Multiple braiding heads¶
Reference — How the Braiding Simulator shows two-head machines: number of carriers, numbers and running direction per head, shared take-up, Machine 3D
What you need this page for¶
Multi-head machines such as the RU 2/12-80 have several braiding heads on one drive: each head has its own horngears, its own braiding point and its own take-up disc; motor and take-up gearbox are shared. The Braiding Simulator detects the heads by itself and shows counts, numbers and running direction per head.
How the simulator recognizes a head¶
A braiding head is a group of gears that has no transfer to the rest of the machine, regardless of how the switches are set. A single gear without a transfer belongs to the nearest head.
Machines whose braiding circles are connected via switches, for example a machine that switches between flat braid 32 and 2 × round 16, have one head. There, the switches decide whether one or two braids are produced; the 3D preview shows this in its info line.
The term braiding head does not appear in the user interface; you recognize a multi-head machine by the number of carriers.
What applies per head¶
| Topic | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Number of carriers | The start page, the setups and the status line show 2 × 12 carriers if all heads are set up the same way, otherwise for example 12 + 10 carriers. |
| Carrier numbers | Each head counts from 1: an RU 2/12-80 has the numbers 1 to 12 twice. A new carrier gets the lowest free number in its head. |
| Running direction | Applies around the center of the respective head, not around the machine center. This affects the Running direction view and Color by running direction in the selection card. |
| Take-up | All heads are connected to the same take-up gearbox. The take-up is set as on a single-head machine and applies to all heads; it is measured at head 1. |
| Machine 3D | The "Machine" view shows braiding point, braid and take-up disc per head. Labels and fixed views refer to head 1. |
Switches, gears, timeline and switching plan work as on a single-head machine; a program switches all heads together because they are connected to one drive.
Desktop app and web app¶
Both show multiple braiding heads in the same way.