Sewing – Special machines – Embroidering
Patent
1983-08-02
1986-06-03
Hunter, H. Hampton
Sewing
Special machines
Embroidering
112 89, 112221, 112 98, D05C 304, D05C 704, D05B 5516
Patent
active
045922969
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention has as its object a sewing head to be mounted on an embroidery machine comprising a plurality of tool holder bars, arranged in parallel relation to one another and adapted for selective reciprocal movement into an operative position.
Embroidery machines comprising needles and punches, fixed to mobile supports, operated by a separate mechanism that provides reciprical movement of the needles and punches in an axial direction are well known.
Each machine is provided, along its entire length, with a row of needles placed side by side. The distance between two adjacent needles is 1 French inch, or 27.07 mm. When the embroidery comprises a row of two needles only, the distance between needles is defined, in the trade jargon as 4/4. For a three needle machine, the distance between 3 needles placed side by side will be 8/4, for a four needle machine the distance between 4 needles will be 12/4 etc. Thus, an embroidery machine can be identified by the number of needles on the machine and its needle pattern. These machines operate at an average speed of 200 stitches per minute.
During embroidery, the productivity is reduced substantially in a ratio directly proportional to the various different characteristics of the threads: eg. quality, thickness and color. Poor quality will require extensive rethreading; thickness affects needle breakage and speed of the machine; whereas color requires a plurality of changes. All of these characteristics affect the performance of the embroidery machine. In actual practice on traditional machines, after the embroidery with the first thread having certain characteristics, the embroidery machine has to be stopped to unthread all of the needles used and to rethread them with the new thread that may have different characteristics. This operation is very tedious and time consuming. It has to be repeated for each thread changing, thus greatly decreasing productivity. When changing the pattern, it is necessary to replace needles as a function of the pattern and to remove needles which have become worn or broken.
In that embroidering operation where holes have to be punched in precise places of the fabric, punches are mounted an appropriate supports for simultaneous movement with the needles. During the changing of a pattern, it may also be necessary to replace the punches on their support as a function of a new pattern, which replacement also requires prolonged stops of the machine.
To increase productivity, some machines have been equipped with a second row of needles located parallel to the first row of needles.
It should be recognized that existing machines can have from 340 to more than 700 needles per depending on the size of the machine.
Attempts to overcome the problem inherent in the very complex design of these embroidery machines have failed to provide the desired result eg: ease of operation, reduced maintenance and increased productivity. Changes in design of new machines as well as modifications to existing machines have been difficult because of the extensive modifications required. Designs for improving new machines and modifying existing machines have resulted in devices which are too bulky or require excessive forces to operate whereby the power required to operate the machine would have to be increased significantly, since the various parts must, in many cases, be driven against the action of return springs.
The sewing head which, according to this invention makes it possible to reduce the down time of the machine, is characterized by several needle holder bars that are located in a cylindrical sector mounted to rotate in a cradle and which comprises a driver for reciprocally moving a needle holder bar in a direction along its longitudinal axis, so as to be engaged or disengaged to the operating mechanism of an embroidery machine and a device for selecting a certain needle holder bar to be coupled with the driver.
The accompanying drawing diagrammatically shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the sewing head according to the invention.
FIG. 1 is a par
REFERENCES:
patent: 3118403 (1964-01-01), Chambers
Hunter H. Hampton
Mefina S.A.
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