Method for producing bristle article, bristle article production machine, and bristle article

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a bristle article (2), in which a bristle carrier (3) provided with at least one bundle receiving opening (4) is provided, and bristle bundles (5) are introduced together with a fastening anchor (6) into the bundle receiving opening (4) and anchored there by means of the fastening anchor (6), when the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving opening (4), the fastening anchor (6) is deformed by forming at least one end-side anchoring structure (7). The invention also relates to a bristle product manufacturing machine, to a bristle product and to the use of a fastening anchor made of plastic.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a method for producing a bristle article, for example a toothbrush, wherein a bristle carrier provided with at least one bundle accommodation hole is provided and a bristle bundle is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole together with a fastening anchor and anchored there by means of the fastening anchor.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a bristle article production machine which is set up for producing a bristle article, to a bristle article and to the use of a fastening anchor. BACKGROUND

[0003] EP 0 888 072 B1 discloses a method for producing a brush, in particular a toothbrush, having bristle bundles made of a brush body which is made of a plastic carrier. In this method, a sleeve-like, plastic material made support element for at least a portion of the bristle bundle is integrally produced with the brush body in an injection molding process.

[0004] DE 197 38 256 C2 discloses a method for producing a bristle field for a brush, wherein bundles of plastic bristles are introduced into the holes of a holding plate and the ends of the free working ends facing away from the bundle tips are welded to one another and thereby fixed on the holding plate. A protrusion having a top, a widening or a protrusion is formed on the holding plate and thereby the holding plate is provided with a side recess. Before or after this, the bristles are introduced into the holes with protrusions which extend into the area of the protrusion or the side recess, wherein the bristles are heated in the area of the protrusion or the side recess, so that a melt and / or a plastic mass which completely or partially fills the side recess is produced from the plastic of the bristles. A form-fit is formed between the bristles or the bristle bundle and the side recess of the holding plate by the subsequently solidified mass consisting of the plastic of the bristles.

[0005] In the production of bristle articles, in particular toothbrushes, bristle bundles are fixed in bundle accommodation holes of a bristle carrier of such a bristle article with fastening anchors.

[0006] For this purpose, the bristle bundle is introduced together with the fastening anchor into the bundle accommodation hole of the bristle carrier. In practice, fastening anchors made of metal, for example of stainless steel, are usually used here in order to reliably anchor the bristle bundle in the bundle accommodation hole. With such fastening anchors made of metal, the bristle bundle can be reliably fixed in the bundle accommodation hole. However, the use of fastening anchors made of metal on a bristle article, the remaining components of which are made of other materials, in particular plastic, makes the recycling of the bristle article difficult. SUMMARY

[0007] It is therefore the task of the present application to provide a method for producing a bristle product, a bristle product manufacturing machine, a bristle product and an application of a fastening anchor, which enables reliable anchoring of bristle bundles in the bristle carrier of a bristle product and at the same time simplifies the recycling of such a bristle product.

[0008] To solve this task, a method for producing a bristle product is first proposed which has the features of the independent claim for such a method. Thus, to solve this task, inter alia, a method for producing a bristle product is proposed, wherein a bristle carrier provided with at least one bundle-receiving hole is provided and a bristle bundle is introduced into the bundle-receiving hole together with a fastening anchor and anchored there by means of the fastening anchor, wherein the fastening anchor is deformed upon introduction into the bundle-receiving hole with the formation of at least one end-side anchoring structure. Here, preferably, a fastening anchor made of plastic is used. The fastening anchor can be plastically deformed upon introduction into the bundle-receiving hole with the formation of the at least one anchoring structure. This method enables the production of a single-material bristle product, the recycling of which is significantly simplified.

[0009] In contrast to the use of fastening anchors which, upon introduction of the bristle bundle into the bundle-receiving hole, are not deformed, but rather are pushed into the material of the bristle carrier in order to anchor the bristle bundle in the bundle-receiving hole, the method according to the application makes use of the deformation of the fastening anchor in the bundle-receiving hole in order to achieve a reliable fixing of the bristle bundle in the bristle carrier.

[0010] If the fastening anchor is introduced, in particular pushed, into the bundle-receiving hole together with the bristle bundle, the fastening anchor is deformed with the formation of at least one end-side anchoring structure, which enables reliable anchoring of the bristle bundle in the bundle-receiving hole.

[0011] The at least one anchoring structure can be produced upon introduction of the fastening anchor into the bundle-receiving hole by contact of the fastening anchor with the hole wall of the bundle-receiving hole. Here, the bristle carrier together with its bundle-receiving hole serves to some extent as a forming tool which deforms the fastening anchor such that the at least one end-side anchoring structure is formed on the fastening anchor.

[0012] As the at least one end-side anchoring structure, an end-side thickening, for example a rod-shaped thickening, can be produced.

[0013] In particular when the fastening anchor is deformed symmetrically upon introduction into the bundle-receiving hole, an end-side thickening can be formed on both ends of the fastening anchor as the end-side anchoring structure. Here, the fastening anchor can have a bone-shaped configuration.

[0014] It is also possible to deform the fastening anchor asymmetrically upon introduction into the bundle-receiving hole, i.e. to form the anchoring structure only on one of the two ends of the fastening anchor, for example. An asymmetric formation of the anchoring structure at both ends of the fastening anchor is also possible.

