Method and apparatus for feeding a pair of wires

A method of feeding and cutting lengths of wires which are to be deposited at a receiving station and engaging new wires which are to be subsequently fed and cut, said method comprising the following steps:

• providing movable wire clamp means and a support which is shiftable between an extended position and a retracted position, the support slidingly confining the leading end of a supply wire, and the support being held in a retracted position when the leading end of the supply wire is initially engaged by wire clamp means at an engaging zone forwardly of the forward end of the support;
• moving the wire clamp means and the engaged leading end of the supply wire away from the engaging zone a first amount to position the leading end of the supply wire adjacent a receiving station and also causing the forward end of the support to be moved away from its retracted position through the engaging zone and a second amount less than the first amount;
• cutting a portion of the supply wire adjacent the forward end of said support to form cut and new supply wires, a substantial portion of the leading end portion of the new supply wire being confined from distortion and held in an oriented position by the support;
• releasing the leading end of the cut wire at the receiving station and then moving the wire clamp means towards the engaging zone until it is in a position closely adjacent the forward end of said support;
• holding said supply wire from movement while moving the wire clamp means to the engaging zone and simultaneously moving the support to its retracted position to cause the leading end of the supply wire to be projected forwardly of the forward end of the support;
• and
• engaging the leading end portion of the supply wire which has been projected forwardly of the forward end of the support by the wire clamp means at the engaging zone before the leading end of the supply wire has time to distort.

An apparatus for feeding a plurality of wires of differing lengths to a receiving station, said apparatus comprising:

• support means operable to initially support the leading end portion of each of a plurality of wires which extend away from a source of supply;
• clamp means operable in an initial position to engage each of the leading end portions and to simultaneously move the leading end portions away from the support means to a location adjacent said receiving station;
• engaging means operable to engage a selected wire of said plurality of wires between the clamp means and the support means, said engaging means causing the length of the selected wire between the clamp means and the support means to be increased relative to the length of the other wires of said plurality of wires between the clamp means and the support means;
• and
• cutting means operable to cut said plurality of wires between said support means and said engaging means whereby the cut wires are of differing lengths.

A wire feed apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• wire clamping means mounted on said frame for relative shifting movement between extended and retracted positions, said wire clamping means being operable to initially engage the leading end portion of a wire when the wire clamping means is in its retracted position, to maintain engagement of the wire as the wire clamping means is shifted to the extended position, and to release the leading portion of the wire when the wire clamping means is in the extended position whereby the wire is caused to be fed;
• wire support means operable to slidably support said wire, said wire support means being mounted on said frame for relative shifting movement between an extended position and a retracted position and operable to be shifted to its retracted position in response to movement of said wire clamping means to its fully retracted position;
• and
• wire gripping means mounted on said frame and operable to selectively grip said wire and hold it from relative movement with respect to said frame as said wire support means is shifted to its retracted position whereby the leading end portion of the wire is caused to be projected forwardly of one end of said wire support means in proper orientation an amount to be properly engaged by the wire clamping means as it completes its movement to its retracted position.

A wire feeding apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• support means mounted on the frame for shiftable movement between extended and retracted positions, said support means being operable to slidably support the leading end portion of a wire;
• gripper means operable to hold said wire from movement relative to said frame during movement of the support means from its extended position to its retracted position;
• gripper mounting means operable to mount said gripper means on said frame;
• clamp means and means mounting the clamp means on said frame for shifting movement between extended and retracted positions, said clamp means being operable to engage said leading end portion of said wire when in a retracted position and to move the engaged leading end portion away from the support means as the clamp means is moved to its extended position;
• shifting means operable to shift said support means to its retracted position as said clamp means is moved to its fully retracted position to cause a leading end portion of said wire to be projected forwardly of the leading end of said support means whereby said clamp means accurately engages the wire;
• and
• means mounted on said frame and operable to cut an intermediate portion of said wire adjacent the leading end of said support means after said leading end portion has been moved away from the support means to form an additional leading end portion which does not initially project forwardly of said support means an amount sufficient to be properly engaged by said clamp means.

