| abstract |
An article of manufacture has elongated members connected to a base string. The articles can be used as bristle subassembly, carpet subassembly, and a variety of other products. Articles are made by wrapping a strand around a mandrel (26) to form a plurality of wraps, and then base strings (29, 30, 44, 46) are bonded to the wraps. After cutting the wraps along one side of the base strings, a plurality of subassemblies (64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76) are formed. These are fed to a second mandrel (90), which carries wraps (92) formed by a second strand. The base strings of the subassemblies are then bonded to the wraps (92) of the second mandrel (90). After cutting along the base strings, a plurality of modified subassemblies are formed with two rows of elongated members formed from the two sets of wraps. The apparatus for forming the subassemblies can include a conditioning device to further enhance the connection of the elongated members to the base strings, and also to smooth the ends of the elongated members where they were cut. |