or more features of the invention is in particular thus also provided, in which at least one smoothed surface of the counter piece is/are produced and/or post-machined by grinding and/or polishing.
For example, the following surfaces can be thus produced and/or post-machined:
the surface of a separation edge radius, of a separation edge chamfer, of a separation edge arc, of a lateral front face, of a lateral chamfer, of a lateral radius and/or at least of a chamfer edge of a chamfer on the counter piece.
The production and/or post-machining herein can be performed by friction grinding, flow grinding, plasma polishing, drag grinding, drag finishing and/or manual polishing and/or electrochemical deburring.
Wet and/or dry granules, porcelain grinding tools, plastics-material grinding tools, ceramic grinding tools, inox chips, copper pins, in particular such which have a diameter of approximately 0.2 millimeters and the length of approximately 1 millimeter, stainless-steel grinding tools, zirconium balls, micro finishing grinding tools, plastics-material grinding tools, wet-grinding pastes, polishing pastes, walnut granules, corn granules and/or dry-grinding granules can be used herein as grinding or polishing means.
High-quality machining results can be reliably achieved by way of a justifiable effort in terms of time by way of friction grinding as the production or post-machining method, in particular when copper pins are used herein as grinding and/or polishing means.
In the case of drag grinding, a plurality of workpieces, thus a plurality of tuft pickers and/or counter pieces, can be fastened to a support and thus be simultaneously machined in one operation. Fine-grain walnut granules can be inter alia used herein as polishing or grinding means, and a machining time can be shortened.
Both the counter piece as well as the tuft picker of the afore-described tuft-picking devices can be composed of hardenable steel, for example HS steel. The steel herein as a blank in the soft state can be produced with an allowance on the end faces. Thereafter, individual contours such as bores and fastening and alignment edges can be produced. The blank of the tuft picker and/or of the counter piece can subsequently be hardened, aligned, and on the respective end side thereof be ground to size. This then is typically the semi-finish product. The method steps described above and discussed and set forth in the claims for producing or completing the tuft picker and/or the counter piece can subsequently be carried out.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described hereunder in more detail by the figures. To some extent in a very schematic illustration:
The brush-making machine 1 illustrated in
The brush body 7 with the aid of the holding installation 6 can be moved to the position relative to the stuffing tool 5 that is required for stuffing the bristle tufts.
The tuft-picking device 4 comprises a tuft picker 8 that is movable relative to the material box 2, and a counter piece 9 that is stationary relative to the movable tuft picker 8. Moreover, a material holder 10 which if required can be designed in a manner analogous to the counter piece 9 can be seen on the left side of the material box 2 in
The tuft picker 8 on the front side 11 thereof that in the use position faces the bristle supply 3 kept ready in the material box 2 has at least one tuft-picking notch 12. For retrieving and singularizing a bristle tuft from the bristle supply 3 and for dispensing a received bristle tuft to the brush-making machine 1, the tuft picker 8 by way of the at least one tuft-picking notch 12 thereof can be moved past the material box 2 and the bristle supply 3 located therein at least up to a dispensing position. The tuft-picking notch 12 has two mutually opposite blade edges 14, 15 which delimit a notch opening 13 of the tuft-picking notch 12 and are oriented transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker 8. The counter piece 9 is provided with a separation edge 17 that faces the tuft picker 8.
As now is highlighted, for example by
The material box 2 according to
According to
The blade edge 15 herein is provided with and rounded by way of a blade edge radius 15a, and the rounded separation edge 17 is provided with and rounded by way of a separation edge radius 17a. The blade edge radius 15a and the separation edge radius 17a are in each case oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the blade edges 14 and 15 and also of the separation edge 17.
Said radii 15a and 17a by way of which the blade edges 14 and/or 15 and the separation edge 17 are rounded herein can have a length between 0.005 millimeters and 0.03 millimeters, particularly preferably between 0.0005 and 0.02 millimeters.
It is worth noting that a surface of the rounded blade edges 14, 15 and a surface of the rounded separation edge 17 are smoothed.
The smoothed surfaces of the blade edges 14, 15 and of the separation edge 17 herein can have a mean roughness value or a surface roughness value of Ra<0.1, preferably of Ra<0.05, particularly preferably of Ra<0.02.
