Braun Gmbh

Gillett Canada Company

Bernd Stein

Bryan Flood

Uwe Tretrop

Michael Vankov

Michael Machlitt

Rex E Reinking

Wendell M Hottmann

Alan F Kubinski

Victor McConnell

Keith Miller

Methods and apparatus for automated brush assembly are disclosed. A method of end-rounding bristle ends with an abrasive surface in random orbital motion relative to bristle tufts held in a movable gripper is described. A novel tuft carrier adapted to hold a plurality of bristle tufts in an arrangement suitable for direct mechanical insertion into the tuft chambers of a brush mold is also described. The tuft carrier has a plurality of tuft insertion cavities and a plurality of movable clamps, each clamp adapted to at least partially occlude one of the cavities when closed. Individual bristle tufts, having a fused end and a rounded or non-rounded bristle end, are transferred from a movable gripper to the tuft carrier by direct mechanical insertion. In addition, an apparatus for direct mechanical insertion of bristle tufts from a tuft carrier into the tuft chambers of a brush mold is described.

Methods and apparatus for automated brush assembly

A device for manufacturing brush products, in particular toothbrushes, with a bristle magazine having a feed chute for receiving filaments of precut length arranged in a dense array transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bristle magazine. The feed chute has a discharge opening which is bounded by a bristle picker closing the discharge opening from outside, and serves to feed filaments to a recess provided on the bristle picker. The recess receives only a predetermined quantity of filaments, combining them into tufts which are then transferred to further stations for further processing. According to the invention, the feed chute has a magazine bottom on which the discharge opening is formed. The magazine bottom is further shaped in an arcuate configuration tapering essentially in the direction of the discharge opening. This produces a steady filament flow in which dead zones are not allowed to develop.

Device for manufacturing brush products

The invention is directed to a device for the manufacture of bristle products, in particular toothbrushes, with a feed unit for precut lengths of upstanding bristles arranged loosely in a supply duct, the bristles being routed directly to a picker segment picking up the bristles. The device includes a driven conveyor at the end of the supply duct close to the picker segment, or a further processing station.

Methods and devices for the manufacture of bristle products

A clamping device for restraining filament tufts in a bristle cluster includes fixed and movable clamping plates. The clamping plates have apertures that are aligned in the unloaded position and that are offset relative to each other in the loaded position. The movable clamping plates can be displaced relative to the fixed clamping plates, and each movable clamping plate secures a specific portion of the bristle cluster.

Clamping devices

Growing community of inventors

Schmitten, Germany

Bernd Stein