Three-part wire return for baling machine

A bulk material baling and bale binding apparatus comprising:

• a bale forming and binding station, a supply of binding strapping and a feeder of said binding strapping from the strapping supply to said binding station;
• the bale forming and binding station combining a bale forming compression assembly and a bale binder device which receives the binding strapping through a strapping control unit for impelling selected amounts of the strapping at selected times into and through an articulated guide track component of the bale binder device;
• whereby said articulated guide track directs the binding strapping in a trajectory completely around a perimeter of the bale whereupon a fastening head component of the bale binder device fastens the binding strapping into a closed loop of a selectively determined length about the bale, said closed loop of an extent and contour to retain the bulk material within a specified bale shape and size following release of the bale forming compression;
• and wherein said articulated guide track is configured such that the maximum curvature of any portion of the articulated guide track does not exceed a prescribed value whereby the resultant trajectory said strapping follows during the guiding of the strapping trajectory does not exceed said prescribed value;
• said maximum curvature prescribed value being selectively determined so as to increase the efficiency and speed of strapping trajectory guidance for a selectively utilized strapping.

A method of binding a bale of bulk material comprising the steps of:

• forming a compressed bale of a bulk material within a bale forming and binding station;
• drawing a bale binding strapping from a strapping feeder into a binding strapping control unit at selective times;
• said binding strapping control unit impelling selective amounts of said binding strapping into and through an articulated strapping guide track, wherein said guide track guides the strapping in a trajectory surrounding a perimeter of said bale;
• wherein said articulated guide track is composed of three operationally distinct sections consisting of a first guide track section which receives the binding strapping from the binding strapping control unit and connects with the fastening head to provide for passage of the strapping to and from the fastening head, a second guide track section disposed in a channel within a compression component of the bale forming station and a third, selectively movable guide track section which extends substantially around approximately one half of the bale's perimeter;
• wherein said movable guide track section selectively transits between a first position whereby the movable guide track section completes the bale perimeter surrounding trajectory and a second position wherein the movable guide section is removed away from the proximity of the bale forming and binding station;
• such that with the movable guide track section in said first position said selected length of the binding strapping is sufficient to complete an entire circuit of the strapping guide track such that the portion of the binding strapping entering the guide track meets the portion of the binding strapping exiting the guide track at the fastening head;
• fastening said entering portion and said exiting portion of the binding strapping together to produce a closed loop of binding strapping of specified shape and extent and severing said closed loop from the binding strapping supplied by the feeder, releasing said closed loop at a determined position around the bale and releasing the bale forming compression whereby the bale binding strapping retains the compressed bale of the bulk material in a specified form and size;
• transiting the movable guide track section to said second position, disengaging the bale forming means and removing the formed and bound bale from the bale binding and forming station;
• supplying a measured amount of uncompressed bulk material to the bale binding and forming station, compressing said measured amount of the bulk material to form a bale and transiting the movable guide track section from said second position to said first position in readiness to repeat said method.

An apparatus for forming and binding a bale of bulk material comprising:

• a bale forming and binding station including a means to compress a quantity of a bulk material into a bale form, a supply of binding strapping and a feeder of said binding strapping from said supply to said bale forming and binding station;
• said bale forming and binding station including a bale binding means which receives the binding strapping from the binding strapping feeder, said bale binding means including a means for controlling the binding strapping, said strapping control means impelling selected amounts of the binding strapping at selected times into and through a strapping trajectory guide means;
• whereby said strapping trajectory guide means directs the binding strapping in a path surrounding the perimeter of an aspect of the formed bale and is composed of three operationally distinct parts consisting of a first trajectory guide means part that receives the binding strapping from the strapping control means and includes a strapping fastening means to fasten two ends of the binding strapping separated by a selected length of the binding strapping into a closed loop about the bale, said closed loop of an extent and contour to retain the bulk material within a specified bale shape and size, a second trajectory guide means part disposed in a channel formed within a component of the bale forming compression means and a third, selectively movable trajectory guide means part which extends substantially around approximately one half of the bale's perimeter;
• wherein said third trajectory guide means part can selectively transit between a first position such that the third trajectory guide means part completes the surrounding trajectory and a second position wherein the third trajectory guide means part is removed away from the proximity of the bale forming and binding station.

A bulk material baling and bale binding apparatus comprising:

• a bale forming and binding station, a supply of binding strapping and a feeder of said binding strapping from the strapping supply to said binding station;
• the bale forming and binding station combining a bale forming and compression assembly and a bale binder device which receives the binding strapping through a strapping control unit which impels selected amounts of the strapping at selected times into and through an articulated guide track component of the bale binder device;
• whereby said articulated guide track directs the binding strapping in a trajectory around the bale whereupon a fastening head component of the bale binder device fastens a fixed length of the binding strapping into a closed loop about the bale, said closed loop of an extent and contour to retain the bulk material within a specified bale shape and size;
• wherein said strapping is metallic wire and said fastening head ties a knot in said wire to form the closed loop, and wherein said fastening head is electric in operation.

A bulk material baling and bale binding apparatus comprising:

• a bale forming and binding station, a supply of binding strapping and a feeder of said binding strapping from the strapping supply to said binding station;
• the bale forming and binding station combining a bale forming compression assembly and a bale binder device which receives the binding strapping through a strapping control unit for impelling selected amounts of the strapping at selected times into and through an articulated guide track component of the bale binder device and wherein said bale binder device further includes a fastening head component located a selectively determined distance from the bale;
• wherein said articulated guide track is composed of three operationally distinct sections consisting of a first guide track section which receives the binding strapping from the binding strapping control unit and connects with the fastening head to provide for passage of the strapping to and from the fastening head, a second guide track section disposed in a channel formed within an element of the bale forming compression assembly and a third, selectively movable guide track section which extends substantially around approximately one half of the bale's perimeter and wherein said movable guide section selectively transits between a first position whereby the movable guide section completes the surrounding trajectory and a second position whereby the movable guide section is separated from the proximity of the bale forming and binding station
• whereby said articulated guide track directs the binding strapping in a trajectory completely around a perimeter of the bale whereupon said fastening head component fastens the binding strapping into a closed loop of a selectively determined length about a perimeter of the bale, said closed loop of an extent and contour to retain the bulk material within a specified bale shape and size following release of the bale forming compression;
• wherein during the fastening action said guide track operationally releases the strapping upon sufficient tensioning of the strapping that results from a fastening action of the fastening head such that during said fastening action the strapping is drawn up tightly against the bale's perimeter on all sides except for a free segment of the strapping which extends from a first point of initial contact with the bale to enter and then exit the fastening head to a second point of resumed contact with the bale,
• and wherein said binding station includes at least one strapping pilot member positioned so that when said fastening action causes the guide track to release the strapping the path of said free strapping segment is directed by the pilot member intermediate of the free strapping segment's contact with the fastening head and the bale perimeter.