APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING BRISTLE PRODUCTS

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for producing bristle products (2), in particular brushes, brooms and/or paint brushes, having at least two stations (3,4) and a transport apparatus (5), with which the bristle product bodies (6) and/or bristle products (2) to be processed are movable from station to station. The transport apparatus (5) has at least two transport planes (7,8) which are independent of one another and in which bristle product bodies (6) and/or bristle products (2) can be supplied to the stations (3,4) for processing and/or handling.

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for producing bristle products (2), the apparatus comprising: at least two stations (3,4); a transport apparatus (5) with which at least one of bristle product bodies (6) or the bristle products (2) to be processed are movable from one said station to another said station; wherein the transport apparatus (5) has at least two transport planes (7,8) which are independent of one another and in which the at least one of the bristle product bodies (6) or the bristle products (2) are suppliable to the stations (3,4) for at least one of processing or handling.

2. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a) the apparatus (1) comprises a carousel machine or b) the transport planes (7, 8) in each case have a closed transport track (9).

3. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, further comprising, in each transport plane (7, 8), at least one transport holder (10) for at least of one said bristle product body (6) or at least one said bristle product (2).

4. The apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein the at least one transport holder (10) is movable in a plurality of axes.

5. The apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of said transport holders (10) of at least one said transport plane (7, 8) are movable independently of one another along a respective transport track (9) of the respective transport plane (7, 8) or a plurality of said transport holders (10) of at least one said transport plane (7, 8) are rigidly interlinked.

6. The apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein at least one of a) the transport planes (7, 8) each have at least one of a transport guide (11) or a rack (12) for the transport holders (10), or b) the apparatus (1) further comprises a transport drive (26).

7. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one said station (3, 4) has at least one movably guided processing unit (13) which is adjustable in processing positions assigned to the transport planes (7, 8) in order to process the at least one of the bristle products (2) or the bristle product bodies (6) on each of the transport planes (7, 8).

8. The apparatus (1) according to claim 7, wherein at least one said station (3, 4) has a guide (14) along which the at least one processing unit (13) is movable into the processing positions assigned to the transport planes (7, 8).

9. The apparatus (1) according to claim 7, further comprising at least one transport holder (10) that is mounted movably along a movement axis (15) which is oriented at least one of transversely or at a right angle with respect to a transport direction of the transport apparatus (5) or parallel to a movement of the processing unit (13) of one said station (3, 4) between the processing positions assigned to the different transport planes (7, 8).

10. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stations (3, 4) comprise at least one of a drilling station (16), a tufting station (17), a final processing station (18) or a handling station (19).

11. The apparatus (1) according to claim 7, wherein the processing unit (13) comprises a drilling unit (20), a tufting unit (21), a final processing unit (22), a milling unit, or a grinding unit.

12. The apparatus (1) according to claim 3, further comprising at least one positioning drive (27, 28) for at least one of the at least one transport holder (10) or a processing unit (13, 20, 21, 22).

13. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, further comprising at least one controller (29) configured for activating at least one of the transport apparatus (5) or the stations (3, 4).

14. A method for producing bristle products (2), the method comprising: moving a processing unit (13) from a starting position on a starting transport plane (7, 8) of at least two transport planes (7, 8) into a target position (31) on a target transport plane (7, 8) of the transport planes (7, 8); and processing at least one of a bristle product body (6) or the bristle product (2) arranged on a transport holder (10) of the target transport plane (7, 8).

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising synchronously moving the transport holder (10) of the target transport plane (7, 8) and the processing unit (13) on their way into the target position (31), and the processing unit (13) processes the at least one of the bristle product body (6) or the bristle product (2) during the synchronized movement.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a movement of the transport holder (10) and a movement of the processing unit (13) into the target position (31) are oriented transversely with respect to a transport direction of the transport apparatus (5) of the apparatus (1).

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising moving the transport holder (10) into a receiving position (32) which is arranged at least one of adjacent to the starting transport plane (7, 8) or in a plane between the starting transport plane (7, 8) and the target position (31) of the processing unit (13).

