Felting needle and method for producing at least one felting needle

Abstract

A felting needle has a working part that extends lengthwise along a part of the longitudinal extent thereof. The needle has a cross-sectional area which extends in the radial and circumferential directions of the felting needle and forms the cross-sectional area of the working part for much of the length thereof and at least one barb which penetrates into the working part which is formed by an incut running from the outer surface of the working part towards the interior of the needle. The needle includes at least one bulge which projects beyond the circumferential surface of the felting needle in the working part thereof. The bulge extends lengthwise only along a part of the working part and has volume constituents that do not belong to the barbing bead of the barb. The barb adjoins the outer surface of the bulge lengthwise along the felting needle.

Claims

1. A felting needle (1) which extends lengthwise (z) from a mounting (10) to a working-end extremity (16) thereof and which has a working part (15) that extends lengthwise (z) along a part of a longitudinal extent (z) of the felting needle (1), the felting needle comprising: a cross-sectional area (24-29) which extends in radial (r) and circumferential directions () of the felting needle (1) and forms the cross-sectional area (24-29) of the working part (15) for a majority of the length thereof, at least one barb (2), which penetrates into the working part (15) and is formed by an incut running from an outer surface of the working part (15) towards an interior of the felting needle (1), wherein the at least one barb includes a lip at which a height of the barb in the radial direction is at its maximum; at least one bulge (7), proximal to the barb lip, that projects convexly beyond a circumferential surface of the felting needle (1) in the working part thereof (15) in the needle's radial direction (r) and has a maximum height in the radial direction that is greater than the height of the lip, wherein the at least one bulge (7) extends lengthwise (z) along the felting needle (1) only along a part of the working part (15) in said lengthwise direction (z), wherein the at least one bulge (7) includes a barbing bead portion formed as a result of the formation of the at least one barb, wherein the at least one barb (2) adjoins the at least one bulge in the lengthwise direction (z) of the felting needle (1), and wherein the needle further comprises an elongate die imprint resulting from formation of the at least one bulge adjacent to the at least one bulge that extends in the lengthwise direction.

2. The felting needle according to claim 1, wherein a height (H) measured from a needle axis (34) in the radial direction (r) of the at least one bulge (7) varies along an extent (30) of the bulge (7) lengthwise (z) along the felting needle (1).

3. The felting needle according to claim 1, wherein the maximum height of the at least one bulge along a longitudinal extent (30) of the at least one bulge (7) lengthwise (z) along the felting needle (1) is spaced lengthwise (z) along the needle (1) from the lip (18) of the at least one barb (2) by at least 25% of the entire longitudinal extent (30) of the at least one bulge (7).

4. The felting needle according to claim 1, wherein a width of the at least one bulge (7) in the circumferential direction () of the needle tapers as a height (H) of the at least one bulge increases in radial direction (r).

5. The felting needle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one bulge (7) is a swaged bulge.

6. The felting needle according to claim 1, wherein, on a side of the at least one bulge (7) on which the at least one barb (2) adjoins the outer surface of the at least one bulge (7), at least for a distance (33) corresponding to a length (32) of the barb opening lengthwise (z) along the felting needle (1), no further bulge (7) that overlaps in the circumferential direction () with the at least one barb (2) is located lengthwise (z) along the felting needle (1).

7. A method of producing at least one felting needle (1) which extends lengthwise (z) from a mounting (10) to a working-end extremity (16) thereof, the method comprising: providing a felting needle blank; shaping a working part (15) having a cross-sectional area (24-29) that extends in radial (r) and circumferential directions () of the felting needle (1) and forms the cross-sectional area (24-29) of the working part (15) for a majority of a lengthwise (z) extent thereof (15), striking a barb (2), which penetrates into the working part (15) and is formed by an incut (2) running from an outer surface of the working part (15) towards an interior of the felting needle (1), wherein the barb includes a lip at which a height of the barb in the radial direction is at its maximum; forming at least one bulge (7) which projects convexly in the needle's radial direction (r) beyond a circumferential surface of the felting needle (1) in the working part (15) thereof and which (7) extends only over a part of the extent of the working part (15) lengthwise (z) along the at least one felting needle (1), and selecting the position of the barb (2) and the at least one bulge (7) such that the barb (2) adjoins an outer surface of the at least one bulge (7) lengthwise (z) along the needle (1) and the at least one bulge has a maximum height in the radial direction that is greater than the height of the lip; wherein the step of forming at least one bulge and the step of striking the barb are performed separately using different tools.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one bulge (7) is formed before the striking of the barb (2).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein during the striking of the barb (2), a barbing tool also displaces some of the at least one bulge (7).

