Brush packing method

Abstract

A method is proposed for filling a brush comprising a bristle carrier (10), a thickened portion (44) being received in a bundle (50) of bristles folded into a U-shape. By means of the thickened end of the bristle bundle, the bristle bundle (50) is pushed into the hole (48). The peripheral edge (60) is then deformed to form an undercut and the cross-section of the hole (48) is reduced by at least 70% of the cross-section of the thickened portion (44). The thickened portion (44) has the effect that the bristle bundle (50) can no longer be pulled out of the hole (48). Furthermore, a brush filling device for carrying out the method is described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for stuffing a brush having a bristle carrier with at least one preformed hole and a bristle bundle for each hole, the hole or each hole having a wall defining the hole and having an inner side and a peripheral edge surrounding the hole at the front side of the bristle carrier. Background Art

[0002] The brushes are stuffed in different ways.

[0003] The most common and widespread way to secure a bristle bundle in an associated hole is to use so-called anchors. To do this, the bristle bundle is folded into a U-shape and the anchor is placed at the inner end section of the U. The anchor, together with the folded bristle bundle, is pushed into the hole using a wadding spring, where it cuts into the hole wall and becomes anchored there. This prevents the bristle bundle from being pulled out.

[0004] Another way of packing is that all the bristles of the tuft remain unfolded, heated at one end and bonded together to form a drop. This thickened end is then anchored in the hole, for example, by reshaping the peripheral edge.

[0005] Finally, there is also a variant in which the bristle bundles are assembled in a thin plate or in a bristle carrier via a through-opening and protrude slightly beyond the thin plate or bristle carrier on the rear side. The protruding section is then melted so that the bristles fuse together at this point. The soft plastic material is flattened by a punch on the rear side of the thin plate or bristle carrier so that, in the case of a large number of bristle bundles, the bristle bundles melt on the rear side and a plate is produced from the molten bristle material. These resulting units are then, for example, injection-molded over the rear side. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an alternative production method which can be carried out very cost-effectively. In addition, a correspondingly functioning device should be provided.

[0007] To this end, the invention proposes a method for packing a brush having a bristle carrier with at least one prefabricated hole and a bristle bundle for each hole, the hole or each hole having a wall defining the hole and having an inner side and a peripheral edge surrounding the hole at the front side of the bristle carrier, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0008] - folding the bristle bundle into a U-shape and introducing a thickening into the inner end section of the U-shape, around which thickening all the bristles of the associated bristle bundle extend,

[0009] - the bristle bundles are punched together with their thickenings into the holes to a depth such that the thickenings are located completely in the holes and are spaced apart from the peripheral edge in the insertion direction, the thickenings bridging directly adjacent, opposite hole wall sections and, viewed in the insertion direction of the bristle bundles into the associated hole, each thickening has a cross section, and

[0010] - After at least one bristle bundle has been punched into its associated hole, the peripheral edge is plastically deformed by at least 70% of the cross-section of the thickened portion by applying pressure, so that in the area between the front side and the thickened portion, the cross-section of the hole is at least partially reduced and an undercut is produced in order to mechanically block the thickened portion and the bristle bundle from being pulled out.

[0011] The present invention is not provided with an anchor cut into the wall of the hole, but with a thickened portion, which alone does not provide sufficient resistance to prevent the bristle bundle from being pulled out of the hole. However, the thickened portion ensures that the bristle bundle is thicker in the folded area than in the absence of the thickened portion. This prevents the bristle bundle from being pulled out of the opening area of ​​the hole together with the thickened portion, which is subsequently narrowed by plastic deformation. By plastically deforming the peripheral edge, the area below the end surface of the bristle carrier is also plastically deformed, so that the material of the bristle carrier bulges radially inward. The cross-section of the thickened portion mentioned is the maximum cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the direction of injection. The opposite hole wall sections spanned by the thickened portion are the following sections, at which the opposite ends of the thickened portion are closest to the inner side of the hole or touch the inner side. That is, the thickened portion can contact the inner side of the hole at one or two opposite ends, be spaced apart from the inner side or be slightly pressed into the hole wall. The thickened portion thus divides the hole into two chambers and prevents half of the bristles from moving from one chamber into the other.Preferably, the cross section of the peripheral edge is plastically reduced by 90% or even at least by the cross section of the thickened portion.