[0015] It can be advantageous if the fastening anchor is also pressed after the introduction into the bundle accommodation hole. This can be achieved, for example, by means of an impact tongue of a filling tool of a brush production machine. By pressing the fastening anchor after the introduction into the bundle accommodation hole, the fastening anchor can be deformed particularly purposefully in order to configure the anchoring structure of at least one end side and to achieve a reliable anchoring of the bundle of bristles in the bundle accommodation hole in the bristle carrier.

[0016] In a variant of the method, the fastening anchor is pressed after the introduction into the bundle accommodation hole and thereby increases the filling degree of the bundle of bristles. Here, a filling degree of at least 65% or also at least 72% can be achieved. The targeted pressing of the fastening anchor can then result in a deformation of the fastening anchor which causes bristle filaments of the bundle of bristles fixed in the bundle accommodation hole with the fastening anchor to be pushed aside. The filament density in the volume of the bundle accommodation hole occupied by the bristle filaments can thereby be increased and thus the filling degree of the bundle of bristles. In this way, a brush production can be produced with particularly tight bundles of bristles using the method.

[0017] In a variant of the method, it is provided that the fastening anchor is pressed after the introduction into the bundle accommodation hole and thereby increases the pull-out force with which the bundle of bristles is held in the bristle carrier. Here, the pull-out force can be the force which has to be applied in order to overcome the holding force provided by the fastening anchor and to release the bundle of bristles from the bundle accommodation hole.

[0018] When introducing the fastening anchor into the bundle accommodation hole, material of the bristle carrier can be pushed from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole into the bundle accommodation hole and here above the fastening anchor placed in the bundle accommodation hole. The pushing of the material of the bristle carrier can be carried out, for example, by means of an impact tongue of a filling tool of a brush production machine. This will also be explained in more detail below in the context of a brush production machine according to the application.

[0019] The material of the bristle carrier pushed from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole into the bundle accommodation hole can here be pushed above the anchoring structure produced by the deformation of the fastening anchor on the fastening anchor. In this way, a form-locked fixing of the fastening anchor in the bundle accommodation hole of the bristle carrier is produced.

[0020] The fastening anchor and the bristle carrier can be materially bonded to one another when the fastening anchor is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole. Here, the bristle carrier and the fastening anchor can be bonded to one another and / or welded.

[0021] By means of the frictional heat produced when the fastening anchor is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole, the fastening anchor and the bristle carrier can be bonded to one another and / or welded, i.e. a materially bonded connection between the fastening anchor and the bristle carrier is produced.

[0022] In order to facilitate a material-locking connection between the bristle carrier and the fastening anchor, the bristle carrier can be heated before and / or after the introduction of the fastening anchor. This is in particular in the region of the at least one bundle accommodation hole.

[0023] In order to configure the at least one anchoring structure on the fastening anchor when introducing the fastening anchor into the bundle accommodation hole, it is advantageous if the length of the fastening anchor is greater than the diameter of the bundle accommodation hole into which the fastening anchor is introduced for anchoring the bundle of bristles.

[0024] In this way, the section of the fastening anchor that protrudes beyond the edge of the bundle accommodation hole deforms correspondingly when the fastening anchor is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole, whereby the at least one end-side anchoring structure can then be configured on the fastening anchor. It can be meaningful in this case to introduce the fastening anchor into the bundle accommodation hole in an orientation in which the fastening anchor impacts onto the bundle accommodation hole on both sides with the same protrusion beyond the edge of the bundle accommodation hole. This can facilitate a symmetrical deformation of the fastening anchor when being introduced into the bundle accommodation hole.

[0025] The fastening anchor can be introduced into the bundle accommodation hole with the impact tongue of a stuffer tool of a bristle article manufacturing machine, wherein the impact tongue has a width on its front side that is greater than the diameter of the bundle accommodation hole.

[0026] The use of such a configured impact tongue enables the aforementioned expulsion of material of the bristle carrier from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole into the bundle accommodation hole and over the fastening anchor.

[0027] The impact tongue can strip off material of the bristle carrier from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole and expel it into the bundle accommodation hole when introducing the fastening anchor, in order to also fix the fastening anchor form- fittingly in the bundle accommodation hole.

[0028] The fastening anchor and / or the bristle carrier is preferably made of plastic, particularly preferably at least partially made of recycled plastic. This facilitates the environmentally friendly production of the bristle article and the good utilization of the resource plastic. Furthermore, such a bristle article can be recycled as large-scale and simply as possible.

[0029] The fastening anchor can be made of plastic that is softer than the plastic from which the bristle carrier is made. This facilitates a neat deformation of the fastening anchor in the case of the configuration of the at least one anchoring structure and the undamaged bundle accommodation hole in the bristle carrier.

[0030] The fastening anchor can also be made of plastic that is harder than the plastic from which the bristle carrier is made. This facilitates an additional wedging of the fastening anchor into the bristle carrier and thereby a form- fitting connection of the fastening anchor with the bristle carrier.

[0031] When the fastening anchor and the bristle carrier are made of plastics of the same plastics family or of the same plastic, this can facilitate a material-locking connection between the fastening anchor and the bristle carrier.

[0032] To carry out the method, it is possible to use a fastening anchor and / or a bristle carrier made of a plastic having a hardness of at least 60 Shore D, 70 Shore D or particularly preferably at least 80 Shore D. As an upper limit, the plastic can have a hardness of 100 Shore D, for example.

[0033] If the bristle carrier and the fastening anchor are made of plastics having a similar, preferably identical hardness, this can likewise facilitate a material-locking connection between the fastening anchor and the bristle carrier.

