An apparatus for manufacturing round brushes includes motor-driven driven rollers (22, 26) which on twisting of the wire halves urge wire to a rotating gripper (60). The wire material slides along diverters (52, 54).

A cell of a brush making device for making at least a part of a toothbrush, having a pin unit having at least one pin, a pin holding sub-unit and a pin guiding sub-unit, the pin having a first section having a first end and a second section having a second end, the first section having a holding structure, and at least one spring section arranged between the first section and the second section, the pin holding sub-unit having a holding structure that is engaged with the holding structure of the pin for fixedly holding the pin, the pin holding sub-unit and the pin guiding sub-unit being arranged for being movable along a first direction towards and away from each other, and the pin guiding sub-unit having a channel for guiding at least a portion of the second section of the pin, the channel being inclined against the first direction.

A cell of a brush making device for making at least a part of a toothbrush, having a pin unit having at least one pin, a pin holding sub-unit and a pin guiding sub-unit, the pin having a first section having a first end and a second section having a second end, the first section having a holding structure, and at least one spring section arranged between the first section and the second section, the pin holding sub-unit having a holding structure that is engaged with the holding structure of the pin for fixedly holding the pin, the pin holding sub-unit and the pin guiding sub-unit being arranged for being movable along a first direction towards and away from each other, and the pin guiding sub-unit having a channel for guiding at least a portion of the second section of the pin, the channel being inclined against the first direction.

The double action cleaning tool of the present invention includes a dynamic double action dual brush head and a handle. The dynamic double action dual brush head includes two brush heads rotatably attached to a brush head base, allowing the brush heads to independently rotate about the axis in which it is rotatably attached to the brush head base. A mechanical device capable of storing and releasing energy is connected between the two brush heads, which is rigidly attached to the brush head base. The double action cleaning tool stores energy in the form of potential energy in the mechanical energy storage device of the dynamic double action dual brush head during the sweeping stroke of the double action push broom. At the end of the sweeping stroke, the stored potential energy is converted into kinetic energy and rotates the dual brush, thereby providing an additional sweeping motion.

A method of making a cleaning element carrier for a toothbrush comprises: providing at least two pluralities of loose filaments of a predefined length and different from one another in at least one of filament material, filament diameter, filament cross-section, filament shape, presence or absence of additives, presence or absence of a coating, and any combination thereof; providing a hole-perforation plate having a front surface, a back surface, a thickness therebetween, and a plurality of holes shaped and arranged according to a predetermined pattern; picking filaments from the pluralities of loose filaments; providing an energy source; arranging a plurality of bristle tufts in a fusing position in the hole-perforation plate so that ends of the bristle tufts are disposed at different distances from the energy source, wherein the distances are adjustable according to the at least one property, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts includes bristle tufts comprising an inner portion bristle tufts comprising a peripheral portion, and wherein a distance between the energy source and the ends of the bristle tufts comprising the inner portion is shorter than a distance between the energy source and the ends of the bristle tufts comprising the peripheral portion; applying energy from the energy source to the ends of the tufts until fuse balls are formed at the ends of the tufts; transferring the tufts to a molding position in the hole-perforation plate so that a distance between a bottom edge of at least one fuse ball of at least one bristle tuft and the front surface of the hole-perforation plate is different from a distance between the bottom edge of the fuse ball of said tuft and the front surface of the hole-perforation plate in the fusing position; over-molding the fuse balls with molten plastic material thereby forming a cleaning element carrier.

A tuft picker for a brush-making machine for automated production of brushes, such as toothbrushes, which is adapted to remove filaments from a filament container. The tuft picker comprises two parts. Each of the two parts comprises at least one picker eye for taking up a predefined number of loose filaments from the filament container. These picker eyes comprise an opening which can be opened and closed by moving the cover tool from a first position into a second position during one working stroke.

A filament-transportation device has a plurality of tube elements for transporting filaments from an intake area to an outtake area via an airstream generated by underpressure or overpressure. Each tube element has an end orifice. A baffle-plate unit has a baffle plate having a through-hole, a top surface opposite to the end orifices to stop the transport of the filaments, and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface. The baffle plate includes baffle plate elements associated with the end orifices. Each of the baffle-plate elements has a top surface forming part of the top surface of the baffle plate, a bottom surface forming part of the bottom surface of the baffle plate, and a side surface extending between the top and bottom surface. There is a plurality of bridge elements, each having a top surface forming part of the top surface of the baffle plate, a bottom surface forming part of the bottom surface of the baffle plate, and a side surface extending from the top surface of the bridge element to the bottom surface of the bridge element. The through-hole is defined either by the side surfaces of at least two baffle plate elements or by the side surfaces of at least one baffle plate element and of a side surface of at least one bridge element not facing an end orifice of a tube element, which bridge element connects two spaced apart baffle plate elements from the plurality of baffle plate elements.

A method for providing bristles for automated production of brushes, in particular toothbrushes or parts thereof may comprise providing a plurality of bristles in a storage container, applying oil to at least a part of the plurality of bristles in the storage container, separating a bristle tuft from the storage and transporting the bristle tuft in a tube using an airflow. The plurality of bristles tufts can be transferred to a providing unit, in which the bristles tufts are arranged in a pre-defined tuft pattern and may be over-molded by injection molding in order to form at least a brush head. A device suitable to perform the method comprises at least an immersion unit to apply oil to bristles and an airflow-using transportation unit.

A method and an apparatus for producing bristle fields for brushes. The bristles are filled into a hole of a mold form by a feed line having an upstream end with an inlet valve and a downstream end with an outlet valve. The method includes steps of forming a bundle of bristles; applying a predefined gas pressure above atmospheric pressure in the feed line the inlet and outlet valves; inserting the bundle into the feed line at an insertion station between the inlet and outlet valves; and maintaining the predefined pressure between said valves; draining off a first volume of gas from the feed line via the outlet valve while feeding a second volume of gas into the feed line via the inlet valve, thereby moving the bundle of bristles in the feed line towards the mold form, wherein the pressure in the feed line upstream and downstream of the bundle of bristles is kept above atmospheric pressure.

According to a method or an apparatus for fastening bristles in a bristle carrier (10) without using an anchor a heating (39) is provided in a tool part configured to transport the bristles. After inserting the bristles into anchoring openings (12) in the bristle carrier (10), the anchoring openings are closed by applying pressure.