A deconstructed tufted carpet having an at least partially visible primary backing. In aspects, deconstructed carpet can utilize the primary backing layer as a design element of the overall pattern and styling in order to reduce material use, waste and the ounce weight of the finished carpet and to improve the method of carpet construction. In order to expose the primary backing, at least some yarn can be pulled very low in the pattern areas to expose the primary backing layer. It is contemplated that the primary backing layer can have a color that comprises part of the overall pattern and styling of the carpet.

A system and method for forming synthetic/artificial grass or turf products in which a series of tufts of artificial/synthetic grass filaments or yarns are formed in a backing material with various graphic pattern effects being formed therewith. The system generally will include at least one needle bar having at least one row of needles mounted along a tufting zone and reciprocated through the backing to a desired penetration depth, and will present a desired set or group of yarns to a series of pattern pixels or stitch areas. A series of level cut loop loopers or hooks will be aligned with and will engage the needles in order to form tufts of yarns in the backing material. Clips of the level cut loop loopers will be selectively controlled to control the retention of selected ones of the yarns presented at each pattern pixel. The remaining, non-selected yarns generally are not retained at the pattern pixels, and can be formed as lower pile tufts or removed from the backing material.

A system and method for forming synthetic/artificial grass or turf products in which a series of tufts of artificial/synthetic grass filaments or yarns are formed in a backing material with various graphic pattern effects being formed therewith. The system generally will include at least one needle bar having at least one row of needles mounted along a tufting zone and reciprocated through the backing to a desired penetration depth, and will present a desired set or group of yarns to a series of pattern pixels or stitch areas. A series of level cut loop loopers or hooks will be aligned with and will engage the needles in order to form tufts of yarns in the backing material. Clips of the level cut loop loopers will be selectively controlled to control the retention of selected ones of the yarns presented at each pattern pixel. The remaining, non-selected yarns generally are not retained at the pattern pixels, and can be formed as lower pile tufts or removed from the backing material.

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by activators to extend or retract the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further will be controlled to back-rob yarns not picked-up by the gauge parts, while the backing feed will be controlled to enable formation of tufts at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by activators to extend or retract the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further will be controlled to back-rob yarns not picked-up by the gauge parts, while the backing feed will be controlled to enable formation of tufts at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

A tufting machine (100) comprises a needle bar (10) shiftable in a needle bar longitudinal direction (L), a plurality of needles (12) being provided on the needle bar (10) following each other in the needle bar longitudinal direction (L), each needle (12) being individually selectable for carrying out a stitch and thereby generating a pile on a backing fabric, further comprising such a yarn threading that, on the needle bar (10), groups (G) of the needles (12) following each other in the needle bar longitudinal direction (L) and comprising a predetermined number of needles (12) are generated, the needles (12) of each group (G) having yarns of different properties threaded therethrough, the number of yarns of different properties associated with each group (G) being less than the number needles (12) within each group (G), such that, within each group (G), at least two needles (12) have yarns of the same property threaded therethrough.

A tufting machine (100) comprises a needle bar (10) shiftable in a needle bar longitudinal direction (L), a plurality of needles (12) being provided on the needle bar (10) following each other in the needle bar longitudinal direction (L), each needle (12) being individually selectable for carrying out a stitch and thereby generating a pile on a backing fabric, further comprising such a yarn threading that, on the needle bar (10), groups (G) of the needles (12) following each other in the needle bar longitudinal direction (L) and comprising a predetermined number of needles (12) are generated, the needles (12) of each group (G) having yarns of different properties threaded therethrough, the number of yarns of different properties associated with each group (G) being less than the number needles (12) within each group (G), such that, within each group (G), at least two needles (12) have yarns of the same property threaded therethrough.

A pattern data processing system configured to determine and compensate for any points of entanglement between different yarns. A point of entanglement is defined as a point where the yarn from one needle crosses and traps the yarn from another needle on the back face of the backing medium. The pattern data processing system is configured to calculate the additional length of back stich caused by each point of entanglement by subtracting an ideal back stich length, calculated as the path which would have been taken by the yarn had it not been entangled in another yarn, from an actual yarn path, calculated as the actual length of the entangled yarn. A controller is configured to include in the amount of yarn fed by a respective yarn feed mechanism for each stitch an amount equivalent to the additional length of back stitch. The invention also includes a tufting machine and method of operating the tufting machine with the pattern data processing system.

A pattern data processing system configured to determine and compensate for any points of entanglement between different yarns. A point of entanglement is defined as a point where the yarn from one needle crosses and traps the yarn from another needle on the back face of the backing medium. The pattern data processing system is configured to calculate the additional length of back stich caused by each point of entanglement by subtracting an ideal back stich length, calculated as the path which would have been taken by the yarn had it not been entangled in another yarn, from an actual yarn path, calculated as the actual length of the entangled yarn. A controller is configured to include in the amount of yarn fed by a respective yarn feed mechanism for each stitch an amount equivalent to the additional length of back stitch. The invention also includes a tufting machine and method of operating the tufting machine with the pattern data processing system.

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by activators to move the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further will be controlled to pull back the yarns not picked-up by the gauge parts, while the backing feed will be controlled to enable formation of tufts at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.