[0012] The attachment of the tufts is carried out mechanically by reshaping the peripheral edge, so that a tuft extraction force of at least 15 N per tuft is achieved. The thickened portion is therefore not welded to the wall. A great advantage of the method according to the invention is that the filling force of the caulking springs is significantly lower than in previous caulking methods with the aid of anchors, in which the so-called caulking springs had to be replaced more frequently, which in turn caused the device to stop. It is also advantageous that the opening area of ​​the hole, i.e. the area below the peripheral edge, is narrowed, because this reduces the risk of contaminants entering the hole. Another major advantage is that the requirements for the thickened portion are significantly lower than those for the anchors, which usually consist of metal and have to have correspondingly sharp edges in order to be able to cut into the wall.

[0013] The deformation at the peripheral edge after the insertion of the bristle bundles can be carried out in a cold state, ie at room temperature, or alternatively also with the peripheral edge heated after the insertion of the bristle bundles.

[0014] The heating may be achieved by means of a heating tool which causes the deformation.

[0015] A particularly material-protective option for reshaping the peripheral edge is to use an ultrasonic oscillator, which is placed against the peripheral edge and, through its movement, heats the bristle carrier in the area of ​​the peripheral edge and simultaneously applies pressure to it.

[0016] Here, an ultrasonic oscillation unit can be used, which completely or partially surrounds the peripheral edge in an annular manner in the contact area with the bristle carrier. Thus, the peripheral edge can be deformed in a closed annular shape or in sections or at points.

[0017] The sonotrode can be longitudinally slotted and consist of a plurality of cap-shaped sonotrode segments.

[0018] The sonotrode can be advanced toward the filling tool or together with the filling tool. The bristle bundle can already be accommodated in the sonotrode during the advancement. Alternatively, the sonotrode can be advanced only after the bristle bundle has been inserted into the hole, in order to at least partially surround the bristle bundle and reshape the outer edge.

[0019] As an alternative to using an ultrasonic oscillation unit, a punch can be used which deforms the bristle carrier in the region of the peripheral edge by a single impact against said region.

[0020] Preferably, the punch is at room temperature, that is to say is not heated when the punch is moved against the peripheral edge. This reduces the requirements on the punch.

[0021] Preferably, the wall defining the at least one hole should be at room temperature when the bristle bundle is pushed in, ie the bristle carrier or at least the wall defining the hole is not heated. This also reduces the energy used to manufacture the brush.

[0022] The thickened part is made in particular of plastic material, paper or cardboard. This makes it easier to recycle the brush, especially when the bristle carrier is also made of plastic. Paper or cardboard has fewer problems when the plastic melts than the previously used anchors made of metal.

[0023] Preferably, and this is particularly important for recycling, the thickened portion consists of the same plastic material as the brush body. If the bristle carrier consists of a different material, i.e. a different plastic, it is advantageous if the thickened portion consists of the plastic material of the walls defining the hole. This also contributes to an optimal recycling process.

[0024] The cross section of the thickened portion, viewed in the direction of insertion of the bristle bundle into the associated hole, preferably matches the cross section of the associated hole, so that the thickened portion does not change the wall of the associated hole during insertion, i.e. does not press into the wall at all. This reduces the forces exerted by the wadding spring and its wear.

[0025] Alternatively or additionally, the thickened portion can be elastically deformed, ie compressed or bent.

[0026] In order to ensure that the thickened portion does not cut into the wall of the hole, the thickened portion has a maximum clear width observed in the axial direction of the hole, which, according to a variant of the invention, is smaller than the spacing between directly adjacent, opposite hole wall sections. The maximum clear width must also not be too small in order to prevent the bristles from being pulled out between the end of the thickened portion and the adjacent wall. Therefore, the maximum clear width should be smaller than the spacing between directly adjacent, opposite hole wall sections by less than the diameter of the bristles. In the example with a circular hole, this means that the minimum value of the maximum clear width corresponds to the diameter of the hole minus the diameter of the bristles.

[0027] In the case of a non-circular hole, this corresponds to the section of the hole wall which lies opposite the furthest point of the thickening (with respect to the viewing direction in the axial direction).

[0028] Alternatively, the thickening may be slightly pressed diagonally into the wall in order to elastically deform the wall and slightly clamp it in the hole, or the thickening may be slightly cut into the hole wall (more precisely, the thickening may slightly score the hole wall). Alternatively or additionally, the thickening may be elastically deformable, i.e., it may be compressed or bent.

[0029] The bristle tuft extraction forces required in the toothbrush industry are typically in the range of 20 N to 25 N per tuft. At least these values ​​are achieved by the method according to the invention after reshaping of the peripheral edge.