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising moving the transport holder (10) into the receiving position (32) at least one of before the processing unit (13) passes into the target position (31) or before the transport holder (10) is moved in synchronism with the processing unit (13) into a plane in which the target position (31) of the processing unit (13) is located.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein at least one of a) the movement of the transport holder (10) into the receiving position (32) takes place in a direction of the starting transport plane (7, 8), or b) the movement of the transport holder (10) into the receiving position (32) is opposed to the movement of the processing unit (13) into the target position (31).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment, but is not restricted to this exemplary embodiment. Further exemplary embodiments emerge by combining the features of individual claims or a plurality of claims with one another and/or in combination with individual features or a plurality of features of the exemplary embodiment. In the figures:

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an apparatus for producing bristle products, the apparatus comprising three processing stations and a handling station and a transport apparatus having two independent transport planes in which bristle product bodies can be moved independently of one another from station to station by means of transport holders,

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 from a perspective rotated by 90 degrees in comparison to FIG. 1 with a view of a tufting station of the apparatus,

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to illustrate a movement of processing units into processing positions which are assigned to a lower of the two transport planes,

[0044] FIG. 4 shows a view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 from the perspective according to FIG. 2,

[0045] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, wherein the transport holders of the lower transport plane are arranged in receiving positions adjacent to the upper transport plane from which the processing units are delivered,

[0046] FIG. 6 shows a view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 from the perspective according to FIGS. 2 and 4,

[0047] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, wherein transport holders and the processing units of the lower transport plane have arrived into target positions on the lower transport plane by means of a synchronized movement, and

[0048] FIG. 8 shows a view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 7 from the perspective according to FIGS. 2, 4 and 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] All of the figures show an apparatus, denoted in its entirety by 1, for producing bristle products 2, namely brushes, brooms and/or paint brushes. The apparatus 1 has a total of four stations, of which three stations are processing stations 3 and one station is a handling station 4.

[0050] The apparatus 1 comprises a transport apparatus 5 with which bristle product bodies 6 and/or bristle products 2 to be processed can be moved from station to station 3, 4. The transport apparatus 5 is in the form of a transport carousel and comprises two transport planes 7 and 8 which are independent of each other and in which bristle product bodies 6 and/or bristle products 2 can be supplied to the stations 3 and 4 of the apparatus 1 for processing and/or handling.

[0051] The apparatus 1 may be referred to as a carousel machine because of the transport apparatus 5 in the form of a transport carousel. The transport planes 7 and 8 are arranged vertically one above the other and each have a closed transport track 9, along which the bristle products 2 and/or bristle product bodies 6 can be moved from station to station 3, 4. In the case of the apparatus 1 shown in the figures, the transport tracks 9 of the two transport planes 7 and 8 are circular.

[0052] The upper transport plane is denoted by 7, the lower transport plane by 8. The two transport tracks 9 of the transport planes 7 and 8 run around a centre axis of the transport apparatus 5, about which the bristle products 2 and/or bristle product bodies 6 can be transported from station to station 3, 4.

[0053] In each transport plane 7 and 8, the transport apparatus 5 in each case has four transport holders 10 for one bristle product body 6 or one bristle product 2 in each case. The bristle product bodies 6 and bristle products 2 can be moved along the transport tracks 9 within the individual transport planes 7 and 8 between the stations 3 and 4 of the apparatus 1 by means of the transport holders 10. Each transport plane 7 and 8 therefore has a number of transport holders 10 corresponding to the number of stations 3 and 4 of the apparatus 1.

[0054] Each of the transport holders 10 can be moved in a plurality of axes, in the case of the exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1 shown in the figures in three axes in each case. In this way, the bristle products 2 and/or bristle product bodies 6 clamped to the transport holders 10 can be correspondingly positioned at the processing stations 3 for processing.

[0055] In the case of the apparatus 1 shown in the figures, the transport holders 10 of each of the two transport planes 7 and 8 can be moved independently of one another along the respective transport track 9 of the transport planes 7, 8. In an embodiment of the apparatus 1 that is not shown in the figures, the transport holders 10 are rigidly interlinked within a transport plane.

[0056] The transport planes 7 and 8 each have two transport guides 11 and a rack 12 for the transport holders 10. The two transport guides 11 are designed as transport rails in which the transport holders 10 are hung. The transport guides 11 predetermine the transport track 9 of the respective transport planes 7, 8. The racks 12 of the two transport planes 7 and 8 serve for driving the individual transport holders 10. In the exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 1 that is shown, a gearwheel drive 30 is used as the transport drive 26 of the transport apparatus 5. The transport holders 10 can be moved along the respective rack 12 from station to station 3, 4 of the apparatus 1 via the gearwheel drive 30.

[0057] Each of the processing stations 3 has a processing unit 13 which can be adjusted into different processing positions respectively assigned to the transport planes 7 and 8. It is thereby possible to move the processing units 13 of the processing stations 3 to and fro between the transport planes 7 and 8 in order to process bristle product bodies 6 and/or bristle products 2 held ready on the transport planes 7 and 8.

[0058] In order to be able to move the processing units 13 of the processing stations 3 between the transport planes 7 and 8, the processing stations 3 each have a guide 14, namely a linear guide, along which the respective processing unit 13 is movable into the processing positions respectively assigned to the transport planes 7 and 8. The guides 14 each predetermine a movement direction which is oriented transversely, namely at a right angle, with respect to the transport direction which is predetermined by the transport tracks 9 of the transport apparatus 5.