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the working part (15) is formed such that it has at least one corner or edge (6) that extends over a majority of the length of the working part (15), and the at least one bulge (7) is formed on a part of a longitudinal extent (z) of the at least one corner or edge (6).

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein forming of the at least one bulge (7) is effected using at least two pressing tools which act in opposite directions at least predominantly in the radial direction (r) of the needle (1).

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising forming a bounding surface (36) of the at least one bulge (7), which delimits the at least one bulge (7) at least predominantly in the radial direction (r) of the needle (1), by at least one die (27) acting predominantly in the radial direction (r) of the needle (1).

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising moving the at least one radially (r) acting die (27) in the radial direction (r) of the needle (1) during or after forming of the bulge (7), or causing the die (27) acting in the radial direction (r) of the needle (1) to perform no movement relative to the needle in the radial direction thereof during forming of the bulge (7) such that the die serves as a stop for the material of the bulge, thereby forming the bounding surface (36) of the bulge (7).

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising using at least one radially (r) acting die (27) to form the bulge (7), said die having a work surface acting at least predominantly in the circumferential direction ().

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The following drawings show further embodiments of the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view of part of a prior-art needle.

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view of part of a needle which has already been provided with a bulge 7.

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of part of a needle 1 with a bulge 7 and a barb 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a side view of the cross section of the working part of a so-called standard triangular needle.

(6) FIG. 5 is a side view of the cross section of the working part of a so-called Cross STAR needle.

(7) FIG. 6 is a side view of the cross section of the working part of a so-called teardrop needle.

(8) FIG. 7 is a side view of the cross section of the working part of a so-called Pinch Blade needle.

(9) FIG. 8 is a side view of the cross section of the working part of a so-called Tri STAR needle.

(10) FIG. 9 is a side view of the cross section of the working part of a so-called EcoStar needle.

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a felting needle 1.

(12) FIG. 11 shows a detail from FIG. 3.

(13) FIG. 12 shows part of a needle and serves to clarify further terms.

(14) FIG. 13 again shows a cross-sectional area of a working part of a needle.

(15) FIG. 14 again shows a cross-sectional area of a working part of a needle having a bulge made of a foreign material.

(16) FIG. 15 again shows a further cross-sectional area of a working part of a needle having a bulge made of a foreign material.

(17) FIG. 16 is a side view of part of a needle 1 having a further embodiment of a bulge 7.

(18) FIG. 17 is a side view of part of a needle 1 having a further embodiment of a bulge 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(19) FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior-art felting needle 1 with a barb 2 and a barbing bead 3 generated by the barbing action. The barb 2 has a barb depth 5. The lower delimitation of the barb 2 is the barb base 9. Also of importance is the barb front 20, which ends, with increasing height (in the radial direction), in the inflection point 18 of the barb front. The influence of the barb bead is often quantified with the help of the barb projection 4 (=radial distance between the maximum height 19 of the barbing bead 3 and the inflection point 18 of the barb front).

(20) The needle 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a standard triangular cross-sectional shape 24, as shown in FIG. 4. The felting needles 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 also have this cross-sectional shape 24. The edge 6 (edges of this kind are often termed bevel) is therefore also recognizable from the viewing plane 17 (see FIG. 4).

(21) In addition to the aforementioned features, FIG. 2 also shows the bulge 7 with its maximum height 21. As already mentioned, a bulge of this kind may be produced in various ways. In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the die imprint 8 is visible, indicating that the bulge 7 shown there has been created by means of a stamping process. No barb 2 is shown in FIG. 2.