[0030] However, even if the thickening is slightly elastically pressed into or slightly cut into the wall, this alone still does not achieve a sufficient pull-out force, but rather a pull-out force of only up to a maximum of 10 N, as determined by experiments. However, these minimum holding forces are sufficient to ensure that the thickening is not pushed back slightly axially after it has been mechanically pressed into its lowest position and before the peripheral edge begins to deform. In fact, a bundle of bristles with a plurality of bristles tends to expand after being elastically compressed together and to take up more space axially, thus moving the thickening slightly back again. This is prevented by the thickening so that the position is optimal when the peripheral edge is reshaped. For this reason, it is proposed that the thickening is clamped in the hole, only with elastic deformation of the wall and / or with elastic deformation of the thickening, so that before the peripheral edge is reshaped, after being pushed into the hole to the greatest extent, the thickening remains fixed in position in the axial direction against the restoring force exerted by the bristle bundle, i.e. does not move back. In the case of a brush having a plurality of bristle bundles, the average pulling-out force of the bristle bundles is a maximum of 10 N, ie all bristle bundles are pulled out while determining the pulling-out force, and the average value is determined.

[0031] The length of the thickened portion is preferably at most 0.2 mm greater than the clear width of the undeformed hole at the subsequent contact point of the thickened portion in order to achieve the desired slight press fit.

[0032] The narrowing of the hole in the area of ​​the peripheral edge can advantageously even result in the bristle bundle being radially compressed in this area, ie between the thickened portion and the peripheral edge, during the plastic deformation, thereby producing a more narrowly packed bristle bundle.

[0033] In order to simplify and accelerate production even further, the strip can be fed to a filling device, individual thickened sections can be separated from the strip, and the thickened sections can then be processed directly in the filling device. For example, this can be a wound plastic strip from which individual short sections are cut, which then lie in the inner end section of the U.

[0034] It is possible to separate the strip before it is placed in the inner end section. Alternatively, the free end of the strip can first be fed to the filling tool, or more precisely, to the bristle bundle to be filled. Once the free end of the strip is in the area of ​​the end section, it is separated, forming the thickened portion. This makes handling the thickened portion easier.

[0035] The thickened portion can measure a length in the axial direction of the hole which corresponds at most to half the maximum depth of the associated hole. In particular, the length should correspond to at least 20% of the maximum depth, thereby also preventing the thickened portion from tilting.

[0036] The thickened portion may also have a cuboid or wedge shape for the same purpose.

[0037] The method according to the invention can be used to fill not only circular holes, but also holes with shapes that differ from these, such as angular, elongated, or oval, when viewed in the axial direction. Typically, the thickening extends through the region having the largest clear width of the hole, when viewed in the axial direction.

[0038] The present invention also provides a brush packing device for carrying out the method according to the invention, comprising a feed device for the thickened portion, a packing spring, and a tool for reshaping the peripheral edge. Optionally, the brush packing device can also include a tool for separating the thickened portion from the conveying belt. This eliminates the need to individually manipulate small, delicate thickened portions in order to add bristle bundles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the drawings to which reference is made. In the drawings:

[0040] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a variant of the brush stuffing device according to the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic sectional view of a bristle carrier with inserted bristle bundles is shown in time before plastic deformation of the peripheral edge;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view showing a bristle carrier of a device for reshaping the peripheral edge;

[0043] Figure 4 a cross-sectional view showing a bristle carrier having two thickened portions of different sizes; and

[0044] Figure 5 Shown is a view in the axial direction of an already filled hole in the bristle carrier before the peripheral edge is reshaped. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] exist Figure 1 A brush filling device is shown in FIG, which pushes the bristle bundles into the holes in the bristle carrier 10.

[0046] The bristle carrier 10 can be the entire brush body or also only a part of the brush body, such as a thin plate or the like.

[0047] The brush stuffing device comprises a tool tip 12 , a bristle reservoir 14 , a bristle extractor 16 pivotable about an axis X, and a stuffing spring 18 .

[0048] The conveying device 20 conveys the strip 22 in the direction of the arrow A laterally and perpendicularly to the filling direction toward the tool tip 12 .

[0049] The strip 22 is unwound, for example, from a roll and fed to the tool tip by means of an electric drive 24 .

[0050] The movement of the tool tip 12 can take place, for example, linearly in the direction of the arrow B, along a circular path or along differently curved paths.

