Tufting machine and process for variable stitch rate tufting
First Claim
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1. A tufting machine comprising:
- a servo motor driven mechanism for moving a base fabric longitudinally through said machine in a feeding direction;
a first row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction;
a second row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction and being longitudinally spaced from said first row of needles;
a needle drive for reciprocating said first and second rows of needles towards and away from a first side of the base fabric to cyclically penetrate the base fabric;
wherein the mechanism for moving the base fabric longitudinally through the tufting machine is electronically controllable to feed different lengths of base fabric between selected cyclical penetrations of the base fabric in accordance with a pre-determined pattern.
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Abstract
A tufting machine as disclosed with a variable yarn feed mechanism and a method for tufting patterns with yarns from two rows of needles offset longitudinally from one another in a fashion that the different stitch lengths are selected in a fashion that the yarns from each row of needles are complementary to the other and maintain a consistent stitch density.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A tufting machine comprising:
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a servo motor driven mechanism for moving a base fabric longitudinally through said machine in a feeding direction;
a first row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction;
a second row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction and being longitudinally spaced from said first row of needles;
a needle drive for reciprocating said first and second rows of needles towards and away from a first side of the base fabric to cyclically penetrate the base fabric;
wherein the mechanism for moving the base fabric longitudinally through the tufting machine is electronically controllable to feed different lengths of base fabric between selected cyclical penetrations of the base fabric in accordance with a pre-determined pattern. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of adapting a tufting machine of the type having a servo motor driven mechanism for moving a base fabric longitudinally through said machine in a feeding direction;
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a first row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction;
a second row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction and being longitudinally spaced from said first row of needles; and
a needle drive for reciprocating said first and second rows of needles towards and away from a first side of the base fabric to cyclically penetrate the base fabric, to feed different lengths of base fabric between selected cyclical penetrations of the base fabric comprising the steps of;
(a) setting a first length to feed the base fabric;
(b) setting a second length to feed the base fabric;
(c) setting a number of stitches in a base fabric feed pattern repeat; and
(d) setting the stitches of the base fabric feed pattern repeat that will feed the base fabric the second length. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of tufting a fabric with a tufting machine of the type having a servo motor driven mechanism for moving a base fabric longitudinally through said machine in a feeding direction;
- a first row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction;
a second row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction and being longitudinally spaced from said first row of needles;
first and second yarns fed to the first and second rows of needles; and
a needle drive for reciprocating said first and second rows of needles towards and away from a first side of the base fabric to cyclically penetrate the base fabric comprising the steps of;
(a) operating the needle drive to tuft a first stitch of yarns carried by first needles and a first stitch of yarns carried by second needles;
(b) operating the servo motor driven mechanism to feed a first length of the base fabric through the tufting machine;
(c) operating the needle drive to tuft a second stitch of yarns carried by first needles and a second stitch of yarns carried by second needles; and
(d) operating the servo motor driven mechanism to feed a second length of the base fabric through the tufting machine, wherein the second length is relatively longer than the first length. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
- a first row of needles uniformly spaced transversely of the feeding direction;
Specification