Brush – broom – and mop making – Processes
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-06
2001-07-17
Chin, Randall E. (Department: 1744)
Brush, broom, and mop making
Processes
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260927
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing of a brush ring, whereby the brush ring is intended to be used particularly with several corresponding brush rings as a brush, that rotates around a longitudinal axis, in a brushing machine. The brush ring consists of a brush part and a ring shaped frame part. The frame part connects the radially directed bristles forming the brush part. The frame and the brush parts are formed as a single member uniformly from plastic based material. In the frame part there has been arranged at least holding means to prevent the brush ring from twisting, when the brush ring has been assembled in place to the brush frame of the brushing machine with the other brush rings placed one after another in the longitudinal direction. The brush ring is manufactured from an essentially elongated brush preform, in which the bristles are connected to each other by melting bristles together at one end to form a melted edge. On the melted edge existing on top of the brush preform, that moves along in an essentially upright position, plastic paste is fed in. The plastic paste is in an essentially solid state, to enable the brush ring to be worked to its final shape by means of a press mold assembly by forming the frame part and preferably the holding means from the plastic paste.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The type of brush rings described above are used to form brushes in different kinds of sweeping trucks and brushing machines. The brush rings being used today usually comprise a ring shaped frame part. In other words, the frame part has been formed to a circumferential shape when viewed from the side. The ring shaped frame part is usually made of thin sheet iron, the thickness of which is, for example, about 1 mm. The bristles have been attached to this kind of frame part, for example, by means of a suitable solidifying attachment mass. This type of brush ring is usually planar.
This type of brush ring, that is partly made of metal, tends to break particularly because of cold, which causes stiffening of the brushes. On such an occasion, the frame sheet iron supporting the brush part of the brush ring opens in certain places, in which case bigger or smaller units of brush parts are released from the brush ring. In addition to the foregoing problem, it is practically impossible to re-use brush rings with metal frames and plastic brushes, because removing the frame sheet iron from the brushes is not economically justified in practice. That is why this type of brush ring is removed as a whole to the dumping area. That is naturally a significant waste problem. Furthermore, when the type of brush rings described above are being used, very strongly built supporting structures must be used, also, such as space rings made of metal, fastening rings etc., which is why a brush formed of this kind of brush rings becomes disproportionately expensive.
On the other hand from Finnish Patent No. 87977, a brush element is previously known, that is entirely made of plastic based material. When applying the method according to the afore-mentioned patent, plastic paste existing essentially in a solid shape is fed onto the melted edge existing at the top edge of the brush preform, that moves along in an essentially upright position, to work the brush ring to its final shape by means of a press mold assembly by forming the frame part and preferably the holding means from the plastic paste. However, arrangements explained in Finnish Patent No. 87977 in particular for feeding the plastic paste on top of the melted edge of the brush preform are insufficient when being carried out in practice. This leads to the plastic paste becoming unevenly distributed on the brush preform. This leads furthermore to the result that, when pressing the brush preform to bring out a final brush ring, the final brush ring is not adequately as homogeneous. This results in many significant disadvantages in practice, when the brush ring is being used in a brushing machine, wherein, for example, vibration is caused due to unbalance. Furthermore, due to the above-noted extra wearing of the brushing machine, discomfort in the use of the machine is caused as well. Furthermore, the brush elements being manufactured by the method described in the patent above are planar. Thus, due to wearing of the brushes, the brushing of the brush formed of the brush rings becomes discontinuous in the longitudinal direction of the brush, particularly in the jointing points of the brush rings. Therefore, the brush is not able to fulfill, to a satisfactory extent, conventional demands that are requested in certain purposes, because material to be brushed may go through the brush without touching the bristles, in which case the brush must be dismantled and the brush rings replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the aim of the method for manufacturing of a brush ring according to the present invention to achieve a decisive improvement in the problems presented above and, thus, to essentially raise the level of knowledge in the field. To achieve this aim the method according to the present invention is primarily characterized in that the plastic paste is fed out formed into a ready finished shape, such as through a U-shaped extrusion groove or the like, onto the brush preform, preferably on top of a melted edge of the brush preform, that is being simultaneously preheated.
Among the most important advantages of the method are simplicity and reliability. Thanks to the invention, it is possible to produce brush rings, the manufacturing costs of which are significantly more profitable and that are more homogeneous than present brush rings. In particular the forming of the plastic paste into a desired shape in advance improves significantly homogeneity of the brush rings, because the plastic paste forming the frame part is prevented from being unevenly distributed. Thanks to the invention, the brush rings manufactured by this method are both very user-friendly and durable, particularly due to their homogeneity. When exploiting advantageously preheating of the brush preform, the method according to the invention furthermore assures that the contact between the solid melting paste connecting the brush preform and brush ring to each other is achieved reliably and effectively when the plastic paste is extruded on the brush preform. The preheating described above also causes roughness of the melted edge of the brush preform to be balanced by influence of heating, which furthermore enables a contact as even as possible between the melted edge and the plastic paste.
Advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention are described below.
The invention relates to an apparatus functioning according to the principle of the method as well, that is being described in a greater detail below.
The most important advantages of the apparatus according to the invention include simplicity and reliability of its construction and use. By very simple arrangements, for example, when advantageously preheating the brush preform during extrusion, it is possible to achieve a uniform and continuous contact between the melted edge of the brush preform and the plastic paste to be extruded on it. The brush rings manufactured by the apparatus are particularly homogeneous, due to the extrusion groove existing in the extrusion device belonging to the apparatus. The shape of the groove corresponds to the shape of the brush preform and places the plastic paste in a ready formed shape on the brush preform, thereby preventing it from being unevenly distributed. The brush rings manufactured by the apparatus according to the invention hold together particularly well due to contact between the plastic paste forming the frame part and the brush preform forming the brush part being sufficiently efficient due to preheating. Accordingly, the brush rings manufactured by the apparatus, in addition to being homogeneous are also durable due to a strong structure. It is advantageous to use the apparatus according to the invention particularly in
Kuivikko Reijo
Sajakorpi Kimmo
Chin Randall E.
Connolly Bove & Lodge & Hutz LLP
Pesmel Oy
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