Molding apparatus with a tuft feeder for making a brush

A brush making machine comprising a mold for injection molding of brush bodies having tufts of bristles embedded in a molding material, said mold comprising at least two relatively movable mold parts defining a mold cavity, one of said mold parts having a cavity defining surface portion with tuft insertion holes therein arranged in a pattern corresponding to a desired tuft pattern of a brush to be produced, and a tuft feeder being provided for introducing tufts of bristles into said tuft insertion holes so that the bristles project into said cavity, said tuft feeder comprising a bristle container containing pre-finished bristles in a parallel packed relationship and a plurality of tuft picking and transfer tubes arranged in a pattern corresponding to at least part of said pattern of tuft insertion holes, said tuft picking and transfer tubes being movable to pick out tufts of bristles from said bristle container, each of said tuft picking and transfer tubes being associated with a plunger member for penetrating into a respective tuft picking and transfer tube to push out a tuft of bristles contained therein, and said bristles in said bristle container having their ends opposite said tubes frictionally engaged by a plate vibrating in a direction substantially orthogonal to the length of said bristles at least during an initial phase of tube penetration into said bristle container.