Method and apparatus for untwisting and cutting twisted cable

A method of untwisting a plurality of twisted conductive strands and cutting the untwisted strands, the strands being enclosed by a jacket of insulation of a multi-stranded conductor cable having a generally circular outer cross section, the method comprising the steps of:

• removing a forward portion of the insulation to expose a forward end of the twisted conductive strands;
• providing first and second strand receiving members of the type having at least one confrontable surface, the first strand receiving member being provided with a wire passage sized to receive the exposed forward end of the twisted strands and a plurality of strand guide bores sized to receive one wire strand, the wire passage extending inwardly from one end thereof and the plurality of guide bores extending inwardly from the confrontable surface and interconnecting with the wire passage and the second strand receiving member having a like plurality of strand guide bores extending inwardly from its confrontable surface and therethrough to another end thereof, the guide bores of each strand receiving member being adapted to be in alignment when the members are in a first position and out of alignment when the members are in a second position;
• positioning the confrontable surfaces of the strand receiving members in the first position so that the guide bores are aligned;
• inserting the forward end of the twisted strands into the wire passage of the first strand receiving member;
• progressively pushing the forward end into the wire passage whereby the strands are directed to the guide bores of the first strand receiving member;
• forcibly urging the strands into, through and outwardly of the guide bores in the first strand receiving member and into the guide bores of the second strand receiving member, thereby untwisting the conductive strands;
• moving the second strand receiving member relative to the first strand receiving member from the first position and into the second position to displace the confrontable surfaces, the displacement thereby shearing the strand portion disposed in the second member from the cable and strands disposed in the first member;
• and
• removing the cable having untwisted and sheared strand ends from the first strand receiving member.

For use with an electrical wire of the type having a forward end portion of insulation removed to expose a plurality of twisted conductive strands, an apparatus for untwisting and cutting the exposed forward ends of the conductive strands, the apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• first and second wire receiver members supported by the frame, each of said wire receiver members having front and rear faces and mounted to the frame with the front faces being disposed in facing relationship;
• said first wire receiver member comprising:
• a wire receiving passage extending from the rear face forwardly and sized to receive the twisted forward end of the conductive strands;
• and
• a plurality of first strand guide bores extending from the front face rearwardly and sized to receive one of the conductive strands, each of said guide bores intercepting the wire receiving passage at a location between the faces,
• said second wire receiving member comprising:
• a like plurality of second strand guide bores extending between the front and the rear faces;
• and
• means operatively coupled to said members for displacing the front faces from a first position and into a second position, each of the first and second strand guide bores being in alignment in the first position and out of alignment in the displaced second position, the displacement being at least as great as the conductive strand diameter.

An apparatus for untwisting twisted conductive strands of a multi-stranded electrical cable and for shearing the untwisted ends, the apparatus comprising:

• a first plate having top and bottom surfaces, a wire passage sized to receive the twisted conductive strands and a plurality of guide bores sized to receive one untwisted conductive strand, the wire passage extending from a rear surface to an interior location and the guide bores radiating from the interior location and outwardly to the front surface;
• a second plate having top and bottom surfaces, and a like plurality of guide bores extending between front and rear surfaces, the front surfaces being complementary and the guide bores in the second plate being aligned with the guide bores in the first plate in at least one position;
• a frame for fixed mounting the first plate relative to the second plate;
• said second plate being mounted in the frame for sliding movement relative to the first plate to sever at least one length of wire extending through the first plate to form a plurality of wire terminals;
• and
• means to slide the second plate relative to the first plate from first to second positions, whereby the strand is sheared.