Method and equipment for making jewelry products, in particular tennis-type bracelets

An equipment for making link chain jewelry or costume jewelry products, wherein a plurality of collet elements identical to one another are arranged side by side according to a repetitive series that develops longitudinally, to be linked together by an L-shaped lateral appendage protruding in a cantilever fashion from a same face and on a same side of each collet element, which is first inserted through a central hole of another immediately adjacent collet element and then bent against the face of the collet element to which the appendage belongs;

• the equipment comprising
• an assembly template for the collet elements, configured to receive the collet elements coupled according to said repetitive longitudinal series within a channel of adjustable width delimited by two relatively mobile jaws of the assembly template, at least one of the jaws comprises a surface plate configured to receive, resting the surface plate, said collet elements from the side opposite to the face from which the L-shaped appendage protrudes in a cantilever fashion;
• i) wherein the assembly template comprises a self-supporting unit provided with a fastener for fastening the assembly template to a support;
• ii) at least one first machine, comprising:
• a first stationary pedestal;
• respective first guides integrally carried by the first pedestal;
• a first carriage support, movable along the first guides in a sliding manner along a first path having a pre-set length and configured to receive integrally, yet in a removable manner, said assembly template;
• first adjustable actuators for moving the first carriage support along the first guides;
• and a press device supported by the first pedestal at a first end of the first path facing towards a first end-of stroke position of the first carriage support, wherein the assembly template lies lower than, but not under, the press device;
• the press device being provided with an interchangeable die block and a stop for stopping the die block in a position in which the die block is adapted to interfere with the lateral appendages, the die block being configured to bend in succession, one at a time, said lateral appendages of the collet elements coupled according to said repetitive series, as a consequence of the transit of the carriage support under the die block;
• iii) at least one second machine, comprising:
• a second stationary pedestal;
• respective second guides integrally carried by the second pedestal;
• a second carriage support, movable along the second guides in a sliding manner along a second path having a pre-set length and configured to receive integrally, yet in a removable manner, said assembly template;
• second adjustable actuators for moving the second carriage support along the second guides for fractions of motion equal to a centre-to-centre distance or pitch between said collet elements coupled according to said repetitive series;
• and a welding head supported by the second pedestal above the second carriage support and at a first end of the second path facing towards a first end-of-stroke position of the second carriage support, wherein the assembly template lies lower than, but not under, the welding head;
• the welding head facing towards the second guides and being configured to weld, one at a time, said lateral appendages of the collet elements coupled according to said repetitive series, each lateral appendage to the respective collet element to which each lateral appendage belongs, as the second carriage support carries along the collet elements under the welding head.