(22) FIG. 3, finally, is a side view of a felting needle 1, which, in addition to the bulge, also has a barb 2. Here too, therefore, a barb base 9 and a barb front 20 are visible. The geometry of the barb 2 and the bulge 7 shown in FIG. 3 may be created by means of an incut which penetrates into the surface of the already existent bulge 7.

(23) FIGS. 4 to 9 exemplify various cross-sectional shapes 24-29 of the working parts 15 of felting needles. These cross-sectional shapes or areas extend in the plane defined by the radial direction (r) and the circumferential direction ((p) of the respective felting needle 1. These working parts 15 offer advantages, but use of this invention can also be extended to other cross-sectional shapes.

(24) FIG. 4 shows a standard triangular cross-sectional shape 24 of a working part 15, which has three edges 6. The viewing plane 17 of FIGS. 1-3, 11-12 and 16-17 has already been mentioned. FIG. 5 shows the cross-sectional shape of a working part 15, said cross-sectional shape often being marketed under the brand name Cross STAR 25 and having four edges 6. The cross-sectional shape 26 in FIG. 6 is often called a teardrop by experts. The cross-sectional shape 27 shown in FIG. 7 is often termed Pinch Blade by experts. FIGS. 8 and 9 show cross-sectional shapes called Tri STAR 28 and EcoStar 29. What all the cross-sectional shapes mentioned have in common is that, in the needle's working part 15, they extend in the radial direction (r) and circumferential direction ((p) and form the cross-sectional shape of the working part for much of the length thereof. Exceptions in this respect are often made only by the barbs 2, the barbing beads 3 and the bulges 7. The cross-sectional shapes listed in the present publication are examples. The present invention is suitable for advantageously refining all the known and future cross-sectional shapes. The same applies with respect to different barb shapes.

(25) FIG. 10 shows a felting needle 1 and clarifies some of the terms used in this publication. Like many felting needles, this needle 1 has a foot 10 for securing it to a needle board. After a 90 bend, the shank 11 of the felting needle commences, transitioning after the upper cone 12 into a reduced shank 13. It goes without saying that felting needles are known that only have one shaft, which is of uniform diameter, and not one shaft 11 and a reduced shaft 12. The lower cone 14 forms the transition to the working part 15, on which barbs 2 are visible. The felting needle 1 ends in a point 16. Of course, structuring needles, too, are known, where the shape of this point 16 or working-end extremity differs from those of typical needles. The present invention can be used to advantage with all kinds of felting needle.

(26) FIG. 11 shows an enlarged detail from FIG. 3. This drawing serves to explain, in particular, the distances 30, 31 and 32: the longitudinal extent 30 of the bulge 7 in the z direction, which goes from the beginning 35 of the bulge to the inflection point 18 of the barb front 20; the distance 31 in the longitudinal direction (z) between the height maximum 21 of the bulge 7 and the inflection point 18 of the barb front; the longitudinal extent 32 of the barb opening/the length 32 of the barb opening in the longitudinal direction (z) of the needle 1.

(27) FIG. 12 shows a longer section of the needle 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 11 from the same viewing plane 17. In FIG. 12, two barbs 2 and two bulges 7 are visible. The aforementioned objects have the same position in the circumferential direction (cp). The length 32 of the barb opening in the longitudinal direction (z) of the needle 1 and the distance 33 from the lip of the barb opening to the beginning of the next bulge 7 are also shown. As already mentioned, it is advantageous if these two lengths or distances 32, 33 have a given ratio one to the other and if a given minimum distance 33 is observed.