[0059] The transport holders 10 arranged on the two transport planes 7 and 8 can also be moved along a movement axis 15 which is oriented transversely with respect to the transport direction of the transport apparatus 5. In this way, positioning movements during the processing of bristle products 2 and/or bristle product bodies 6 and also synchronized movements with respect to the processing units 13 of the processing stations 4 of the apparatus 3 can be carried out by the transport holders 10.

[0060] The apparatus has a drilling station 16, a tufting station 17, a final processing station 18 and a handling station 19 as processing stations 3.

[0061] The drilling station 16 has a drilling unit 20 as a processing unit 13. A tufting unit 21 is provided as a processing unit 13 at the tufting stations 17. A milling unit or else a grinding unit with which bristle bundles tufted into bristle products bodies 6 by means of the tufting unit 21 can be shortened and/or ground is provided as the final processing unit 22 of the final processing station 18.

[0062] The handling station 19 has a handling gripper 23 with which bristle product bodies 6 can be picked up by a feeder 24 and placed into the transport holders 10 of the transport apparatus 5. The handling grippers 23 of the handling station 19 are also used to remove finished bristle products 2, which pass again with the transport holders 10 to the handling station 19 after the final processing at the final processing station 18, and to deposit them on a tray 25 for a following handling and/or processing step.

[0063] The transport holders 10 can be moved along the transport tracks 9 within the transport planes 7 and 8 from station to station 3, 4 by means of the transport drive 26. In the drilling station 16, the bristle product bodies 6 held ready at the transport holders 10 are provided with bundle-receiving holes. This is undertaken by means of the drilling unit 20 of the drilling station 16. In the subsequent tufting stations 17, bristle bundles are tufted into the produced bundle-receiving holes by means of the tufting unit 21.

[0064] The final processing of the bristle products 2, for example by grinding and/or shortening of the bristle bundles, takes place in the downstream final processing station 18.

[0065] The transport holders 10 can be positioned in the three axes, already mentioned previously, at the respective processing station 3 or at the handling station 4, 19 by means of a positioning drive 27. The positioning drive 27 can also be used to move the transport holders 10 along the movement axis 15 transversely, namely at a right angle, with respect to the transport track 9 of the respective transport plane 7 and 8.

[0066] The processing stations 3 also each have a positioning drive 28. The positioning dries 28 can be used to position the processing units 13, 20, 21 and 22 of the apparatus 1 along the guide 14. This takes place firstly for processing the bristle products 2 and bristle product bodies 6 each kept ready on the transport planes 7 and 8 for processing and secondly to move the processing units 13 to and fro between the transport planes 7 and 8 if processing of bristle product bodies 6 or bristle products 2 is intended to be displaced from one transport plane 7, 8 to the other transport plane 7, 8.

[0067] The previously mentioned functional units of the apparatus 1 can be activated by means of a controller 29 of the apparatus 1. The controller 29 is therefore configured for activating the transport apparatus 5, the stations 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 19, the processing units 13, 20, 21, 22 and the handling gripper 23, the transport drive 26, namely the gearwheel drive 30, and the positioning drives 27 and 28. The feeder 24 and tray 25 of the apparatus 1 can also be activated using the controller 29.

[0068] The previously mentioned apparatus 1 is configured for carrying out the method for producing bristle products 2 that is explained below.

[0069] In this case, a processing unit 13, 20, 21, 22 is moved from a starting position on a starting transport plane, for example on the upper transport plane 7 of the two transport planes 7, 8 of the apparatus 1, into a target position 31 on a target transport plane, for example on the lower transport plane 8 of the two transport planes 7, 8 of the apparatus 1, in order to process a bristle product body 6 and/or a bristle product 2, which bristle product body/bristle product is arranged on a transport holder 10 of the target transport plane 7, 8.

[0070] The transport holder 10 of the target transport plane 8 is moved into its target position 31 in synchronism with the movement of the processing unit 13. During said synchronized movement of the transport holder 10, processing of the bristle product body 6 and/or of the bristle products 2 arranged on the transport holder 10 is already taking place by means of the processing unit 13, 20, 21, 22. A comparison of FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 7 or 2, 4, 6 and 8 makes this clear.

[0071] FIG. 1 shows, for example, how the drilling unit 20 of the drilling station 16 processes a bristle product body 6 which is held ready on a transport holder 10 of the upper transport plane 7. In the meantime, a transport holder 10 of the lower transport plane 8 is moved with an as yet unprocessed bristle product body 6 to the drilling station 16.

