Apparatus for cutting and conveying segments of wire or cable

In a conveyor unit for conveying a segment of wire or cable along a path with the segment transverse to said path:

• a pair of spaced apart elongated guide rails;
• a pair of endless flexible belts, each belt being mounted for rotation around an associated one of said guide rails, the adjacent flights of the belts on the guide rails being confronting flights adapted to entrap and convey a segment therebetween;
• and means to effect separation of said confronting flights at a location therealong to enable axial movement of a segment therebetween comprising:
• a pair of backing blocks, each backing block being slidably mounted on an associated guide rail and slidably and grippingly engaged with the confronting flight of the associated belt;
• and actuator means to move said backing blocks away from and toward each other to thereby effect separating and reclosure movement, respectively, of said confronting flights.

In a conveyor for receiving a strand of wire or cable and for conveying a segment thereof along a path with the segment transverse to said path;

• a pair of laterally spaced apart belt type conveyor units, one being an inboard conveyor unit and the other an outboard conveyor unit, each conveyor unit comprising:
• a pair of spaced apart elongated guide rails;
• a pair of endless flexible belts, each belt being mounted for rotation around an associated one of said guide rails, the adjacent flights of the belts on the guide rails being confronting flights adapted to entrap and convey a segment therebetween;
• means to effect separation of said confronting flights at a location therealong to enable axial insertion of the free end of said strand therebetween comprising:
• a pair of backing blocks, each backing block being slidably mounted relative to an associated guide rail and slidably engaged with the confronting flight of the associated belt;
• and actuator means to move the backing blocks away from and toward each other to thereby effect separating and reclosure movement, respectively, of said confronting flights;
• and wire guide means to direct said strand between the separated confronting flights comprising:
• at least one set of wire guides adjacent each conveyor unit and comprising a pair of wire guide members movable between a closed position wherein said wire guide members define a wire guide hole aligned with the separation between said separated confronting flights and an open position wherein a segment is shiftable laterally from between said wire guide members;
• said wire guide members being movable to open position by movement to closed position of the associated backing blocks;
• biasing means for moving said wire guide members to closed position;
• and elongated wire guide means to direct said strand from one conveyor unit to the other and comprising:
• a pair of elongated members movable between a closed position wherein said elongated members define a wire guide passage aligned with said wire guide holes and an open position wherein a segment is shiftable from between said elongated wire guide members;
• and means for moving said elongated members between open and closed position independently of the movement of said set of wire guides.

Apparatus for repeatedly cutting segments from a strand of wire or cable and for conveying them to work stations so that either or both ends can be processed to provide a partly or fully finished wire lead or cord, said apparatus comprising:

• a feed mechanism for moving the free end of said strand in incremental steps along a first path;
• inboard and outboard laterally spaced apart conveyor units for moving segments cut from said strand in incremental steps along a second path transverse to the first path, each unit comprising a pair of endless flexible belts having separable soft-faced confronting flights;
• a separator device for each conveyor unit to periodically separate and reclose the confronting flights at a location aligned with said first path;
• a set of periodically closable and reopenable wire guide members on each side of each conveyor unit and aligned with said first path and operable by the associated separator device so that when the associated confronting flights are open the wire guide members are closed and vice-versa;
• an independently openable elongated wire guide located between said conveyor units in alignment with the sets of wire guide members;
• a cutter located between the feed mechanism and the set of wire guide members on the outside of the inboard conveyor unit;
• and drive mechanisms and a programmable controller for operating the feed mechanism, the conveyor units and their associated separator devices and wire guides, and the cutter in synchronism.