[0051] By way of example only and not to be construed as limiting, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the tool tip 12 is mounted on a shaft 26 and can be pivoted about an axis D, specifically from Figure 1 The stuffing position shown in the figure at the front dead center is pivoted into the opposite so-called tuft receiving position, which is the rear dead center of the tool tip 12 .

[0052] In the embodiment shown, which is not to be understood as limiting, the tool tip 12 is mounted on a connecting arm 28 for a shaft 26 .

[0053] The stuffing spring 18 is articulated at its rear end to a connecting arm 30 , which is likewise pivotable about an axis D. A cam drum 32 allows the connecting arms 28 , 30 to be manipulated.

[0054] The movement of the wadding spring 18 differs from the movement of the tool tip 12 , more precisely, the wadding spring 18 precedes the movement of the tool tip 12 when moving between the wadding position and the bundle receiving position.

[0055] The tool tip 12 has a front part 34, which can contact the bristle carrier or can be moved very close to the surface of the bristle carrier. The front part 34 is fixed at its rear end to a so-called middle section 36 and can also be extended into the middle section in one piece.

[0056] The front part 34 and the middle section 36 have guide rails 38 for the wadding springs in their interior.

[0057] A conveying channel 42 for the belt 22 originates from the upper side 40 , said conveying channel extending as far as the guide rail 38 , but ending there.

[0058] The machining unit 46 serves to cut short pieces from the strip, said short pieces forming so-called thickened portions 44. These thickened portions can be seen in the lower figure.

[0059] The separated bristle bundles are pushed into the guide rail 38 between the front section 34 and the middle section 36 via the insertion opening 53 and subsequently placed in front of the strip or the already cut thickening 44, behind which there is also the front end of the wadding spring 18. The wadding spring 18 then presses the thickening 44 against the bristle bundle and, when the bristle bundle is pushed into the guide rail 38, folds the bristle bundle into a U shape.

[0060] exist Figure 2A schematic view of the hole 48 in the bristle carrier 10 is shown in FIG.

[0061] Hole 48 and the remaining holes are blind holes, starting from the front side of the bristle carrier 10. Figure 2 It can be seen that the bristle bundle 50 is folded in a U-shape and the U has an end section 52 in which the U is folded around 180°, wherein in the inner end section, ie on the inside of the U, there is a thickening 44 in the region of the end section 52 .

[0062] The aperture 48 is defined by a surrounding wall 54 in the bristle carrier 10 .

[0063] exist Figure 5 , a sectional view of a hole 48 is shown, which in the present case is designed as a round hole by way of example, but this is not necessarily required.

[0064] Bristles 58 are provided, which have a diameter f. The hole has an inner diameter D, which corresponds to its inner width.

[0065] The inner width W of the thickened portion 44 is at most as large as the inner width D of the hole, but in particular is smaller.

[0066] The clear width W of the thickened portion 44 is preferably selected so that the thickened portion does not abut or only slightly abuts in the hole or cuts slightly into the wall 54. The minimum clear width W of the thickened portion 44 in the longitudinal direction of the thickened portion (as viewed in the axial direction) must be greater than the diameter D minus the diameter f when the thickened portion 44 does not abut in the hole. This prevents the formation of gaps between the wall 54 and the thickened portion 44, through which the bristles 58 could be pulled out. Optionally, the thickened portion 44 is minimally elastically pressed / cut into the wall and / or elastically deformed.

[0067] The thickened portion 44 has, for example, a maximum protrusion of 0.2 mm relative to the clear width, which is sufficient to hold the bristle bundle 50 just in the lowest position in which the bristle bundle is pushed in.

[0068] A maximum pull-out force of 10 N per bristle tuft is achieved by the thickened portion 44 before the peripheral wall is reshaped. Preferably, the thickened portion 44 should provide a pull-out force of at least 4 N. In a brush having multiple bristle tufts, the average pull-out force of the bristle tufts is a maximum of 10 N and a minimum of 4 N, that is, all bristle tufts are pulled out to determine the pull-out force and the average value is determined.

[0069] In the case of a round hole 48, the clear width of the hole 48 is the diameter. In the case of an ellipse, for example, the clear width is defined by the distance between the opposing hole wall sections 61, which lie directly opposite the thickened portion 44 in the region of its maximum clear width. In other words, the minimum gap between the thickened portion 44 and the wall 54 is provided there. The thickened portion 44 bridges the opposing hole wall sections 61.

