Spencer Wright Industries, Inc.

Wheeler E Phillips

Ian Slattery

Billy E Inman

A cut pile tufting machine having cut pile hooks and cooperating knives pointing in the direction oppositely to the direction in which base material is being fed includes loop pile loopers in a selective array in the same mounting member as the cut pile hooks and pointing in the direction oppositely to that in which the fabric is being fed. A wiper cooperates with each loop pile looper to push loops of yarn seized by the looper off the beak of the looper to form loop pile. The wipers are mounted in knife blocks with the knives and rock into loop pushing relationship with the loop pile loopers as the knives rock into cutting engagement with the loops on the cut pile hooks. The loopers have an elongated inclined blade terminating at the beak which is spaced below the cutting edge of the hook relatively to the base material. Yarn feed rolls feed less yarn to the needles that cooperate with the loopers than required so that as each loop is formed the preceeding loop is backrobbed to the same level as the cut pile.

Tufting apparatus for forming loop and cut pile

An oscillating wiper for a tufting machine has a bristle brush for sweeping loops shed by the looper away from the needle path and prevents the loops from springing back into the needle path thereby preventing sew-thru and tagging. The wiper is operatively carried by the knife shaft and oscillates therewith in timed relationship with the formation, seizing and shedding of the loops by the looper. The tufting machine disclosed is a level cut/loop machine in which the looper has a selectively pivotable gate member which opens to allow loops thereon to be cut by the knife and is selectively closed to shed loops to form uncut pile. The bristles of the wiper act on the uncut loops.

Growing community of inventors

Kensington, GA, United States of America

Wheeler E Phillips