Brush Manufacturing Using Anchor Free Tufting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brush manufacturing methods are inefficient, requiring complex tool adaptations and expensive production processes, especially when transitioning between different brush designs, and often involve costly carrier plates and anchoring systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for manufacturing brushes using the AFT (Anchor Free Tufting) process, where tufts of bristles are sequentially inserted into a base part with deflection channels, allowing for various geometries and easy adaptation to new patterns, without the need for anchors or complex carrier plates, utilizing a freely programmable 2-axis positioning device and axial pressure for insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional brush manufacturing methods using anchors or loops are used, then tufts can be securely anchored in the brush body, but the device complexity and production costs increase due to additional anchoring components and processes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the anchoring components (anchors, loops, or adhesive layers) from the brush manufacturing process. Instead of inserting tufts through holes in the carrier plate and securing them with anchors or loops, the method inserts tufts directly into the brush body from the rear side, removing the need for separate anchoring elements and simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention inverts the traditional insertion direction by inserting tufts from the rear side of the brush body rather than from the front through the carrier plate. This reversal allows direct insertion into the brush body without requiring the carrier plate to have precisely positioned holes, eliminating the need for anchors or loops that would otherwise be required to secure front-inserted tufts.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex carrier plates with precise hole patterns are used, then tuft placement precision is improved, but the adaptability to new brush designs decreases and tool changes become expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the carrier plate universal by eliminating the need for precisely positioned holes. The carrier plate becomes a simple support structure that can accommodate any tuft pattern, allowing the same carrier plate to be used for different brush designs without requiring precise hole alignment or expensive tool changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention separates the functions of the carrier plate from the tuft placement precision requirement. The carrier plate only needs to provide structural support and hold the bristle bundle, while the precise positioning function is transferred to the brush body itself, which receives tufts directly in their final positions.
3Device complexity
If sequential tuft insertion without anchors is used, then production costs and device complexity are reduced, but the speed of production may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables continuous production by allowing the brush body to be continuously fed and tufts to be continuously inserted from the rear side. The process can proceed without interruption for anchor insertion, loop attachment, or adhesive application, maintaining a steady production rhythm while simplifying the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush body is prepared in advance with the appropriate cavity structure to receive tufts directly, eliminating the need for subsequent anchoring steps. The rear-side insertion method is designed from the outset to accommodate direct tuft placement without anchors, making the simplified process the standard procedure rather than an afterthought.
4Reliability
If maintenance-intensive anchor systems are used, then tuft security is ensured, but the maintenance requirements and operational interruptions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the anchor components that require maintenance from the system. By eliminating anchors, loops, and adhesive layers, there are no moving parts or attachment mechanisms that wear out, become loose, or require periodic adjustment, thereby reducing maintenance frequency and operational interruptions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces production costs and complexity, enabling quick adaptation to new tuft patterns and reducing maintenance, as it eliminates the need for expensive tool changes and carrier plates, while ensuring precise tuft placement and efficient use of bristles.
Implementation Method 1
transporting the removed tufts of bristles by means of a transport device to a base part
Implementation Method 2
with a guide plate having deflection channels being provided between the transport device and the rear of the base part, through which tufts of bristles are pushed into the opening in the base part
Implementation Method 3
sequentially, one after the other individually pushing the tufts of bristles into the associated opening from the rear of the base part
Implementation Method 4
fastening the tufts of bristles to the base part without anchoring
Data Source
Figure 1a~1d
Figure 1e~1h
Figure 2~3
AI summary
In a method and a device for producing brushes (10), bunches of bristles (16) are removed sequentially from a bristle store (44) in which the bristles are packed parallel. The removed bunches of bristles (16) are transported by means of a transport device (18) to a base part (12) of the brush (10). From the rear face of the base part (12) the bunches of bristles (16) are forced sequentially into assigned openings (14) in the base part, wherein between the transport device (18) and the rear face of the base part (12) a guide plate having deflecting channels is provided, through which deflecting channels the bunches of bristles (16) are forced into the opening (14) in the base part (12). Subsequently the bunches of bristles (16) are fastened to the base part (12) without anchoring.