[0034] When the at least one bundle accommodation hole of the bristle carrier is configured without an anchor track, the provision of the bristle carrier can be simplified. In comparison with solutions known from practice, in which the bundle accommodation hole has a predefined anchor track for the fastening anchor in order to simplify the positioning of the fastening anchor in the material of the bristle carrier, such an anchor track can be dispensed with in the proposed method. Rather, the bundle accommodation hole without an anchor track can facilitate a defined deformation of the bundle of bristles in the case of the configuration of the at least one anchoring structure and is advantageous in this respect.

[0035] The bundle accommodation hole used in carrying out the method can have an at least partially cylindrical hole wall and / or a conically tapering hole wall tapering towards the hole bottom and / or a stepped hole wall and / or a hole wall with a retaining structure, for example a latching wire. In an embodiment of the bristle carrier, the conical section of the hole wall tapering towards the hole bottom has a tapering angle of, for example, at most 7° in order not to impair the reliable fixing of the bundle of bristles and the fastening anchor in the bundle accommodation hole.

[0036] In order to be able to achieve the desired pull-out force, which the bundle of bristles and the fastening anchor should withstand when the bristle article is used, in particular when the bristle article is configured as a toothbrush, it can be advantageous for the plastic making up the bristle carrier and / or the fastening anchor to have an elastic modulus of at least 1000 MPa (mega pascal) or 2000 MPa, in particular an elastic modulus of between 1000 MPa or 2000 MPa and 10000 MPa.

[0037] When the plastic making up the bristle carrier and the fastening anchor has a tensile strength of at least 30 MPa or at least 45 MPa, the fastening anchor can be anchored particularly reliably in the bundle accommodation hole. Preferably, the plastic has a tensile strength of between 30 MPa or 45 MPa and 110 MPa.

[0038] It has proven particularly suitable to use the following plastics: polyamide 12 (PA 12), polyamide 6 (PA 6), polyamide 6.12 (PA 6.12), polystyrene (PS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), styrene (SAN), acrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP), in particular fibre-reinforced polypropylene.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the bristle article, the bristle carrier and the at least one fastening anchor are made of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The PBT can have a tensile strength of 60 MPa and an elastic modulus of 2500 MPa. On account of the relatively high tensile strength and likewise relatively high elastic modulus of the PBT, in order to anchor the bristle bundle made of PBT in the bristle carrier made of PBT, a pull-out force in the range between 10 N and 30 N can be achieved with the fastening anchor made of PBT, the anchoring of the bristle bundle in the bristle carrier being able to withstand this pull-out force.

[0040] As has already been explained, the fastening anchor and the bristle bundle can be introduced, in particular stuffed, into the bundle-receiving hole of the prepared bristle carrier with the stuffing tool of the bristle article manufacturing machine. This enables the fully automated manufacturing of the bristle article.

[0041] The fastening anchor used when carrying out the method can be provided with a profiled contour, that is to say have a cross section which differs from a rectangular cross section. The profiled contour of the fastening anchor can facilitate the construction of the anchoring structure according to the application on at least one end of the fastening anchor.

[0042] The fastening anchor can be cut off from an anchor tape provided with a profiled contour, for example, by means of an anchor cutting device and supplied to the stuffing tool of the bristle article manufacturing machine. The anchor tape can be unwound from a tape coil and supplied to the anchor cutting device. The supply of the anchor tape can take place, for example, in a force-coupled and / or pulse-coupled manner from the tape coil. The anchor tape can be supplied to the anchor cutting device from a tape buffer in which anchor tape sections are held untensioned. Here, the tape buffer can be arranged between the tape coil and the anchor cutting device.

[0043] In order to fix the bristle bundle and the fastening anchor in the bundle-receiving hole of the bristle carrier of the bristle article to be manufactured, the bristle bundle and the fastening anchor can be stuffed into the bundle-receiving hole at a stuffing speed of at least 400 stuffings per minute or at least 600, 800, 1000 or 1200 stuffings per minute. This enables the particularly efficient manufacturing of the bristle article. The upper limit of the stuffing speed can be, for example, 1500 or 2000 stuffings per minute.

[0044] The impact tongue for introducing the bristle bundle and the fastening anchor into the bundle-receiving hole can impact onto the bundle-receiving hole at a speed of between 1.2 m / s and 4.0 m / s, preferably between 1.8 m / s and 3.5 m / s, particularly preferably between 2.2 m / s and 2.8 m / s. In these speed ranges it is ensured that, when introducing the fastening anchor into the bundle-receiving hole, sufficient kinetic energy is acting in order to deform the fastening anchor purposefully and in order to configure at least one end-side anchoring structure on the fastening anchor.

[0045] To solve this task, it is also proposed a bristle article manufacturing machine which is provided for carrying out the method for manufacturing a bristle article according to any one of the claims for such method.

[0046] For this purpose, the bristle article manufacturing machine can have a tamping tool which comprises an impact tongue for introducing a bristle bundle and a fastening anchor into a bundle-receiving hole of a prepared bristle carrier.

[0047] The impact tongue can have at least one stripping edge which is configured on a narrow side of the front side of the impact tongue. The front side of the impact tongue is the side with which the impact tongue introduces the fastening anchor together with the bristle bundle into the bundle-receiving hole and in which it is embedded into the bundle-receiving hole. By means of the at least one stripping edge it is possible to strip material of the bristle carrier from the edge region of the bundle-receiving hole and to displace this material when introducing the fastening anchor into the bundle-receiving hole in order to thus also form a positive locking of the fastening anchor in the bundle-receiving hole. Preferably, the impact tongue has at least one stripping edge at each of the two mutually facing sides of its front side, respectively. Material can thus be displaced into the bundle-receiving hole from both sides. This facilitates a particularly reliable positive locking of the deformed fastening anchor in the bundle-receiving hole.