According to
In order for the length of the blade edges 14, 15 to be reduced, and depending on the exemplary embodiment of the tuft-picking notch 12 according to the invention, a blade edge chamfer 21 and/or a blade edge arc 22 can herein be configured between a flat side 20 of the tuft picker 8 that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the tuft-picking notch 12 and the respective blade edge 14, 15. The length of the blade edges 14 and/or 15 can be delimited by attaching blade edge chamfers 21 of this type and/or blade edge arcs 22 of this type, this facilitating a more gentle retrieval of bristle filaments 16 from the bristle supply 3 in the material box 2 of the brush-making machine 1.
In the case of some exemplary embodiments of the tuft-picking notch 12 according to the invention, for example
According to the exemplary embodiments of the tuft picker 8 such as the latter is illustrated in
When viewing
In order for this length reduction of the separation edge 17 to be achieved, the counter piece 9 has at least one separation edge chamfer 25 that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the separation edge 17, or at least one separation edge arc 26, in the form of a radius, that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal extent of the separation edge 17, respectively. The separation edge 17 in terms of the length thereof is in this instance delimited both by the separation edge chamfer 25 as well as by the radius 26. According to
It is of course possible for the transition between the separation edge 17 and an upper side 27 and a lower side 28 between which the separation edge 17 is disposed to be bridged both by way of separation edge arcs 26 of this type as well as by way of separation edge chamfers 25 of this type. In particular in the use of separation edge chamfers 25 it is possible for chamfer edges of the separation edge chamfers 25 to be rounded, in particular to be provided with radii so as to achieve the transition which is ideally soft and gentle for the bristle filaments 16.
An end side 29 that is aligned transversely to the front side 11 of the tuft picker 8 has an end face 30 which, depending on the exemplary embodiment of the tuft picker 8, is delimited by at least one peripheral end chamfer 31.
The peripheral end chamfers 31 herein can be aligned at an angle of 20 degrees to 30 degrees in relation to the end face 30 of the tuft picker 8, and have a chamfer width between 0.05 millimeters and 0.4 millimeters.
According to the exemplary embodiment of a tuft picker 8 as per
As has already been explained in the context of the afore-described exemplary embodiments of the tuft picker 8, it is also provided herein that the peripheral lateral chamfers 41 on the box side 32 of the counter piece 9 are aligned at an angle of 20 degrees to 80 degrees in relation to a lateral front face 40 of the box side 32 that is adjacent to the lateral chamfer 41. The peripheral lateral chamfers 41 on the picker side 33 of the counter piece 9 are also aligned at an angle of 20 degrees to 30 degrees in relation to a lateral front face 40 of the picker side 33 of the counter piece 9 that is adjacent to the lateral chamfer 41.
In the case of the exemplary embodiment of the counter piece 9 according to
The chamfer width of the lateral chamfers 41 but also of the end chamfers 31 is between 0.05 millimeters and 0.4 millimeters.
This means that the separation edge 17 of said counter piece 9 due to the rounding thereof is retracted far, the free end 42 thus being shortened. This to an extent that the entire geometry of the tuft-picking device 4 has to be adapted.
In comparison, it can be seen by the position of the rounded separation edge 17 of the counter piece 9 according to the invention relative to the measuring tip 36 that a rounded feature of the separation edge 17 is associated with only a minimum change in the dimensions of the counter piece 9 and only a minimum shortening of the free end 42 of the counter piece 9 according to the invention, such that a new design of the tuft-picking device 4 due to the separation edge 17 being rounded is not required.
Depending on the requirement, the surfaces of the tuft picker 8 that face the material box 2 and also the surfaces of the counter piece 9 that face the tuft picker 8 can also be smoothed. A mean roughness value or surface roughness value Ra of the smoothed surfaces herein can be less than 0.1, preferably less than 0.05, particularly preferably less than 0.02. In principle, all of the surfaces of both the tuft picker 8 as well as of the counter piece can be smoothed in such a manner. It is moreover to be pointed out that also surfaces of the of the blade edge radius 15a, blade edge chamfers 21, of the separation edge radius 17a of the separation edge chamfers 25, of the end chamfers 31 and of the lateral chamfers 41, as well as of the blade edge arcs 22 and of the separation edge arcs 28 as well as radii for rounding the chamfer edges of the blade edge chamfers 21, of the separation edge chamfers 25, of the end chamfers 31 and of the lateral chamfers 41, but also upper-side and lower-side picker chamfers 43 on the tuft picker 8 can be smoothed in such a manner.
