Tufting machine

Abstract

A tufting machine which has improved production rates such that it is capable of being used to produce larger samples of tufted products or is capable of being used for production runs of tufted products, but still retains sufficient flexibility for changes in yarn and construction of the tufted product to be made relatively easily is disclosed.

1 . Apparatus for forming a tufted pile product including a backing material web, said apparatus including:
 feed means for said backing material web for feeding said backing material web in incremental steps substantially along a horizontal path through a tufted pile forming zone;   a needle head arranged on one face of the horizontal path for said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said needle head including a needle sub assembly having a plurality of tuft forming needles arranged in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   needle head support means for said needle head enabling movement of said needle head along a first transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   first drive means for driving said needle head along said first transverse path;   second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly operationally through said horizontal path as said first drive means drives said needle head along said first transverse path, all of the needles of said needle sub assembly penetrating, in use, the backing material web upon reciprocation of said needle sub assembly;   a looper head arranged on an opposite face of said horizontal path for said backing material web, said looper head carrying a looper sub assembly including a plurality of looper members or a plurality of hook and knife members in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   looper head support means for said looper member head enabling movement of said looper head along a second transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   third drive means for driving said looper head along said second transverse path; and   actuation means for the looper members or the hook and knife members of said looper sub assembly to move said looper members or the hook and knife members simultaneously to cooperate with a respective said needle of the needle sub assembly as the needles of the needle sub assembly reciprocate through the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone.   
     
     
         2 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said first drive means and said third drive means are independent of one another. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein movement of said needle forming head and said looper head along said first and said second transverse paths is synchronized when tufted pile is formed on said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said apparatus has an operational zone containing said tufted pile forming zone and a service zone, each of said first and second transverse paths enabling the needle sub assembly and the looper member sub assembly to be selectably positionable in said service zone. 
     
     
         5 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the needle sub assembly having a plurality of tuft forming needles is removable from said needle head and replaceable by a different said needle sub assembly. 
     
     
         6 . Apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the needle sub assembly comprises a plurality of modules each comprised of a predetermined number of said tuft forming needles, each said module being selectably removable and replaceable with a different said module of tuft forming needles. 
     
     
         7 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the looper member sub assembly having a plurality of looper members or hook and knife members is removable from said looper head and replaceable with a different said looper member sub assembly. 
     
     
         8 . Apparatus according to  claim 7  wherein the looper member sub assembly includes a plurality of modules each having a predetermined number of said looper members or hook and knife members, each said module being selectably removable and replaceable with a different said module. 
     
     
         9 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly includes a crank mechanism including a connecting arm pivotally connected to said needle sub assembly, said crank mechanism being rotated to drive said connecting arm in a reciprocating motion. 
     
     
         10 . Apparatus according to  claim 9  wherein said crank mechanism is adjustable to vary the length of said reciprocating motion. 
     
     
         11 . Apparatus according to  claim 9  further including balance means connected to said needle sub assembly to balance forces imposed by said crank mechanism. 
     
     
         12 . Apparatus according to  claim 9  wherein the needle head includes a first outer support structure, said crank mechanism being mounted in a second support structure, height adjusting means being provided to enable said second support structure to be height adjusted relative to said first support structure. 
     
     
         13 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  further including first gripping means configured to selectably grip and release an edge zone of the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said first gripping means being movable in a transverse direction to stretch said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone when tufted pile is being formed on said backing material web. 
     
     
         14 . Apparatus according to  claim 13  further including second gripping means to selectably grip and release an opposed edge zone of said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone. 
     
     
         15 . Apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein said second gripping means is also movable in a transverse direction to stretch said backing material web. 
     
     
         16 . Apparatus according to  claim 14  further including positional sensing means to ensure movement of said first and/or said second gripping means in said transverse direction maintains edge zones of the backing material web at the same position during each tufted pile forming run of the needle head and the looper member head. 
     
     
         17 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  further including a register marking device to mark on said backing material web a register mark as said needle head produces tufted pile on said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said apparatus also including a position sensing device to cooperate with said register mark to control movement of said needle head, said needle sub assembly or said backing material web ready for a repeat operation of said needle head. 
     
     
         18 . Apparatus according to  claim 1  further including a first yarn feed means to uniformly feed yarn of the same length to each needle of the needle sub assembly and a second yarn feed means to enable adjustable amounts of yarn to be selectably fed to each needle of the needle sub assembly. 
     
     
         19 . Apparatus for forming a tufted pile product including a backing material web comprising:
 feed means for said backing material web for feeding said backing material web in incremental steps substantially along a horizontal path through a tufted pile forming zone;   a needle head arranged on one face of the horizontal path for said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said needle head including a needle sub assembly having a plurality of tuft forming needles arranged in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   needle head support means for said needle head enabling movement of said needle head along a first transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   first drive means for driving said needle head along said first transverse path;   second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly operationally through said horizontal path as said first drive means drives said needle head along said first transverse path, all of the needles of said needle sub assembly penetrating, in use, the backing material web upon reciprocation of said needle sub assembly;   a looper head arranged on an opposite face of said horizontal path for said backing material web, said looper head carrying a looper sub assembly including a plurality of looper members or a plurality of hook and knife members in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   looper head support means for said looper member head enabling movement of said looper head along a second transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   third drive means for driving said looper head along said second transverse path;   actuation means for the looper members or the hook and knife members of said looper sub assembly to move said looper members or the hook and knife members simultaneously to cooperate with a respective said needle of the needle sub assembly as the needles of the needle sub assembly reciprocate through the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone; and   said apparatus having an operational zone containing said tufted pile forming zone and a service zone, each of said first and second transverse paths enabling the needle sub assembly and the looper member sub assembly to be selectably positionable in said service zone.   
     