[0070] The aforementioned dimensions result in the thickened portion 44 being able to leave the wall 54 unchanged or to press the thickened portion 44 into the wall 54 to a minimum when the bristle bundle 50 is pushed in, without, however, cutting into the wall 54. In other words, the thickened portion 44 has an elongated cross section when viewed in the direction of insertion of the bristle bundle 50 into the hole 48 (the insertion direction corresponds to the axial direction of the hole 48 in the illustrated embodiment). The net width W of the thickened portion 44 is at most 0.2 mm larger than the net width D of the hole 48, or more precisely in the region of the hole 48 that also accommodates the thickened portion 44. The region is at most 0.2 mm larger than the net width D of the hole 48, or more precisely in the region of the hole 48 that also accommodates the thickened portion 44. Figure 5 In the middle there is a vertically extending volume strip which is laterally delimited (left and right) by the outer surfaces of the thickened portion 44 and extends up to the wall 54 .

[0071] After the bristle bundles 50 have been pushed or punched into the holes 48 , pressure is applied to the so-called peripheral edge 60 , which is the edge of the hole 48 at the end side 62 in the region of the opening of the hole 48 .

[0072] The bristle carrier 10 is at room temperature at this point in time, ie during the filling process, so that the wall 54 and the peripheral edge 60 are not above room temperature and are not heated.

[0073] Due to the thickening 44 , the bristle bundle 50 at its end located in the opening 48 receives a thickening 64 relative to the section of the bristle bundle 50 located outside the opening 48 .

[0074] By plastically reshaping the bristle carrier 10 in the region of the peripheral edge 60 , the thickening 64 serves to fix the bristle bundle 50 in the hole 48 .

[0075] For this purpose, a shaping or reshaping tool 66 is provided, which can be a separate tool or also be formed by the tool tip 12 .

[0076] The shaping tool 66 can, for example, reshape the peripheral edge 60 and the material located thereunder by a single impact, so that the material of the bristle carrier 10 plastically bends inwards, so that the hole 48 is contracted in the region of its opening, more precisely by at least 70% of the cross section of the thickened portion 44, preferably by at least 90% of the cross section of the thickened portion 44, more preferably by at least the cross section of the thickened portion 44. The contraction is at Figure 3 The reference numeral 68 is provided in the middle. The constriction 68 forms an undercut, in which a thickening 64 may be present, but the bristle bundle 50 can no longer be pulled out of the undercut due to the thickening 44. This creates a mechanical barrier.

[0077] During the reshaping process, the bristle bundles 50 can, optionally, be radially compressed in the region between the thickened portion 44 and the peripheral edge 60 .

[0078] Preferably, the plastic deformation is carried out by means of the forming tool 66 with or without heating the peripheral edge 60. In the case of a heated peripheral edge 60, the forming tool 66 can then be heated at least in the region of its end side 70. Alternatively and preferably, however, no such heating device is provided, but rather the impact pulse is sufficient to plastically deform the bristle carrier in the region of the peripheral edge 60.

[0079] An alternative to such a single impact pulse is a forming tool 66 in the form of a sonotrode 72 , in which the end face 70 is pressed slightly against the peripheral edge 60 and vibrates simultaneously in several axes or directions, thereby heating the plastic material below the end face 70 .

[0080] The bristle carrier 10, as described, is preferably made of a plastic material.

[0081] The thickened portion 44 is not made of metal, but of another material, in particular also of plastic, more precisely preferably even of the same plastic as the wall 54 and / or the bristles.

[0082] Alternatively, the thickened portion 44 consists of paper or cardboard, wherein these enumerations are not exhaustive.

[0083] Figure 4 Two thickened portions 44 are shown, whose cross-section (viewed perpendicularly with respect to the axial direction of the bore 48 ) is rectangular, so that the thickened portion 44 is in the shape of a cuboid.

[0084] Alternatively, the thickened portion 44 may also have a wedge shape with a thin or narrow end directed towards the bottom of the hole 48. The thickened portion 44 has a length L in the axial direction corresponding to a maximum of 50% of the maximum depth T of the hole 48.

[0085] exist Figure 4 In FIG. 4 , the upper hole 48 has already been plastically deformed and narrowed in the region of the peripheral edge 60 , whereas the lower hole 48 has not yet been deformed and narrowed.

[0086] In general it is applicable that the wall 54 of the hole that is not plastically deformed, more precisely the part of the wall that forms the peripheral wall, should initially have a cylindrical shape. This makes it easier to push in the unit consisting of the bristle bundle 50 and the thickened portion 44.