[0072] A comparison of FIGS. 1 and 3 clarifies that the transport holder 10 of the upper transport plane 7 is moved in synchronism with the drilling unit 20 in the direction of the lower transport plane 8 even as the bristle product body 6 held ready in the upper transport plane 7 is being processed. This takes place by displacing the transport holder 10 along the movement axis 15 of the transport holder 10 of the upper transport plane 7 in the direction of the lower transport plane 8.

[0073] FIG. 3 shows that the drilling unit 10, after the bristle product body 6 has been processed, is moved further along the guide 14 on the upper transport plane 7 in the direction of the lower transport plane 8.

[0074] In the meantime, the transport holder 10, located at the drilling station 16, of the lower transport plane 8 has already been moved together with the next bristle product body 6 to be processed into a receiving position 32 which is adjacent to the upper transport plane 7. This takes place by means of a movement, oriented in the direction of the starting transport plane 7, of the transport holder 10 of the lower transport plane 8 along its movement axis 15.

[0075] A distance which the processing unit 13, namely the drilling unit 20, has to cover on its path from the starting transport plane 7 to the target transport plane 8 without the possibility of processing a bristle product body 6 which is kept ready on the target transport plane 8 is thereby minimized. FIG. 5 shows that the drilling unit 10 can thereby begin comparatively early with the processing of the next bristle product body 6.

[0076] FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 8 show that the bristle product bodies 6 are processed at the tufting station 17 in the same way. The final processing of the bristle products 2 in the final processing station 18 is also carried out in the same way.

[0077] The synchronized movement of the respective transport holder 10 and the movement of the processing unit 13 assigned thereto takes place transversely, namely at a right angle, with respect to a transport direction which is predetermined by the transport apparatus 5 by means of the transport tracks 9 of the two transport planes 7 and 8.

[0078] The transport holders 10 are moved into their receiving position 32 before the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 are moved into their target positions 31 at the drilling station 16 and the tufting station 17. The movements of the transport holders 10 into their receiving positions 32 are opposite here to the movements of the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 into their target positions 31. The transport holders 10 are moved from their receiving positions 32 in synchronism with the movements of the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 together with the latter in horizontal planes in which the target positions 31 of the processing unit 13 are located.

[0079] The distances to be covered in each case for the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 and within which bristle product bodies 6 or bristle products 2 cannot be processed are minimized in advance by means of the movements of the transport holders 10 into the receiving positions 32.

[0080] FIGS. 3 and 4 show transport holders 10 of the lower transport plane 8 already in their receiving positions 32. The receiving positions 32 of the transport holders 10 are arranged adjacent to the starting transport plane 7 and in horizontal planes which are located between the starting transport plane 7 and the target positions 31 of the respective processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 on the target transport plane 8. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 in their target positions 31.

[0081] In FIGS. 5 and 6, the transport holders 10 continue to be arranged in their respective receiving position 32. The processing units 13, 20 (FIG. 5) or 13, 21 (FIG. 6) have then reached a position which is already located in the region of the lower transport plane 8.

[0082] The movements of the transport holders 10 into their receiving positions 32 take place in the direction of the starting transport plane 7 and, as already explained previously, are opposed to the movements of the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 into their target positions 31.

[0083] Starting from the position respectively illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the processing units 13, 20 and 13, 21 are moved into their target positions 31 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively. Together with the respective processing unit 13, 20 and 13, 21, the transport holders 10 are moved from their receiving positions 32, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in synchronism with the respective processing unit 13, 20 and 13, 21. During said synchronized movement, a bristle product body 6 clamped on the respective transport holder 10 can already be processed by the corresponding processing unit 13, 20 or 13, 21 before the target positions 31 according to FIGS. 7 and 8 are reached.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0084] 1 Apparatus

[0085] 2 Bristle product

[0086] 3 Station, namely processing station

[0087] 4 Station, namely handling station

[0088] 5 Transport apparatus

[0089] 6 Bristle product body

[0090] 7 Upper transport plane

[0091] 8 Lower transport plane

[0092] 9 Transport track

[0093] 10 Transport holder

[0094] 11 Transport guide

[0095] 12 Rack

[0096] 13 Processing unit

[0097] 14 Guide for 13

[0098] 15 Movement axis of 10

[0099] 16 Drilling station

[0100] 17 Tufting station

[0101] 18 Final processing station

[0102] 19 Handling station

[0103] 20 Drilling unit

[0104] 21 Tufting unit

[0105] 22 Final processing unit

[0106] 23 Handling gripper

[0107] 24 Feeder

[0108] 25 Tray

[0109] 26 Transport drive

[0110] 27 Positioning drive for 10

[0111] 28 Positioning drive for 13

[0112] 29 Controller

[0113] 30 Gearwheel drive

[0114] 31 Target position

[0115] 32 Receiving position