[0048] It can be advantageous in this case that the distance between the two narrow sides of the front side of the impact tongue is greater than the hole diameter of the bundle-receiving hole which is to be tamped by means of the impact tongue with the bristle bundle and the fastening anchor.

[0049] In an embodiment of the bristle article manufacturing machine, the impact tongue has at least one recess with at least one material displacement surface on its front side, preferably adjacent to the narrow sides of the front side. The stripped material of the bristle carrier can then be displaced by means of the material displacement surface in the direction of the bundle-receiving hole and thus positively lock the fastening anchor in the bundle-receiving hole.

[0050] The material guiding face can be oriented obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the impact tongue and / or face the longitudinal axis of the impact tongue and be predestined for an expulsion direction of the stripped material of the bristle carrier in the direction of the bundle accommodation hole. In a preferred embodiment, the impact tongue has at least one notch of this type for material guiding on the front side adjacent to each of its two narrow sides and / or a material guiding face. The at least one notch can have a concave and / or semicylindrical contour. The material guiding face mentioned previously can be configured at this contour. Furthermore, the at least one notch can run through the impact tongue transversely to the flat sides of the impact tongue.

[0051] In an embodiment of the bristle article manufacturing machine, the impact tongue has a longitudinal groove in its front side, which extends between the two mutually facing narrow sides of the impact tongue. The longitudinal groove can have a V-shaped cross section, for example. By means of the longitudinal groove, it is possible to deform the fastening anchor purposefully in the case of the configuration of at least one end-side anchoring structure. The longitudinal groove in the front side of the impact tongue can also improve the filling of the bristle bundle in the bundle accommodation hole by means of the purposeful deformation of the fastening anchor.

[0052] To solve this task, it is also proposed that a bristle article having a bristle carrier, which has at least one bundle accommodation hole in which a bristle bundle is fastened with a fastening anchor, which is preferably made of plastic, wherein the fastening anchor has at least one anchoring structure, which is produced by a deformation, in particular a plastic deformation, of the fastening anchor when the fastening anchor is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole.

[0053] The at least one anchoring structure can be at least partially covered by the material of the bristle carrier, which is expelled into the bundle accommodation hole. By means of the material of the bristle carrier, which is expelled into the bundle accommodation hole, the fastening anchor and then also with the fastening anchor the bristle bundle can be fixed form-locked in the bundle accommodation hole. The bristle bundle can thus be anchored particularly reliably in the bristle carrier. It is particularly advantageous for high pull-out forces that the bristle carrier and the fastening anchor are materially bonded to one another, in particular adhesively bonded and / or welded.

[0054] The subject matter of the present application is also the use of a fastening anchor made of plastic, in particular, which is deformed when introduced into a bundle accommodation hole of a bristle carrier of a bristle article, for fastening a bristle bundle in the bundle accommodation hole. The fastening anchor can have at least one anchoring structure, which is produced by a deformation, preferably a plastic deformation, of the fastening anchor when introduced into the bundle accommodation hole. The at least one anchoring structure can be an end-side anchoring structure. By means of the anchoring structure, the fastening anchor can be connected to the bristle carrier in the bundle accommodation hole. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0055] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to embodiments, but the invention is not limited to these embodiments. Further embodiments are derived by combining features of one or more claims with each other and / or by combining one or more features of the embodiments. As shown:

[0056] Figure 1 A perspective view of a brush article manufacturing machine is shown, the filling tool having an impact tongue configured to fill a bristle bundle along with a fastening anchor into a bundle receiving hole of a prepared bristle carrier.

[0057] Figure 2 A side view of a bristle carrier is shown to illustrate how a bristle bundle is anchored in a bundle receiving hole of the bristle carrier according to the prior art, wherein a fastening anchor made of metal is anchored together with the bristle bundle in the material of the bristle carrier by means of an impact tongue of a tamping tool.

[0058] Figure 3 Shown in a side view rotated 90° Figure 2 The bristle carrier shown in the image,

[0059] Figure 4 Shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The top view of the bristle carrier shown in the figure reproduces the fastening anchor in the use position in the lowermost of the three bundle receiving holes when the bristle bundles are concealed.

[0060] Figure 5 Shown in Figures 2 to 4 The perspective view of the bristle carrier shown in the figure, particularly on the rightmost of the three bundle receiving holes, demonstrates how the metal fastening anchor penetrates into the material of the bristle carrier in the edge region of the bundle receiving hole.

[0061] Figure 6 The diagram shows a highly schematic side view of a bristle carrier for a bristle article during the manufacture of the bristle article according to the method of the invention, wherein a fastening anchor made of plastic is, under plastic deformation and with the presence of an anchoring structure at the construction end for anchoring the bristle bundle, filled together with the bristle bundle into the bundle receiving hole of the bristle carrier.

