High-speed mesh producing machines and processes with mesh distortion negation and occupied space reduction

A wire mesh production system comprising:

• a wire straightener (16, 36) for wire;
• a cutter (18) configured to receive wire straightened by said wire straightener;
• a longitudinals storage (12, 32) configured to receive longitudinal wires (2) cut by said cutter, said longitudinals storage having a plurality of longitudinals receptacles (13,45) configured to restrain longitudinal wires;
• a rotator unit (20, 71) configured to controllably rotate cut longitudinal wires (2) around their longitudinal axes to specified angles, said rotator unit having a gripper assembly (20, 93, 95), said rotator unit being located at an intermediate location between a location of said cutter (18) and a location (5) of transverse wire welding;
• a longitudinals carrier (11,31) configured to transfer longitudinal wires (2) from said longitudinals storage (12, 32) towards a welding unit (57), said longitudinals carrier having means (34) for restraining against rotation wires held by it;
• a controllably-openable wire collector (19, 79) located in spaced relation to said longitudinals storage and said plurality of longitudinals receptacles;
• a first motor (73, 74) operatively connected to controllably translate said wire gripper assembly in controlled translatory motion along a travel path that extends at least between a first position aligning said wire gripper assembly with said controllably-openable wire collector, and a handover position that locates wire gripped by said wire gripper assembly proximate to one of said plurality of longitudinals receptacles;
• a wire holder assembly (21, 72) situated to guide wire during controlled translatory motion of said gripper assembly between the first position and the handover position;
• and,
• a second motor (70) operatively connected (98, 103) to controllably drive said wire gripper assembly to axially rotate gripped longitudinal wire.