On-line winding machine

Method for the winding of flexible material, comprising the steps of:

• independently rotating first and second spindles mounted for rotation about respective spaced parallel axes in a machine frame;
• reciprocating a traverse guide along an axis parallel to, and spaced from, said spaced parallel axes to consecutively wind the flexible material on respective first and second mandrels removably mounted to said first and second spindles;
• moving first transfer means in a first plane substantially parallel to said spaced parallel axes for engagement of the flexible material from said traverse guide to one of said first or second mandrels;
• moving second transfer means in a second plane transverse to said first plane and extending between said spaced parallel axes for engagement of the flexible material extending from said traverse guide to one of said first or second mandrels;
• and
• respectively controlling the rotation of said first and second spindles and the movement of said traverse guide to wind flexible material onto said first or second mandrels and controlling the movement of said first and second transfer means and the rotation of said first and second spindles to transfer flexible material from a completely wound first or second mandrel to the other mandrel for winding of flexible material thereon.

Method of winding flexible material on a winding machine automatically controlled by a central processing unit CPU, said winding machine having first and second spindles movable between an IN position and an OUT position and each having respective removable endforms movable between respective IN and OUT positions, first and second transfer means, said first transfer means being movable between an upper and a lower position, said second transfer means being movable between an IN and an OUT position in a direction transverse to the movement of said first transfer means, each said first and second spindles having a fixed endform with a cutter and gripping mechanism mounted thereon, and a traverse guide for feeding flexible material to said first or second spindles and reciprocating in a plane substantially parallel to the movement of said second transfer means and transverse to the movement of said first transfer means, comprising resetting said winding machine for either manual or automatic winding of flexible material by the steps of:

• providing power to said winding machine and CPU;
• reading information into the CPU including at least information specifying the type of wind to be wound and the amount of flexible material to be wound successively on each of said first and second spindles;
• turning all the mechanisms for operating the first and second spindles, the first and second transfer means and said traverse guide OFF;
• setting said CPU to read a particular address for initiating the reset operation;
• moving the endform on each of said first and second spindles to said OUT position, disabling each of said cutter and gripping mechanisms, moving said second transfer means to said IN position, moving said first and second spindles into their respective OUT positions, and then after a predetermined delay moving said first and second spindles into their respective IN positions;
• after a predetermined delay checking whether an automatic or manual mode of operation has been selected by the winding machine operator;
• with selection of the automatic mode, placing said upper and lower endforms into their respective IN positions, positioning said first transfer means to said lower position and said second transfer means to said OUT position;
• and
• with selection of said manual mode both lower and upper endforms are positioned at their respective IN positions and power is removed from said second transfer means.