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US 6,381,818 B1Granted
Needle reciprocation
AssigneeJimtex Developments Limited
InventorsJames Edward Freeman, Raymond Palmer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed a material or fabric making or processing operation involving needle penetration of a fiber, fabric or material layer (12) in which the needle penetration action is controlled by control means (18) by which the needle penetration characteristics can be varied within the penetration action and as between penetration actions.
Claims13
A method for needling a fibrous substrate, comprising:
- (a) penetrating the substrate with needle means comprising at least one yarn-inserting needle;
- (b) reciprocating said needle means so that the substrate is penetrated by a plurality of penetrating actions of said needle means;
- and
- (c) controlling said needle means with control means including at least one electronically controlled servo actuator so as to permit variation by said control means of at least one characteristic of the penetrating action of said needle means between successive penetrating actions and during the course of a single penetrating action,
- wherein said at least one needle penetration characteristic comprises stroke or stroke frequency.
2 more elements
An apparatus for needling a fibrous substrate, comprising:
- needle means comprising at least one yarn-inserting needle for penetrating the substrate, said needle means being reciprocate so that the substrate is penetrated by a plurality of penetrating actions of said needle means;
- and
- control means comprising at least one electronically controlled servo actuator for controlling said needle means so as to permit variation by said control means of at least one characteristic of the penetrating action of said needle means between successive penetrating actions and during the course of a single penetrating action,
- wherein said at least one needle penetration characteristic comprises stroke or stroke frequency.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.