Card-Monroe Corp.

Ricky E Mathews

Marshall Allen Neely

Wilton Hall

William M Christman, Jr

Todd Woodall

Daryl L Gibson

Brian Lovelady

Jamie Vetter

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by actuators to extend or retract the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further can be controlled in conjunction with the movement of the gauge parts, while the backing feed can also be controlled, to enable formation of tufts of yarns at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

Tufting machine and method of tufting

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by activators to extend or retract the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further will be controlled to back-rob yarns not picked-up by the gauge parts, while the backing feed will be controlled to enable formation of tufts at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

A tufting machine includes a drive system for driving reciprocation of one or more needle bars carrying a series of needles. A backing material will be fed through a tufting zone of the tufting machine, with the needles penetrating into and out of the backing material, and with the reciprocation of the needle bars controlled by the drive system to form tufts of yarns in the backing material at increased production rates.

Tufting machine needle drive system

Gauge module

A system, apparatus and methods for forming tufted articles can include a hollow needle tufting machine for forming patterned tufted articles including multiple colors of yarns. The hollow needle tufting machine can include a series of hollow needles arranged along a needle bar at a gauge spacing and will receive a series of different color and/or types of yarns from a yarn feed system. A funnel block having a series of funnels configured to receive a series of yarns will be provided adjacent the needle bar for directing selected yarns to a corresponding or associated hollow needle. The hollow needles will be reciprocated into and out of a backing to deliver a series of yarns; and can be engaged by corresponding knives to form tufts of yarns. The knives can be moved between no-cut and cutting positions to form loop and cut pile tufts of yarns in the backing.

Tufting machines and methods of tufting

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by activators to move the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further will be controlled to pull back the yarns not picked-up by the gauge parts, while the backing feed will be controlled to enable formation of tufts at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

A shift mechanism for a tufting machine for controlling the transverse, lateral shifting movement of a series of needles of the tufting machine across a backing material for forming a series of cut and/or loop pile tufts of yarns in the backing in accordance with a pattern. The shift mechanism will include a motor controlled rack and pinion shift control assembly having one or more pinions, each driven by a motor, that engage and drive a rack coupled to at least one needle bar of the tufting machine, for controlling the transverse shifting movement of the needles.

Shift mechanism for a tufting machine

Tufting maching and method of tufting

A system and method for forming synthetic/artificial grass or turf products in which a series of tufts of artificial/synthetic grass filaments or yarns are formed in a backing material with various graphic pattern effects being formed therewith. The system generally will include at least one needle bar having at least one row of needles mounted along a tufting zone and reciprocated through the backing to a desired penetration depth, and will present a desired set or group of yarns to a series of pattern pixels or stitch areas. A series of level cut loop loopers or hooks will be aligned with and will engage the needles in order to form tufts of yarns in the backing material. Clips of the level cut loop loopers will be selectively controlled to control the retention of selected ones of the yarns presented at each pattern pixel. The remaining, non-selected yarns generally are not retained at the pattern pixels, and can be formed as lower pile tufts or removed from the backing material.

System and method for forming patterned artificial/synthetic sports turf fabrics

A level cut loop looper or hook and clip assembly for a tufting machine includes at least one module carrying a series of level cut loop loopers or hooks. Each level cut loop looper or hook generally can include a looper body along which a clip is slidably moved. Each clip will be moved between retracted and extended positions as the level cut loop loopers or hooks are reciprocated toward and away from engagement with their associated needles of the tufting machine. Actuators can be engaged to secure the clips in their extended positions as needed to selectively form cut and loop pile tufts in a backing material.

Level cut loop looper and clip assembly

A variable stroke drive system for a tufting machine includes a series of drive assemblies mounted along the frame of the tufting machine. Primary drive shafts extend through the drive assemblies and are each driven by a drive motor. A series of first drive members are mounted to the primary drive shafts and are linked to associated second drive members such that the driving of the first drive members by the primary drive shafts in turn drives the second drive members. Cam arms are connected to the second drive members and to rocker arms to which push rods are mounted, the cam arms being vertically reciprocated by the rotational movement of the second drive members so as to drive the reciprocation of the push rods, and thus the needle bar(s) connected thereto along a desired stroke or reciprocating path of travel. Controlling the rate at which the primary drive shafts are driven enables control of the stroke of the needle bar(s).

Growing community of inventors

Sale Creek, TN, United States of America

Ricky E Mathews