A method of making a cut braid. The method comprises moving a plurality of bobbins around an endless track in a braiding machine; braiding a plurality of strands from the bobbins into a braid; passing the braid through a take-up mechanism; moving the braid along a continuous path, the continuous path extending from the braiding machine, through a take-up mechanism, and at least partially through a cutting machine; and cutting the braid in the cutting machine to form a cut braid.

A carrier for supporting a yarn to be used by a braiding machine, has: a spool carrying the yarn; a motor drivingly engaged to the spool; at least one sensor for producing data about a condition of the yarn in the spool; and a controller operatively connected to the motor and to the at least one sensor, the controller having a processor and a computer-readable medium operatively connected to the processor and having instructions stored thereon executable by the processor for: receiving said data from the at least one sensor; determining operation parameters of the motor based on the received data; and operating the motor per the determined operation parameters to create the desired tension in the yarn.

Methods and systems for braiding sutures and the resulting constructs are disclosed. The sutures can have alternating bifurcated and non-bifurcated lengths. The sutures can have looped-ends, with both ends of the loop having contiguous braiding with the adjacent body or remainder of the suture. Braiding machines can have one or more bifurcating bars that can controllably obstruct or allow passage of the shuttle and carriers of the braiding machine. The controllable bifurcating bars can result in u-turns in the shuttle and carrier paths, such as a path encircling a horngear adjacent to the bifurcating bar, or passage of the shuttle and carrier across the bifurcating bar.

Methods and systems for braiding sutures and the resulting constructs are disclosed. The sutures can have alternating bifurcated and non-bifurcated lengths. The sutures can have looped-ends, with both ends of the loop having contiguous braiding with the adjacent body or remainder of the suture. Braiding machines can have one or more bifurcating bars that can controllably obstruct or allow passage of the shuttle and carriers of the braiding machine. The controllable bifurcating bars can result in u-turns in the shuttle and carrier paths, such as a path encircling a horngear adjacent to the bifurcating bar, or passage of the shuttle and carrier across the bifurcating bar.

A bobbin head assembly for a maypole type circular braiding machine contains a spindle unit, a braiding material spool with braiding material and a bobbin head. The bobbin head contains a compensation plate and a torsion spring extending helically around the extended axis of the spindle unit. The torsion spring has a nose bent radially inwards towards the center at each of the two ends of the torsion spring coils. A spring seat is attached on the compensation plate, for receiving the torsion spring with a spring abutment element for fixing the nose of one spring end in a circumferential direction of the torsion spring. A fixing collar adjustably fixes the nose of the other spring end in the opposite circumferential direction at different positions along the circumferential direction. The position of the fixing collar can be secured in the circumferential direction with respect to the bobbin head.

A wire tension control device including a bobbin and a magnetic moment generator is provided. The bobbin is configured to provide a wire. The magnetic moment generator includes a stator and a rotor relatively rotatable with respect to the stator. The rotor is connected to the bobbin. When the bobbin drives the rotor to rotate, the magnetic moment generator generates a tension on the wire.

An apparatus for manipulating a material is provided. The apparatus may comprise a magnetic device arranged in a three-dimensional configuration. The apparatus may comprise a surface on which at least one carrier is configured to move. The magnetic device may be configured to provide a magnetic field for driving the carrier on the surface to manipulate a material. The apparatus may comprise a controller configured to control the magnetic device to modulate the magnetic field. The controller may be further configured to detect a position and/or motion of the carrier.

A braided sleeve with complex geometry, including changes to the geometry along the braided sleeve's longitudinal axis are described. In particular, along a first portion of the braided sleeve's longitudinal axis, multiple tows are intertwined with each other. Along a second portion, one of tows is removed from being intertwined with the other tows and is relocated to an interior or an exterior of the braided sleeve. A third portion includes the removed tow being intertwined with the plurality of tows again. In this manner, the braided sleeve may provide coverage of preforms with varying diameters along the longitudinal axis of the preforms.

An upper for an article of footwear is provided, having a braided structure comprising a first yarn having a first cross-sectional shape and a second yarn having a second cross-sectional shape different than the first cross-sectional shape. The first cross-sectional shape comprises an outer surface parallel to an inner surface in a rectangular orientation. Additionally, the first yarn is oriented such that at least a portion of the outer surface comprises the first side of the first yarn and at least a portion of the inner surface comprises the second side of the first yarn.

An upper for an article of footwear is provided, having a braided structure comprising a first yarn having a first cross-sectional shape and a second yarn having a second cross-sectional shape different than the first cross-sectional shape. The first cross-sectional shape comprises an outer surface parallel to an inner surface in a rectangular orientation. Additionally, the first yarn is oriented such that at least a portion of the outer surface comprises the first side of the first yarn and at least a portion of the inner surface comprises the second side of the first yarn.