The tuft picker 8 according to
The tuft picker 8 according to
The tuft-picking notch 12, the blade edges 14 and 15, the separation edge 17 and also all of the chamfers 21, 25, 31 and 41 on the tuft picker 8 on the tuft-picking notch 12 and on the counter piece 9 can be produced by HSC milling and/or HSC grinding. The smooth surfaces of the tuft picker 8, of the counter piece 9, and also the radii for rounding the at least one blade edge 14, 15 and the separation edge 17 are produced or at least post-machined by polishing. This can be performed in particular by friction grinding, flow grinding, plasma polishing, drag grinding, drag finishing and/or manual polishing and/or electrochemical deburring.
The radii for rounding existing chamfer edges, in particular the chamfer edges 31a, 41a can also be produced or at least post-machined by way of polishing methods of this type, when said chamfer edges are comparatively small.
The end face 30 on the tuft picker 8, and the lateral front faces 40 on the box side 32 and the picker side 33 of the counter piece 9, the chamfer faces of the end chamfers 31 and of the lateral chamfers 41 as well as surfaces of the chamfer edges 31a and 41a rounded by radii (cf.
The chamfer faces of the end chamfers 31 and the end faces 30 of the tuft picker 8 according to
The chamfer faces of the end chamfers 31, the surfaces of the chamfer edges 31a rounded by radii, and the end faces 30 of the tuft picker 8 according to
The chamfer faces of the lateral chamfers 41, and the lateral front faces 40 of the counter piece 9 according to
The chamfer faces of the lateral chamfers 41, the surfaces of the rounded chamfer edges 41a and the lateral front faces 40 of the counter piece 9 according to
In principle, and depending on requirements, each chamfer and each surface, in particular those which come into contact with bristle filaments 16, of the tuft picker 8 and of the counter piece 9 can be smoothed.
At least the surface of the front side 11 of the tuft picker 8, the surfaces of the chamfers 21 and 25, as well as the surfaces of the radii 22 and 26 on the tuft picker 8, as well as the rounded chamfer edges by way of which the chamfers 21 and 25 can be delimited, are produced and/or post-machined by grinding and/or polishing.
The production or post-machining of at least said smooth surfaces of the tuft picker 8 and also of the counter piece can be performed specifically by friction grinding, flow grinding, plasma polishing, drag grinding, drag finishing and/or manual polishing and/or electrochemical deburring.
Wet and/or dry granules, porcelain grinding tools, plastics-material grinding tools, ceramic grinding tools, inox chips, copper pins, stainless-steel grinding tools, zirconium balls, micro-finishing grinding tools, plastics-material polishing tools, wet-grinding pastes, polishing pastes, walnut granules, corn granules, and/or dry-grinding granules are/is used as grinding or polishing means.
A run-in chamfer 44 for dispensing the bristle filaments 16 to the stuffing tool 5 can be seen at the lower end of the counter piece 9 depicted in
As an improvement in the sector of brush manufacturing the tuft-picking device 4 is inter alia provided, said bundle-picking device 4 comprising the tuft picker 8 that is movable relative to the material box 2 of the brush-making machine 1, said tuft picker 8 on the front side 11 thereof that in the use position faces the bristle supply 3 kept ready in the material box 2 having at least one tuft-picking notch 12. The tuft-picking notch 12 comprises has two mutually opposite blade edges 14, 15 that delimit the notch opening 13 of the tuft-picking notch 12 and are oriented transversely to the direction of movement of the tuft picker 8. The counter piece 9 that is provided with the separation edge 17 that faces the tuft picker 8 is also part of the tuft-picking device 4. In order for an ideally gentle retrieval of bristle filaments 16 from the bristle supply 4 to be enabled, at least one of the two blade edges 14, 15 and/or the separation edge 17 is rounded.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102016011337.5 | Sep 2016 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2017/000985 | 8/16/2017 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2018/054516 | 3/29/2018 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5344218 | Weihrauch | Sep 1994 | A |
| 10517389 | Birk | Dec 2019 | B2 |
| 20170065072 | Alinski | Mar 2017 | A1 |
| 20170065073 | Alinski | Mar 2017 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 201468429 | May 2010 | CN |
| 102626274 | Aug 2012 | CN |
| 102834032 | Dec 2012 | CN |
| 105705061 | Jun 2016 | CN |
| 29907810 | Jul 1999 | DE |
| 102006041466 | Mar 2008 | DE |
| 102013008842 | Dec 2014 | DE |
| 0433470 | Jun 1991 | EP |
| 2011115500 | Jun 2011 | JP |
| 2015185721 | Dec 2015 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210330069 A1 | Oct 2021 | US |
