A braiding apparatus for forming braided tubing comprises a braiding wheel and a plurality of bobbins. The plurality of bobbins are configured to move circumferentially around the braiding wheel. Each bobbin includes a spool, a first pulley assembly, and a second pulley assembly. The spool is configured to hold a tow formed from a braiding material. The first pulley assembly is coupled to the spool at a first distance from the spool. The first pulley assembly is configured to facilitate passing the tow over a pulley of the first pulley assembly. The second pulley assembly is coupled to the spool at a second distance that is less than the first distance. The second pulley assembly is configured to facilitate receiving the tow from the first pulley assembly and passing the tow over a pulley of the second pulley assembly and towards a section of the braiding apparatus at which a plurality of tows come together to form the braided tubing.

A device for producing a braided sheath around an elongate object. The device has a warp thread frame which rotates in a warp thread rotation direction about a machine axis and has a group of warp thread bobbins, and the device has a group of bobbin carriers which rotate in the opposite direction about the machine axis and each have at least one weft thread bobbin. At least one warp thread is guided from each warp thread bobbin to a braiding point and at least one weft thread is guided from each weft thread bobbin to the braiding point. The course of the warp thread can be shifted alternately above and below the weft thread rotating past in the opposite direction via a laying means. The device has a bobbin carrier support which rotates with the warp thread frame in the warp thread rotation direction during operation.

A device for producing a braided sheath around an elongate object. The device has a warp thread frame which rotates in a warp thread rotation direction about a machine axis and has a group of warp thread bobbins, and the device has a group of bobbin carriers which rotate in the opposite direction about the machine axis and each have at least one weft thread bobbin. At least one warp thread is guided from each warp thread bobbin to a braiding point and at least one weft thread is guided from each weft thread bobbin to the braiding point. The course of the warp thread can be shifted alternately above and below the weft thread rotating past in the opposite direction via a laying means. The device has a bobbin carrier support which rotates with the warp thread frame in the warp thread rotation direction during operation.

In an aspect, a braiding machine is provided, and has a set of spool shuttles that each dispense a strand of flexible material under tension. A strand retractor releasably retracts the strands from the spool shuttles. A plurality of shuttle stations at which the spool shuttles can be positioned are arranged in a circuit. At least one shuttle carriage, when driven, repeatedly selects an immediately previously unselected spool shuttle and moves the immediately previously unselected spool shuttle from an associated shuttle station to another shuttle station along the circuit spaced from the associated shuttle station by at least one shuttle station that is intermediate the associated shuttle station and the other shuttle station. At least one spool shuttle is parkable at the at least one shuttle station. A drive arrangement is coupled to the shuttle carriage to drive the shuttle carriage.

In an aspect, a braiding machine is provided, and has a set of spool shuttles that each dispense a strand of flexible material under tension. A strand retractor releasably retracts the strands from the spool shuttles. A plurality of shuttle stations at which the spool shuttles can be positioned are arranged in a circuit. At least one shuttle carriage, when driven, repeatedly selects an immediately previously unselected spool shuttle and moves the immediately previously unselected spool shuttle from an associated shuttle station to another shuttle station along the circuit spaced from the associated shuttle station by at least one shuttle station that is intermediate the associated shuttle station and the other shuttle station. At least one spool shuttle is parkable at the at least one shuttle station. A drive arrangement is coupled to the shuttle carriage to drive the shuttle carriage.

In an aspect, a braiding machine is provided, and has a set of spool shuttles that each dispense a strand of flexible material under tension. A strand retractor releasably retracts the strands from the spool shuttles. A plurality of shuttle stations at which the spool shuttles can be positioned are arranged in a circuit. At least one shuttle carriage, when driven, repeatedly selects an immediately previously unselected spool shuttle and moves the immediately previously unselected spool shuttle from an associated shuttle station to another shuttle station along the circuit spaced from the associated shuttle station by at least one shuttle station that is intermediate the associated shuttle station and the other shuttle station. At least one spool shuttle is parkable at the at least one shuttle station. A drive arrangement is coupled to the shuttle carriage to drive the shuttle carriage.

In an aspect, a braiding machine is provided, and has a set of spool shuttles that each dispense a strand of flexible material under tension. A strand retractor releasably retracts the strands from the spool shuttles. A plurality of shuttle stations at which the spool shuttles can be positioned are arranged in a circuit. At least one shuttle carriage, when driven, repeatedly selects an immediately previously unselected spool shuttle and moves the immediately previously unselected spool shuttle from an associated shuttle station to another shuttle station along the circuit spaced from the associated shuttle station by at least one shuttle station that is intermediate the associated shuttle station and the other shuttle station. At least one spool shuttle is parkable at the at least one shuttle station. A drive arrangement is coupled to the shuttle carriage to drive the shuttle carriage.

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.

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.

A device for producing a braided sheath around an elongate object. The device has a warp thread frame which rotates in a warp thread rotation direction about a machine axis and has a group of warp thread bobbins, and the device has a group of bobbin carriers which rotate in the opposite direction about the machine axis and each have at least one weft thread bobbin. At least one warp thread is guided from each warp thread bobbin to a braiding point and at least one weft thread is guided from each weft thread bobbin to the braiding point. The course of the warp thread can be shifted alternately above and below the weft thread rotating past in the opposite direction via a laying means. The device has a bobbin carrier support which rotates with the warp thread frame in the warp thread rotation direction during operation.