Automatic tie gun

A tool for automatically applying around an elongate bundle a flexible tie having a tail and an apertured head, comprising a push rod, driving means for causing said push rod to perform an operating cycle consisting of a forward stroke and a rearward stroke, indexing means driven by said push rod during said rearward stroke of said operating cycle causing a tie to be stepped laterally into a tail forward position in front of the retracting push rod with the apertured head of said tie turned into an orientation in which said apertured head is ready to receive said tie tail, said indexing means including a rotary drum rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of said push rod, said rotary drum having longitudinal grooves in its periphery for accommodating ties which are to be successively advanced by stepped rotation of said drum into said tail forward position, said ties being carried by said rotary drum with their apertured heads overhanging one end of said drum, said indexing means further including a fixed voluted surface with which the tie heads engage to bend the ties adjacent the heads in order to turn said heads into the required tail receiving orientation, and guide means at the forward end of the tool whereby, during said forward stroke of said operating cycle of said push rod, said tie is driven forwardly in a loop around said guide means by said push rod to cause the tail to enter the pre-orientated apertured head.

A tool for automatically applying around an elongate bundle a flexible tie in a tail forward position having a flat tail and an apertured head at one end of the tail, the tool being provided with a supply of ties wherein the supply of ties is in the form of a belt in which the ties are disposed side-by-side with each other with their tails disposed flat in a common plane having integral bridging pieces interconnecting the tail portions of adjacent ties, said tool comprising:

• indexing means for advancing said belt of interconnected ties so as to step each of successive interconnected ties laterally of itself in the plane of its flat tail into a tail-forward position within the tool, said indexing means including a rotary drum rotatable about an axis parallel to said tie when said tie is in said tail-forward position within said tool, said rotary drum having a plurality of longitudinal grooves axially extending along its periphery for receiving ties which are to be successively advanced by stepped rotation of said drum into said tail forward position, said rotary drum further including at least one circumferential groove peripherally interconnecting said longitudinal grooves, said circumferential groove being positioned to receive the integral bridging pieces in said belt supply of ties;
• cutting means for cutting an individual tie from said interconnected belt of ties;
• means for driving said tie tail forward from said tool around said elongate bundle;
• guide means at the forward end of said tool for guiding the tie tail around the bundle to be tied as said tie is driven tail forward from said tool and arranged so that the free end of said tie tail passes through said apertured head to interlock therein;
• means for engaging said free end of said tie tail once passed through said apertured head and driving it lengthwise of itself to tension the tie around said bundle being tied;
• a knife for cutting the tail behind said tie head;
• and tension-sensing means for actuating said knife when a predetermined tension in said tie is reached.

A tool for automatically applying around an elongate bundle a flexible tie in a tail forward position having a flat tail and an apertured head at one end of the tail, the tool being provided with a supply of ties wherein the supply of ties is in the form of a belt in which the ties are disposed side-by-side with each other with their tails disposed flat in a common plane having integral bridging pieces interconnecting the tail portions of adjacent ties, said tool comprising:

• indexing means for advancing said belt of interconnected ties so as to step each of successive interconnected ties laterally of itself in the plane of its flat tail into a tail forward position within the tool including a rotary drum rotatable about an axis parallel to said tie when said tie is in said tail forward position within said tool, said rotary drum having a plurality of longitudinal grooves axially extending along its periphery for receiving ties which are to be successively advanced by stepped rotation of said drum into said tail forward position, said rotary drum further including at least one circumferential groove peripherally interconnecting said longitudinal grooves, said circumferential groove being positioned to receive the integral bridging pieces in said belt supply of ties;
• a feed ratchet coupled to and co-rotatable with said rotary drum, means to actuate said feed ratchet after a tie has been driven in a loop around said guide means whereby said rotary drum rotates and advances the next tie of said belt of ties accommodated by said drum into said tail forward position in engagement with said driving means, and a spring detent engaging said rotary drum longitudinal grooves whereby said drum groove is precisely positioned in front of said driving means;
• cutting means for cutting an individual tie from said interconnected belt of ties;
• means for driving said tie tail forward from said tool around said elongate bundle;
• guide means at the forward end of said tool for guiding the tie tail around the bundle to be tied as said tie is driven tail forward from said tool and arranged so that the free end of said tie tail passes through said apertured head to interlock therein;
• means for engaging said free end of said tie tail once passed through said apertured head and driving it lengthwise of itself to tension the tie around said bundle being tied;
• a knife for cutting the tail behind said tie head;
• and tension-sensing means for actuating said knife when a predetermined tension in said tie is reached.