GRIPPER FOR A TUFTING MACHINE

Abstract

The invention relates to a gripper for a tufting machine, which has a gripper body and an insert. In the longitudinal direction, the gripper has a holding section and a guiding section. At the end further away from the holding section, in the longitudinal direction, the guiding section terminates in a hook which has an inner side in which a joint gap is arranged between the gripper body and the insert. According to the invention, the gripper is characterised in that a stop means, against which the insert abuts in the longitudinal direction towards the holding section, is arranged on the gripper body in the gripper's guiding section in order to limit the size of the joint gap in the inner side of the hook.

Claims

1. Gripper (1) for a tufting machine, comprising a gripper body (2) and an insert (3), wherein the gripper (1) has, in a longitudinal direction (L), a holding section (4) and a guiding section (5), wherein, at an end further away from the holding section (4), in the longitudinal direction (L), the guiding section (5) terminates in a hook (14), wherein said hook has an inner side (15), in which a joint gap (18) is arranged between the gripper body (2) and the insert (3), wherein a stop means (6), against which the insert (3) abuts in the longitudinal direction (L) towards the holding section (4), is arranged on the gripper body (2) in the guiding section (5) of the gripper (1) in order to limit a size of the joint gap (18) in the inner side (15) of the hook (14).

2. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein a contact means (7), which abuts against the gripper body's stop means (6) in the longitudinal direction (L) towards the holding section (4), is arranged on the insert (3) in the guiding section (5) of the gripper.

3. Gripper (1) according to claim 2, wherein at least 50% of an inner side (15), facing towards the holding section (4), of the hook (14) is formed by the insert (3).

4. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stop means (6) on the gripper body (2) is arranged longitudinally in the guiding section (5), in the end area thereof which is further away from the holding section (4).

5. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein a distance, in the longitudinal direction (L), between the stop means (6) and an end of the guiding section (5) nearer to the holding section (4) is at least twice as great as a distance, in the longitudinal direction, between the stop means (6) and an end of the guiding section (5) of the gripper (1) which is further away from the holding section (4).

6. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stop means (6) is arranged securely on the gripper body (2) and the contact means (7) securely on the insert (3).

7. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stop means (6) has a stop-surface element (8) with a surface normal (9) pointing, in the longitudinal direction (L), towards an end of the guiding section (5) of the gripper (1) which is further away from the holding section, and the contact means (7) has, arranged on the insert (6), a contact-surface element (10) with a surface normal (11) pointing, in the longitudinal direction (L), towards the holding section (2), and that the stop-surface element (8) and the contact-surface element (10) are arranged such as to be mutually contiguous.

8. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the stop means (6) is formed by a projection (12) on the gripper body (2) or the insert (3), and the contact means (7) is formed by a depression (13) in the insert (3) or the gripper body (2).

9. Gripper (1) according to claim 8, wherein the projection (12) is formed integrally with the gripper body (2) or the insert (3).

10. Gripper (1) according to claim 8, wherein the projection (12) is formed by an additional part.

11. Gripper according to claim 1, wherein the gripper body (2) and the insert (3) do not overlap in a lateral direction (B).

12. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein a bonding agent is disposed between the gripper body (2) and the insert (3).

13. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the insert (3) comprises hard metal.

14. Gripper (1) according to claim 1, wherein the gripper body (2) comprises a tool steel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a view of a flat side of a gripper according to the invention, with the gripper held in a gripper block.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a view of a flat side of another gripper according to the invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the end portion of the gripper shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 4a shows the gripper body of FIG. 3.

[0022] FIG. 4b shows the insert of FIG. 3.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a further gripper according to the invention.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows a further gripper according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a view of a flat side 16 of a gripper 1 according to the invention, with the gripper 1 held in a gripper block 17. To simplify matters, details have been largely omitted in all of the drawings. For example, the joint gap between the gripper body 2 and the insert 3 is never shown as having a width but just as a simple line at the site of the joint. The longitudinal and elevational directions are also indicated. The same orientation applies to all the following drawings. Further grippers 1 that are obscured by the gripper 1 shown may be secured to the gripper block 17. In so far, FIG. 1 only serves to provide a general overview.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows another gripper 1 according to the invention, again looking at a flat side 16. For purposes of clarification, the holding portion 4 and the guiding portion 5 are indicated with curly brackets. Both the gripper body 2 and the insert 3 extend into the holding portion 4 and into the guiding portion 5, including into the hook 14. The hook forms, inter alia, an inner side 15 which is oriented towards the holding portion 4. In this embodiment, the insert 3 forms a contact means 7, which projects from the insert 3 and interacts with a stop means 6 configured as a depression in the gripper body 2. The stop means 6 in the gripper body 2 has a surface normal 9, which is shown as an arrow starting from said stop means 6.

[0027] The surface normal 11 of the contact means 7 on the insert 3 is also shown as an arrow, starting from said contact means 7. On the inner side 15 of the hook 14, the gripper body 2 and the insert 3 form a joint 18, which, however, is again depicted only as a simple line.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the end portion of the gripper 1 shown in FIG. 1. The end of the gripper 1 is pointed, this being visualised by the ground edge 19 on the gripper body 2. The insert 3 forms the major part of the inner side 15 of the hook 14. On the gripper body 2, a stop means 6 is configured, which projects out from the gripper body 2. A matching contact means 7 is configured on the insert 3 and abuts on the stop means 6 on the gripper body. Here too, the joint gap 18 between the gripper body 2 and the insert 3 is just shown as a simple line, although a readily recognizable gap may exist between the parts.

[0029] FIG. 4a shows the gripper body 2 of FIG. 3. FIG. 4b shows the insert 3 of FIG. 3. The two parts are precisely aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction, although, for purposes of easier comprehension, the insert has been displaced downwards in the opposite elevational direction H. The gripper body has a projection 12, which has a stop-surface portion 8 with a surface normal 9 shown as an arrow. The insert 3 has a depression 13. A contact-surface element 10 with a surface normal 11 shown as an arrow lies in the depression 13.

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a further gripper 1 according to the invention. Differing from the preceding illustrative embodiments, the insert 3 has a projection 12 which is located at the very end of the insert 3 as seen in the longitudinal direction.

[0031] FIG. 6 shows a further gripper 1 according to the invention. In this illustrative example, the contact means 7 on the insert 3 is again provided at the end of the insert as seen in the longitudinal direction L, but in this example on the bottom portion of the insert 3 as seen in the elevational direction H. A matching stop means 6 is configured on the gripper body 2.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference numerals 1 Gripper 2 Gripper body 3 Insert 4 Holding section 5 Guiding section 6 Stop means 7 Contact means 8 Stop-surface element 9 Surface normal to the stop-surface element 10 Contact-surface element 11 Surface normal to the contact-surface element 12 Projection 13 Depression 14 Hook 15 Inner side of hook 16 Flat side 17 Gripper block 18 Joint gap 19 Ground edge B Lateral direction H Elevational direction L Longitudinal direction