An apparatus for accurately feeding the leading end of a plurality of cut wires to a receiving station, each of said cut wires having initially been interconnected to a source of supply;

• said apparatus comprising:
• a frame;
• support means mounted on the frame for shiftable movement between extended and retracted positions, said support means being operable to slidably support the cut leading end portions of a plurality of supply wires which extend away from a source of supply;
• gripper means mounted on the frame and selectively operable to hold said plurality of supply wires for movement relative to said support means;
• clamp means and means interconnecting said clamp means with said frame and operable to move the clamp means from an initial retracted position adjacent the leading end of said support means through intermediate positions to a final extended position at said receiving station, said clamp means being operable to engage said cut leading end portions of said plurality of supply wires when said clamp means is in said initial retracted position and to move said leading end portions in a generally linear path away from said support means as said clamp means is moved towards its final extended position;
• wire cutting means interconnected with said frame and operable to cut an intermediate portion of said wires closely adjacent said support means when said clamp means is in a first intermediate position to form a plurality of cut wires carried by said clamp means, said plurality of supply wires having new leading ends oriented by said support means for subsequent engagement of said clamp means and extending beyond the leading end of the support means an amount insufficient to be properly engaged by said clamp means;
• and
• first and second abutment means on said support means and said clamp means, respectively, and so arranged and constructed that as the clamp means is moving to its retracted position the first and second abutment will be brought into contact with each other before said clamp means attains its fully retracted position, and further movement of the clamp means to its fully retracted position will cause corresponding movement of the support means whereby the new leading end portions of said supply wires will be projected forwardly of the leading ends of the support means an amount sufficient to be properly engaged by the clamp means.

In a wire feed apparatus including a main frame, a wire support mounted on said main frame and adapted to slidably support a wire, and wire clamping means mounted on said frame for longitudinal movement from a retracted position immediately adjacent said wire support to an extended position remote from said support;

• the combination therewith of
• cutting and stripping means adapted to cut an intermediate portion of said wire in a location between the wire support and the extended position of the wire clamping means and to strip insulation from opposed ends of said cut wire, said cutting and stripping means including
• a sub-frame mounted for transverse movement on said main frame between retracted and extended positions,
• a pair of jaws pivotally mounted on said sub-frame and movable between open and closed positions, said jaws carrying cutting and stripping structures, and
• single actuator means movable from an initial position through an intermediate position to a final position, said actuator means being operable to move the sub-frame from its retracted position to its extended position as the actuator is moved from its initial position to its intermediate position, and the actuator then being operable to move the jaws from their open position to their closed position as the actuator is moved from its intermediate position to its final position.

In a wire feed apparatus including

• a main frame,
• a wire support mounted on said main frame and adapted to slidably support a pair of wires, and
• a receiving station,
• the combination therewith of
• wire clamp means mounted on said frame for relative shifting movement between a forward extended position and a rearward retracted position, said wire clamping means being operable to initially engage the leading end portion of a pair of wires when the wire clamp means is in its retracted position, to maintain engagement of the pair of wires as the wire clamp means is shifted to the extended position, and to release the leading end portion of the pair of wires when the wire clamp means is in the extended position, said wire clamp means including
• a sub-frame mounted on said frame for movement between forward extended and rear retracted positions;
• an anvil carried by said frame and having opposed wire engaging surfaces;
• a pair of jaws pivotally mounted on said sub-frame for movement between open and closed positions, each of said jaws having a wire engaging surface in alignment with a corresponding wire engaging surface on the anvil when the jaws are in their closed position and each jaw also including front and rear wire centering members having generally V-shaped wire centering notches;
• means operable to close said jaws to trap said pair of wires to either side of said anvil, each of said wires being held between one of the opposed surfaces of the anvil and the corresponding wire engaging surface of the jaw;
• and
• means operable to open said jaws.