[0062] Figure 7 In relation to Figure 6 A side view rotated 90° shows Figure 6 The bristle carrier shown

[0063] Figure 8 Shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7Top view of the bristle carrier shown in

[0064] Figure 9 Perspective view of the bristle carrier shown in Figures 6 to 8

[0065] Figure 10 Side view of a further bristle carrier of a bristle article during the manufacture of the bristle article according to the method according to the application, wherein the fastening anchors are additionally fixed in the respective bundle receiving hole in a form-locked manner by the material of the bristle carrier which is forced into the bundle receiving hole,

[0066] Figure 11 Side view of the bristle carrier shown in Figure 10

[0067] Figure 12 Top view of the bristle carrier shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11

[0068] Figure 13 Perspective view of the bristle carrier shown in Figures 10 to 12

[0069] Figure 14 Cutaway side view of the bristle carrier for illustrating the different geometries of the bundle receiving holes,

[0070] Figure 15 Top view of the bristle carrier shown in Figure 14

[0071] Figure 16 Partially broken-down illustration of a first embodiment of an impact tongue for carrying out the method, wherein the impact tongue has a flat end face on its front side as an abutment face for the fastening anchors,

[0072] Figure 17 Partially broken-down view of an impact tongue which has a strip edge on each of the two narrow sides of its front side and a recess between them, wherein by means of the strip edges material can be forced out of the edge region of the bundle receiving hole for form-locked fixing of the jammed fastening anchors into the bundle receiving hole,

[0073] Figure 18 ​​​​​A further partially broken away illustration of an impact tongue with two semicircular notches in its front side, each of which is configured with a stripped edge on the outside,

[0074] Figure 19 A partially broken away illustration of an impact tongue with two semicircular notches in its front side, each of which is configured with a material guide surface for purposefully ejecting the stripped material from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole into the bundle accommodation hole, wherein a bearing surface for the fastening anchor is configured between the two notches, and

[0075] Figure 20 A partially broken away illustration of an impact tongue with a V-shaped longitudinal groove in its front side, by means of which the fastening anchor can be purposefully deformed when introduced into the bundle accommodation hole of the bristle carrier in order to, for example, increase the degree of filling of the bristle bundle in the bundle accommodation hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] Figure 1 and 6 to 13 and Figures 16 to 20 At least a portion of a bristle article manufacturing machine, generally designated 1, is shown, which is set up for carrying out the method for manufacturing a bristle article 2 set forth below. The individual steps of the method are shown in Figures 6 to 13 . Figures 2 to 5 A method from the prior art is explained, in which a bristle bundle 5 is fastened in a bristle carrier 3 by means of a fastening anchor 6 made of metal.

[0077] In the method used in the present application, a bristle carrier 3 of a bristle article 2 to be manufactured is provided, which has at least one bundle accommodation hole 4. Next, a bristle bundle 5 is introduced, i.e. pushed, into the bundle accommodation hole 4 together with a fastening anchor 6 and anchored there by means of the fastening anchor 6. Upon introduction into the bundle accommodation hole 4, the fastening anchor 6 is plastically deformed with the formation of at least one end-side anchoring structure 7.

[0078] The fastening anchor 6 shown in Figures 6 to 13 has two end-side anchoring structures 7, each of which is produced by plastic deformation of the fastening anchor 6.

[0079] The anchoring structures 7 are produced by contact of the fastening anchor 6 with the hole wall 8 of the bundle accommodation hole 4 upon introduction of the respective fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4. The anchoring structure 7 of each end side is an end-side thickening. The fastening anchor 6, which is plastically deformed upon introduction into the bundle accommodation hole 4, thus acquires a generally bone-shaped configuration, for example, in the right bundle accommodation hole 4 of the bristle carrier 3 shown in Figure 9 and 13 .

[0080] InFigures 6 to 13 In an embodiment of the method shown in Fig. 6, the fastening anchor 6 is deformed symmetrically. It is also possible according to the formation of the method that the fastening anchor 6 is deformed asymmetrically upon introduction into the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0081] After the introduction of the fastening anchor 6, the fastening anchor 6 can also be compacted in its respective bundle accommodation hole 4. This can be carried out, for example, by means of the impact tongue 9 of the filling tool 10 of the bristle article manufacturing machine 1, which is likewise shown in the figures. With the impact tongue 9, the fastening anchor 6 is also introduced into the bundle accommodation hole 4 together with the bristle bundle 5. The fastening anchor 6 can be compacted after the introduction into the bundle accommodation hole 4 and thereby increase the filling degree of the bristle bundle 5 placed in the respective bundle accommodation hole 4. Here, a filling degree of at least 65% or also at least 72% can be achieved. Furthermore, the fastening anchor 6 can also be compacted after the introduction into the respective bundle accommodation hole 4 and thereby increase the pull-out force of the bristle bundle 5 secured with the respective fastening anchor 6. The pull-out force of the bristle bundle 5 is here the force that must be used in order to pull the bristle bundle 5 out of the accommodation hole 4 against the holding force of the fastening anchor 6.

[0082] Furthermore, in a variant of the method shown in Figures 10 to 13 it is provided that, upon the introduction of the fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4, the material of the bristle carrier 3 is pushed from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole 4 into the bundle accommodation hole 4 and here over the fastening anchor 6 placed in the bundle accommodation hole 4 by means of the impact tongue 9 of the filling tool 10 of the bristle article manufacturing machine 1 already mentioned above. Here, the pushed material 19 reaches over the anchoring structure 7 of the fastening anchor 6, as can be seen particularly clearly, for example, by means of Figs. 12 and 13.

[0083] The fastening anchor 6 and the bristle carrier 3 are materially bonded to one another upon the introduction of the fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4, in particular are bonded and / or welded to one another. To this end, it is advantageous if the fastening anchor 6 and the bristle carrier 3 are made of respectively compatible materials, which enable a materially bonded connection of the fastening anchor 6 to the bristle carrier 3. In order to facilitate the materially bonded connection between the bristle carrier 3 and the fastening anchor 6, the respective bristle carrier 3 can be heated before and / or after the introduction of the fastening anchor 6.