(28) FIGS. 13-15 again show cross-sectional areas 27-29 of working parts of felting needles 1, which extend along the plane defined by the radial direction (r) and the circumferential direction ((p) of the needles. It is to advantage, but by no means essential, if the bulge 7 lies on an edge 6. There are a number of advantageous ways of creating such a bulge. Examples: During shaping of the cross-sectional area 24-29 of the working part 15. By means of a stamping process, as is symbolized in FIG. 13 by the arrow 22. Two or one stamping die(s) or tool(s) may be moved in this process. By means of inserting foreign material 23, as shown in FIG. 14. If the intention is to locate the bulge on an edge, and if the cross-sectional shape 24-29 of the working part has edges 6 that are offset relative to one another by approx. 180 in the circumferential direction, as is the case with the cross-sectional shape 27, it is even possible to pierce the needle with such a body of foreign material 23 and push it through the needle; alternatively, the body of foreign material can be pushed through an appropriate hole created by drilling or a similar process (FIG. 15).

(29) In FIG. 12, a broken line indicates the location of the needle axis 34 within the needle. FIGS. 6 and 8 indicate this needle axis explicitly with the reference numeral 34. This position is indicated by means of a cross in the other drawings, too, which show cross-sectional surfaces of needles 1. The needle axis 34 is the centre of the part of the needle (in FIG. 10 shank 11, upper cone 12, reduced shank 13, lower cone 14, working part 14 and maybe point 15) running lengthwise of the needle. One might also say that the needle axis 34 is the needle's principal symmetry axis without the foot 10.

(30) FIGS. 16 and 17 show side views of a part of two needles 1 with further embodiments of bulges 7, which are provided, in the radial direction (r), with a specially formed bounding surface 36 of the bulge 7. This shaping of the bounding surface 36 may be performed with a radially acting die 37. The double-headed arrow 38 shows the direction of action of this die. In this context, direction of action does not necessarily mean that the die 37 is also moved in this direction (r). It 37 can, for example, also act in this direction if it is stationary relative to the needle 1 and counters further growth of the bulge 7 during creation of the latter. The described forming process for the bounding surface 36 is advantageous for all embodiments of the needle shown. It enables the height of the bulge, that is, the radial distance from the needle axis 34 to the bounding surface 36, to be set exactly. It is, of course, also possible to set the position of the bounding surface 36 in the other spatial directions. This is emphasized by the difference between the embodiments shown in FIGS. 16 and 17: in the embodiment according to FIG. 16, there is a distance 31 between the height maximum 21 of the bulge 7 and the inflection point 18 of the barb front. The bounding surface 36 begins when the bulge has reached its maximum height 21.

(31) In the embodiment according to FIG. 17, the distance 31 has shrunk to zero. This result may be obtained by positioning the radially acting die 37 differently relative to the needle 1 in the longitudinal direction (z) thereof during forming of the bounding surface 36 (cf. FIG. 17 again).

(32) This example, too, makes it clear that a very large number of felting needle variants can be produced using the described method.

(33) TABLE-US-00001 List of reference numerals 1 Felting needle 2 Barb 3 Barbing bead 4 Barb projection 5 Barb depth 6 Edge 7 Bulge 8 Die imprint 9 Barb base 10 Foot of the felting needle 11 Shank of the felting needle 12 Upper cone 13 Reduced shank of the felting needle 14 Lower cone 15 Working part 16 Needle point 17 Viewing plane 18 Inflection point of the barb front 19 Maximum height of the barbing bead 20 Barb front 21 Maximum height of the bulge 22 Arrow showing movement of pinching die 23 Foreign material 24 Standard triangular 25 Cross STAR 26 Teardrop 27 Pinch Blade 28 Tri STAR 29 EcoStar 30 Longitudinal extent (z) of the bulge 7 31 Distance, in the longitudinal direction, between the height maximum 21 of the bulge and the inflection point 18 of the barb front 32 Longitudinal extent (z) of the barb opening 2/Length of the barb opening in the longitudinal direction of the needle 1 33 Distance, in the longitudinal direction, between the opening of a first barb 3 and a further bulge 7 34 Needle axis, symmetry axis of the needle without its foot 35 Start of the bulge (here, at the end further from the barb, the bulge begins to rise above the circumferential surface of the working part's cross-sectional profile) 36 Bounding surface of the bulge in the radial direction 37 Radially acting die 38 Arrow showing direction of action of the die z Longitudinal coordinate of the needle r Radial coordinate of the needle Circumferential coordinate of the needle