Process and apparatus for making pompons

摘要

An apparatus and method for automatically forming pompons from a continuous strip of fringed web includes a pair of clamping jaws for gripping and advancing the web to a coiling station, a separable coiling spindle, and a binding tongs mechanism. When the web is moved to the coiling station, the coiling spindles are inserted into an aperture in the clamping jaws and clamp the end of the web. Thereafter, the clamping jaws are released and moved back to their initial position while the coiling spindle is rotated to coil a predetermined length of the fringed web. The binding tongs are then moved over the coiled section and draw a binding wire tightly about the periphery of the coil after the web is severed to separate the coil therefrom. The binding tongs are closed to clamp the binding wire and then are rotated to secure the wire about the coiled web. Closing of the tongs cuts the wire. A pair of compression members having rotationally symmetrical, concave faces are closed about the coiled strip to compression-shape the needles or fringed members of the web into an approximately spherical pompon shape.