[0084] In particular the top view of the bristle carrier 3, but also the perspective view of the bristle carrier 3 according to Figure 9 and 13 It is also shown that the length of the respective fastening anchor 6 is greater than the diameter of the respective bundle accommodation hole 4. This facilitates the plastic deformation of the fastening anchor 6 upon the introduction of the fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4 in the case of the formation of the anchoring structure 7.

[0085] The fastening anchor 6 is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole 4 by means of the impact tongue 9 of the filling tool 10 of the bristle article manufacturing machine 1. Figures 10-13In the method shown in the middle, the introduction into the respective bundle accommodation hole 4 is effected with the aid of a striking tongue 9 which has a width on its front side 12 which is greater than the diameter of the bundle accommodation hole 4 in the bristle carrier 3. This enables material to be stripped off from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole with the aid of the striking tongue 9 and to be pushed into the bundle accommodation hole 4 when the fastening anchor 6 is introduced into the bundle accommodation hole 4, in order to fix the fastening anchor 6 there also in a form-locking manner. The width of the striking tongue 9 corresponds to the distance between the two narrow sides of the front side 12 of the striking tongue 9.

[0086] The fastening anchors 6 and the bristle carriers 3 used in the execution of the method are made of plastic and are preferably made at least partially of recycled plastic. The fastening anchors 6 are made of plastic which, depending on the application case, can be softer or harder than the plastic from which the bristle carriers 3 used are made. It is advantageous if the fastening anchors 6 and the bristle carriers 3 are made of materials from the same plastic family or even from the same plastic. This can facilitate a material-locked connection between the fastening anchors 6 and the bristle carriers 3, as described previously.

[0087] The plastic from which the fastening anchors 6 and the bristle carriers 3 are made can have an at least 60 Shore D to 80 Shore D or 100 Shore D hardness as mentioned above or, if necessary, a greater hardness.

[0088] The plastic of the fastening anchors 6 and / or of the bristle carriers 3 can have, for example, an elastic modulus of at least 1000 MPa or at least 2000 MPa, in particular an elastic modulus of between 1000 MPa or 2000 MPa and 10000 MPa. The respective plastic can have, for example, a tensile strength of at least 30 MPa or at least 45 MPa, preferably a tensile strength of between 30 MPa or 45 MPa and 110 MPa.

[0089] As a plastic for the bristle carriers 3 and / or the fastening anchors, it is possible to use, for example, polyamide 12 (PA 12), polyamide 6 (PA 6), polyamide 6.12 (PA 6.12), polystyrene (PS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), styrene (SAN), acrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene (PP), in particular fibre-reinforced polypropylene.

[0090] Figure 14 A sectional side view of a bristle carrier 3 is shown, which has bundle accommodation holes 4 of different geometries.

[0091] Here, all the bundle accommodation holes 4 are configured anchor rail-free. Figure 14 The first two bundle accommodation holes from the left have a hole wall 8 which is first cylindrical in a first section and then conical tapering in the direction of the hole bottom.

[0092] Figure 14 The third bundle accommodation hole 4 on the left has an introduction chamfer, on which a cylindrical section of the hole wall 8 is then connected. In the end section, the hole wall 8 tapers conically towards the hole bottom of the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0093] Figure 14 The third bundle accommodation hole 4 on the right of the bristle carrier 3 has a hole wall 8 which firstly has a conical configuration tapering towards the hole bottom and then transitions into a section which still more strongly tapers conically towards the hole bottom. Here, the double arrow drawn at the entrance into the bundle accommodation hole 4 illustrates the taper angle, which here is at most 7°.

[0094] Figure 14 The second bundle accommodation hole 4 viewed from the right has a conical hole wall 8 which tapers towards the hole bottom of the bundle accommodation hole 4 and which is furthermore configured in a stepped manner. The step serves as a retaining structure 13 and facilitates the reliable fixing of the fastening anchor 6 in the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0095] In the case of a total of six bundle accommodation holes 4 shown in Figure 14 The rightmost bundle accommodation hole 4 of the total of six bundle accommodation holes 4 shown in has a cylindrical hole wall 8 which transitions into an end section which tapers conically. In the cylindrical region of the hole wall 8 of this bundle accommodation hole 4, a retaining structure 13 in the form of a retaining groove is configured, which facilitates the form-locked fixing of the fastening anchor 6 within the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0096] In carrying out the method, the bristle bundle 5 is rammed into the bundle accommodation hole 4 together with the fastening anchor 6 at a ramming speed of at least 400 ramming processes per minute.

[0097] Higher ramming speeds can also be used in carrying out the method, for example from 600, 800, 1000 or 1200 up to for example 1500 ramming processes per minute.

[0098] The impact tongue 9 for introducing the bristle bundle 5 together with the fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4 can for example collide onto the bundle accommodation hole 4 at a speed of between 1.2 m / s and 4.0 m / s, preferably between 1.8 m / s and 3.5 m / s, particularly preferably between 2.2 m / s and 2.8 m / s. In this way, it is ensured that the fastening anchor 6 enters the bundle accommodation hole 4 with sufficient kinetic energy in order to achieve the desired targeted deformation of the fastening anchor 6 in the case of the configuration of the aforementioned anchoring structure 7.

