Strand-Forming Braiding Machine

Strand-forming braiding machines have horn gears arranged aligned on a braider table. Two of them always turn in the opposite direction. They are necessary for the drive mechanism of the bobbins. As Fig. 7.6 implies, the wheels for each braid have a certain number of radial directed cuts so that from the top view the image of a wing appears. 

Intersections of the braiding threads develop at the cross spots of the cut path by a simultaneous movement to the left or to the right of always one-half of the bobbins. 

These so-called one-way machines produce flat and tape-like braids called strands. If the number of horn gears is reduced to two, the brands are called soutache. A typical product for this machine type are shoelaces. 

For the production of flat braids or strands (Fig. 7.7(a)), two-end horn gears exist with a variable number of intermediate wheels. The bobbins pass through the machine from the first to the last horn gear and back again. 

Circular braids (Fig. 7.7(b)) can be produced by a closed horn gear arrangement. The bobbins move on two closed paths rotating around the center. One part of the bobbins moves to the left and the other to the right. 

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Figure 7.6 Strand-forming braiding machine (Busgen, 1993)...

Lace braiding machines are a combination of several strand-forming braiding machines. Several bobbin paths are arranged next to each other on the braider table, but partial courses connect these paths to one another. Either the bobbins move on the movement path and braid and twist without moving, or they change to adjacent movement paths. Altogether, the product has a fabric appearance that is typical for laces. It is an open-worked, flat braid that consists of various numbers of twists or small strands. 

In addition to the common roving strands, raw material is available in many other forms, such as preimpregnated (prepreg) and wet systems, mats (paper and nonwovens), woven specialties with knit and braided reinforcement, multiple-ply broad goods, core materials as they apply to automation, fillers, extenders, and additives (films, coatings, plating, etc). The characteristics of the reinforcement must be familiar to the machine designer. 

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