[0087] Figure 1 The brush packing device shown in also includes Figure 3 The forming tool 66 shown in FIG. 4 has a push rod or sonotrode 72 and furthermore comprises a tool 80 for separating the thickened portion 44 from the strip 22 in the machining unit 46 .

[0088] In the embodiment shown, the tool 80 is a cutting knife moved by a drive, which moves back and forth.

Claims

1. A method for packing a brush, the brush having a bristle carrier (10) having at least one prefabricated hole (48) and having a bristle bundle for each hole (48), the hole or each hole (48) having a wall defining the hole (48) and having an inner side and a peripheral edge surrounding the hole (48) at the front side of the bristle carrier (10), characterized in that The steps include: - folding the bristle bundles (50) into a U-shape and introducing a thickening (44) into the inner end section of the U-shape, around which thickening (44) all the bristles of the associated bristle bundle (50) extend, - the bristle bundle (50) is punched together with its thickened portion (44) into the hole (48) to a depth such that the thickened portion (44) is completely located in the hole (48) and is spaced apart from the peripheral edge in the insertion direction, the thickened portion (44) bridges directly adjacent, opposite hole wall sections (61), and each thickened portion (44) has a cross section when viewed in the direction of insertion of the bristle bundle (50) into the associated hole (48), and - After at least one bristle bundle (50) has been punched into its associated hole (48), the peripheral edge (60) is plastically deformed by applying pressure to at least 70% of the cross-section of the thickened portion (44), so that in the area between the front side and the thickened portion (44), the cross-section of the hole is at least partially reduced and an undercut is produced in order to mechanically block the thickened portion (44) and the bristle bundle (50) to prevent pulling out.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The plastic deformation also occurs when the peripheral edge (60) is heated.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that An ultrasonic oscillation unit (72) is used for reshaping, which is placed against the peripheral edge (60) and heats and applies pressure to the bristle carrier (10) in this area.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A punch is used for reshaping, said punch deforming said peripheral edge (60) with a single impact.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that When the punch is moved against the peripheral edge (60), the punch is at room temperature.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The wall (54) defining at least one aperture (48) is at room temperature when the bristle bundle (50) is pushed in.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The thickened portion (44) is made of plastic, paper or cardboard.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The thickened portion (44) consists of the same plastic material as the bristle carrier (10) or the bristles.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The cross section of the thickened portion (44) viewed in the direction of insertion of the bristle bundle (50) into the associated hole (48) matches the cross section of the associated hole (48) so that a) the thickened portion (44) enables the wall of the associated hole (48) to remain unchanged during punching, or b) The thickened portion (44) is clamped in the hole, accompanied only by elastic deformation of the wall (54) or by cutting into the wall (54) and / or by elastic deformation of the thickened portion, so that before the peripheral edge is reshaped, after being pushed into the hole to the greatest extent, the thickened portion (44) resists the restoring force applied by the bristle bundle (50) and remains fixed in place in the axial direction.

10. The method according to claim 9, as variant a), wherein the associated thickened portion (44), viewed in the axial direction of the hole (48), has a maximum clear width (W) which is smaller or larger by at most 0.2 mm than the spacing of directly adjacent, opposite hole wall sections, wherein The maximum clear width (W) is smaller than the distance between the directly adjacent, opposite hole wall sections (61) by less than the diameter (f) of the bristles (58).

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The bristle bundle (50) together with the thickened portion (44) is clamped in the hole after punching in and before the peripheral edge (60) is reshaped, so that the bristle bundle (50) is held in the hole with a maximum extraction force of 10N. For a brush with multiple bristle bundles (50), the average extraction force of the bristle bundle is a maximum of 10N.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that During plastic deformation, the bristle bundles (50) are radially compressed in the region between the thickened portion (44) and the peripheral edge (60).

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The strip (22) is fed to a stuffing device, from which individual thickened portions (44) are separated, and in which the thickened portions are processed.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The length (L) of the thickened portion (44), measured in the axial direction of the hole (48), corresponds at most to half the maximum depth (T) of the associated hole (48).

15. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The thickened portion (44) has a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a wedge shape.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The hole (44) has a shape different from a circle when viewed in the axial direction.

17. A brush filling device for carrying out the method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a conveying device for the thickened portion (44) and a filling spring (18) and a tool (66) for reshaping the peripheral edge (60), and preferably a tool (80) for separating the thickened portion (44) from the conveyed belt (22).

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