[0099] In order to carry out the method, the bristle manufacturing machine 1 therefore has a ramming tool 10 with an impact tongue 9 in order to introduce the bristle bundle 5 together with the fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4 of the prepared bristle carrier 3. Figures 16 to 20It is shown that the impact tongues 9 described therein each have at least one stripped edge 14 on the narrow sides of their respective front sides 12 facing away from one another.

[0100] By means of the stripped edges 14 material can be stripped from the edge region of the bundle accommodation hole 4 of the respective bristle carrier 3 and, as is shown, Figures 10 to 13 finally to be pushed into the bundle accommodation hole 4 in order to form a positive fit of the fastening anchor 6 in the bundle accommodation hole 4. In Figure 17 the impact tongues 9 shown in Fig. 2 have a recess 15 with a material guiding face 16 adjacent to the narrow sides of the front side 12 on the front side 12. The material guiding faces 16 are oriented obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the impact tongue 9 and face the longitudinal axis and also one another. The material guiding faces 16 serve to guide the material stripped with the stripped edges 14 from the bristle carrier 3 into the bundle accommodation hole 4. In Figure 18 the impact tongues 9 shown in Fig. 3 have two recesses 15 on their front side 12. The recesses 15 are each configured in the front side 12 of the impact tongue 9 adjacent to one of the stripped edges 14 of the impact tongue 9 and likewise provide a material guiding face 16 which enables a deflection of the stripped material of the bristle carrier 3 in the direction of the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0101] In Figure 18 the impact tongues 9 shown in Fig. 4 have a flat abutment face 17 between the two recesses 15 for the fastening anchor 6. This abutment face 17 facilitates the precise introduction of the fastening anchor 6 into the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0102] In Figure 19 the impact tongues 9 shown in Fig. 5 likewise have two recesses 15 with material guiding faces 16 in the front side 12 of the impact tongue 9, like the impact tongues 9 shown in Figure 18 Fig. 3. In contrast to the recesses 15 shown in Figure 18 Fig. 3, which penetrate the impact tongue 9 from flat side to flat side over the entire thickness of the impact tongue (i.e. connect the two flat sides of the impact tongue to one another), Figure 19 the recesses 15 of the impact tongues 9 shown in Fig. 5 are laterally closed.

[0103] In Figure 20 the impact tongues 9 shown in Fig. 6 have a V-shaped longitudinal groove 18 in their front side 12. The longitudinal groove 18 is arranged between the narrow sides of the impact tongue 9 facing away from one another and connects these. The V-shaped longitudinal groove 18 enables an increase in the degree of filling of the bristle bundle 5 fixed in the bundle accommodation hole 4 with the fastening anchor 6 by targeted pressing and further deformation of the fastening anchor 6.

[0104] Thus a bristle article 2 comprising a bristle carrier 3 having at least one bundle accommodation hole 4 can be manufactured using the method. A bristle bundle 5 is fastened in the bundle accommodation hole 4 using a fastening anchor 6 made of plastic which is plastically deformed upon introduction into the bundle accommodation hole 4. The fastening anchor 6 has an anchoring structure 7 which is produced by plastic deformation and which can be at least partially covered by material of the bristle carrier 3 which is pushed into the bundle accommodation hole 4, for example as shown in Figure 13

[0105] The subject of the method shown in particular in Figures 6 to 13 is the application of a fastening anchor 6, which is preferably made of plastic, which is deformed upon introduction into a bundle accommodation hole 4 of a bristle carrier 3 of a bristle article 2, for anchoring a bristle bundle 5 in the bundle accommodation hole 4.

[0106] List of reference signs

[0107] 1 Bristle article manufacturing machine

[0108] 2 Bristle article

[0109] 3 Bristle carrier

[0110] 4 Bundle accommodation hole

[0111] 5 Bristle bundle

[0112] 6 Fastening anchor

[0113] 7 Anchoring structure

[0114] 8 Hole wall

[0115] 9 Impact tongue

[0116] 10 Stuffing tool

[0117] 11 Bristle wire

[0118] 12 Front side of impact tongue

[0119] 13 Retaining structure

[0120] 14 Flange

[0121] 15 Notch

[0122] 16 Material guiding surface

[0123] 17 Abutting surface

[0124] 18 Longitudinal groove

[0125] 19 Pushed-in material​

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a brush article (2), wherein, A bristle carrier (3) is provided with at least one bundle receiving hole (4), and a bristle bundle (5) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4) together with a fastening anchor (6) and anchored there by means of the fastening anchor (6), wherein the fastening anchor (6) is deformed when introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4) in the case of constructing an anchoring structure (7) at least one end side.

2. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein, When the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4), the at least one anchoring structure (7) is generated by the contact between the fastening anchor (6) and the hole wall (8) of the bundle receiving hole (4), and / or, an end-side thickening portion, especially a rod-shaped thickening portion, is generated as at least one end-side anchoring structure (7).

3. The method according to any one of the preceding two claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) is deformed symmetrically or asymmetrically, and / or the fastening anchor (6) is plastically deformed when it is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4) in the case of constructing the anchoring structure (7) at the at least one end side.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) is pressed into the bundle receiving hole (4) after being introduced, especially by means of the impact tongue (9) of the filling tool (10) of the brush article manufacturing machine (1).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) is pressed into the bundle receiving hole (4) after being introduced, thereby increasing the filling degree of the bristle bundle (5) in the bundle receiving hole (4), especially to a filling degree of at least 65% or at least 72%, and / or the fastening anchor (6) is pressed into the bundle receiving hole (4) after being introduced, thereby increasing the pull-out force of the bristle bundle (5).