     
         20 . Apparatus for forming a tufted pile product including a backing material web comprising:
 feed means for said backing material web for feeding said backing material web in incremental steps substantially along a horizontal path through a tufted pile forming zone;   a needle head arranged on one face of the horizontal path for said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said needle head including a needle sub assembly having a plurality of tuft forming needles arranged in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   needle head support means for said needle head enabling movement of said needle head along a first transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   first drive means for driving said needle head along said first transverse path;   second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly operationally through said horizontal path as said first drive means drives said needle head along said first transverse path, all of the needles of said needle sub assembly penetrating, in use, the backing material web upon reciprocation of said needle sub assembly;   a looper head arranged on an opposite face of said horizontal path for said backing material web, said looper head carrying a looper sub assembly including a plurality of looper members or a plurality of hook and knife members in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   looper head support means for said looper member head enabling movement of said looper head along a second transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   third drive means for driving said looper head along said second transverse path;   actuation means for the looper members or the hook and knife members of said looper sub assembly to move said looper members or the hook and knife members simultaneously to cooperate with a respective said needle of the needle sub assembly as the needles of the needle sub assembly reciprocate through the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone; and   said second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly includes a crank mechanism including a connecting arm pivotally connected to said needle sub assembly, said crank mechanism being rotated to drive said connecting arm in a reciprocating motion and being adjustable to vary the length of said reciprocating motion, said apparatus further including balance means connected to said needle sub assembly to balance forces imposed by said crank mechanism.   
     
     
         21 . Apparatus for forming a tufted pile product including a backing material web comprising:
 feed means for said backing material web for feeding said backing material web in incremental steps substantially along a horizontal path through a tufted pile forming zone;   a needle head arranged on one face of the horizontal path for said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said needle head including a needle sub assembly having a plurality of tuft forming needles arranged in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   needle head support means for said needle head enabling movement of said needle head along a first transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   first drive means for driving said needle head along said first transverse path;   second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly operationally through said horizontal path as said first drive means drives said needle head along said first transverse path, all of the needles of said needle sub assembly penetrating, in use, the backing material web upon reciprocation of said needle sub assembly;   a looper head arranged on an opposite face of said horizontal path for said backing material web, said looper head carrying a looper sub assembly including a plurality of looper members or a plurality of hook and knife members in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   looper head support means for said looper member head enabling movement of said looper head along a second transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   third drive means for driving said looper head along said second transverse path;   actuation means for the looper members or the hook and knife members of said looper sub assembly to move said looper members or the hook and knife members simultaneously to cooperate with a respective said needle of the needle sub assembly as the needles of the needle sub assembly reciprocate through the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone;   said apparatus further including a register marking device to mark on said backing material web a register mark as said needle head produces tufted pile on said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said apparatus also including a position sensing device to cooperate with said register mark to control movement of either said needle head, said needle sub assembly or said backing material web ready for a repeat operation of said needle head.   
     
     
         22 . Apparatus for forming a tufted pile product including a backing material web comprising:
 feed means for said backing material web for feeding said backing material web in incremental steps substantially along a horizontal path through a tufted pile forming zone;   a needle head arranged on one face of the horizontal path for said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, said needle head including a needle sub assembly having a plurality of tuft forming needles arranged in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   needle head support means for said needle head enabling movement of said needle head along a first transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   first drive means for driving said needle head along said first transverse path;   second drive means for reciprocating said needle sub assembly operationally through said horizontal path as said first drive means drives said needle head along said first transverse path, all of the needles of said needle sub assembly penetrating, in use, the backing material web upon reciprocation of said needle sub assembly;   a looper head arranged on an opposite face of said horizontal path for said backing material web, said looper head carrying a looper sub assembly including a plurality of looper members or a plurality of hook and knife members in an array extending generally in the direction of said horizontal path for said backing material web;   looper head support means for said looper member head enabling movement of said looper head along a second transverse path relative to said horizontal path for said backing material web;   third drive means for driving said looper head along said second transverse path;   actuation means for the looper members or the hook and knife members of said looper sub assembly to move said looper members or the hook and knife members simultaneously to cooperate with a respective said needle of the needle sub assembly as the needles of the needle sub assembly reciprocate through the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone; and   said apparatus further including first gripping means configured to selectably grip and release an edge zone of the backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, and a second gripping means to selectably grip and release an opposed edge zone of said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone, at least one of said first gripping means or said second gripping means being movable in a transverse direction to stretch said backing material web in said tufted pile forming zone when tufted pile is being formed on said backing material web.