Tuft Splitting Apparatus for Complex Toothbrush Bristle Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brush manufacturing processes struggle to efficiently create complex and sophisticated tuft patterns for toothbrushes at reasonable costs, limiting the ability to produce brushes with enhanced functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Innovation Solution
A process and apparatus that involve directing an initial filament bundle through a first channel, splitting it into multiple tufts using a splitting element with tapered edges, and guiding the tufts into secondary channels to form specific shapes and patterns, allowing for the creation of complex tuft configurations with varying diameters and cross-sectional shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional brush-making processes are used to create complex tuft patterns, then manufacturing capability is maintained, but production efficiency and cost-effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The filament bundle is divided into multiple separate tufts by passing it through a plate with multiple holes, transforming a single complex operation into simpler segmented steps that increase production efficiency while maintaining process manageability
Solution Approach 2:
A plate with holes acts as an intermediary tool that facilitates the splitting of filament bundles into tufts, enabling efficient pattern creation without requiring complex manual or mechanical systems
2Adaptability or versatility
If sophisticated brush designs with elaborate tuft patterns are created, then aesthetic appeal and functionality are improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plate with holes serves multiple functions: it splits filament bundles, creates various tuft patterns, and can be reused for different designs by repositioning filaments, thereby providing design flexibility without proportionally increasing manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 2:
Different tuft patterns and configurations are achieved by changing parameters such as hole arrangement, filament positioning, and plate orientation rather than requiring entirely different manufacturing equipment for each design
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A~1E
Figure 2A
AI summary
A process for creating multiple tufts for a tufted article comprises directing the initial filament bundle into a first channel, causing the bundle to move through the first channel while splitting the bundle into a plurality of tufts according to a predetermined pattern, and directing the plurality of tufts into the plurality of second channels such that each of the plurality of tufts has its own second channel. An apparatus comprises a first plate having a first channel for receiving a filament bundle, a splitting element for separating the bundle into the plurality of individual tufts, a second plate having a plurality of second channels for receiving the plurality of tufts, and a driving means for moving the filaments in the channels.