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, When the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4), the material of the bristle carrier (3), especially the impact tongue (9) of the filling tool (10) of the bristle manufacturing machine (1), is squeezed from the edge region of the bundle receiving hole (4) into the bundle receiving hole (4) and squeezed above the fastening anchor (6), especially above the anchoring structure (7) of the fastening anchor (6).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) and the bristle carrier (3) are materially locked together when the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4), especially bonded and / or welded together.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The bristle carrier (3) is heated before and / or after it is introduced into the fastening anchor (6), especially in the area of ​​the at least one bundle receiving hole (4).

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The length of the fastening anchor (6) is greater than the diameter of the bundle receiving hole (4), and / or the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4) by means of an impact tongue (9), the impact tongue having a width on its front side (12) that is greater than the diameter of the bundle receiving hole (4).

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) and / or the bristle carrier (3) are made of plastic, preferably at least partially made of recycled plastic.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) is made of plastic that is either softer or harder than the plastic used to make the bristle carrier (3).

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) and the bristle carrier (3) are made of the same plastic family of materials or the same plastic.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) and / or the bristle carrier (3) are made of plastic with a hardness of at least 60 Shore D, preferably at least 70 Shore D, particularly preferably at least 80 Shore D, and / or the fastening anchor (6) and the bristle carrier (3) are made of plastic with similar, preferably the same hardness.

14. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The at least one bundle receiving hole (4) is configured to be without anchor rails, and / or the at least one bundle receiving hole has a cylindrical hole wall or a tapered hole wall that gradually tapers towards the bottom of the hole and / or a hole wall (8) provided with a retaining structure (13).

15. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein, The plastic of the fastening anchor (6) and / or the bristle carrier (3) has an elastic modulus of at least 1000 MPa or at least 2000 MPa, particularly between 1000 MPa or 2000 MPa and 10000 MPa, and / or the plastic has a tensile strength of at least 30 MPa or at least 45 MPa, preferably between 30 MPa or 45 MPa and 110 MPa, and / or the plastic is polyamide 12 (PA12), polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 6.12 (PA6.12), polystyrene (PS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), styrene (SAN), acrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polypropylene (PP), especially fiber-reinforced polypropylene.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) and the bristle bundle (5) are filled into the bundle receiving hole (4) of the prepared bristle carrier (3) using the filling tool (10) of the bristle manufacturing machine (1).

17. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The bristle bundle (5) and the fastening anchor (6) are filled into the bundle receiving hole (4) at a filling speed of at least 400 filling processes per minute, preferably at least 600, 800, 1000 or 1200 filling processes per minute.

18. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The impact tongue (9) used to introduce the bristle bundle (5) and the fastening anchor (6) into the bundle receiving hole (4) impacts the bundle receiving hole (4) at a speed between 1.2 m / s and 4.0 m / s, preferably between 1.8 m / s and 3.5 m / s, particularly preferably between 2.2 m / s and 2.8 m / s.

19. A brush article manufacturing machine (1) configured to perform the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

20. The brush article manufacturing machine (1) according to the preceding claim has a filling tool (10) having an impact tongue (9) in a bundle receiving hole (4) for introducing a bristle bundle (5) and a fastening anchor (6) into a prepared bristle carrier (3).

21. The brush article manufacturing machine (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein, The impact tongue (9) has at least one peel edge (14) which is constructed on the narrow side of the front side (12) of the impact tongue (9), preferably the impact tongue (9) has at least one peel edge (14) on each of the two mutually opposite sides of its front side (12).

22. The brush article manufacturing machine (1) according to any one of the preceding two claims, wherein, The impact tongue (9) preferably has at least one notch (15) with at least one material guide surface (16) on its front side (12) adjacent to the narrow side, preferably the material guide surface (16) is inclined to the longitudinal axis of the impact tongue (9) and / or faces the longitudinal axis of the impact tongue (9).

23. The brush article manufacturing machine (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein, The at least one notch (15) has a concave and / or semi-cylindrical profile, and / or the at least one notch (15) extends through the impact tongue (9) transversely to the flat side of the impact tongue.

24. The brush article manufacturing machine (1) according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein, The impact tongue (9) has a longitudinal groove (18) in its front side (12), the longitudinal groove extending between two narrow sides of the impact tongue (9) that are opposite to each other, and in particular, the longitudinal groove (18) has a V-shaped cross-section.

25. A bristle article (2) having a bristle carrier (3), the bristle carrier having at least one bundle receiving hole (4) in which a bristle bundle (5) is secured by means of a fastening anchor (6), wherein, The fastening anchor (6) has at least one anchoring structure (7) which is generated by the deformation of the fastening anchor (6) caused when the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4).

26. The bristle article (2) according to the preceding claim, wherein, The at least one anchoring structure (7) is generated by the plastic deformation of the fastening anchor (6) caused when the fastening anchor (6) is introduced into the bundle receiving hole (4), and / or, the at least one anchoring structure (7) of the fastening anchor (6) is at least partially covered by the material of the bristle carrier (3) that is expelled into the bundle receiving hole (4).

27. The brush article (2) according to any one of the preceding two claims, wherein, The fastening anchor (6) is made of plastic.

28. The application of a fastening anchor (6) that deforms when introduced into a bundle receiving hole (4) of a bristle carrier (3) of a bristle article (2) for anchoring a bristle bundle (5) in the bundle receiving hole (4).

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