Method and apparatus for the manufacture of wire link bands

An apparatus for manufacturing wire-link bands from a set of at least three aligned, alternately right-hand and left-hand helices of metal or synthetic material and of substantially uniform diameter and each helix having a pitch of less than twice the diameter of the wire of the helices comprising

• closure slot means having a closure slot which has a lateral entrance opening with one dimension equal approximately to the sum of the overall diameters of the individual helices, the closure slot narrowing down from the entrance opening to an exit opening smaller than the sum of the diameters of the set of helices, whereby said helices must interengage or interdigitate to pass out of said exit opening,
• drive means adjacent the exit side of said closure slot means for moving the interengaged or interdigitated set of helices away from the exit of said slot and for applying sufficient tension to the helices to open the pitch of the helices and cause the adjacent helices to engage each other as the set of helices passes through said closure slot of the closure means.