Metallic cable and method and apparatus for making same

A method of manufacturing a metallic cable comprising the steps of:

• (a) drawing a plurality of metallic filaments from a bobbin means, false twisting and forming said plurality of filaments into identical helixes having a given hand and pitch, said helixes being coaxial and each said filament being in line contact with at least one other of said filaments;
• (b) drawing a single metallic filament from a bobbin means located on a non-rotating cradle of a cable making apparatus, said cradle being suspended between first and second coaxial rotating flyers with hollow bearings, and guiding said single filament through the hollow bearing of one of said flyers along a path parallel with the axis of rotation of said flyers;
• (c) guiding said plurality of metallic filaments and said single metallic filament around a rotating sunken pulley located in the hollow bearing of said first rotating flyer to twist said single filament with said plurality of filaments and form a cable, then guiding said cable towards the radially outer periphery of said first rotating flyer where said cable is redirected towards the radially outer periphery of said second rotating flyer where said cable is directed towards a rotating sunken pulley located in the hollow bearing of said second flyer;
• (d) guiding said cable partially around the rotating sunken pulley located in the hollow bearing of said second flyer to further twist said single filament with said plurality of filaments;
• and
• (e) wrapping said cable onto a means for collecting a finished cable.

An apparatus for manufacturing a metallic cable comprising:

• (a) a first member comprising first and second coaxial and interconnected flyers spaced apart with respect to said axis, said flyers having hollow bearings that are supported by a means for providing support, a pair of rotating sunken pulleys attached inside the hollow bearing of each flyer to guide metallic filaments through said hollow bearings and in directions towards or away from the radially outer periphery of the respective flyer, and a means for rotating said flyers about said axis;
• (b) a second member comprising a non-rotating cradle suspended from the hollow bearings of said flyers, and a bobbin means attached to said cradle for supplying a metallic filament;
• (c) a third member comprising a plurality of bobbin means for supplying a plurality of metallic filaments, said plurality of bobbin means being attached to a stand that is disposed at the end of said first member nearest to said first flyer;
• (d) a fourth member comprising a means for permanently forming the plurality of metallic filaments supplied by the plurality of bobbin means of said third member into helixes;
• (e) a fifth member comprising a means for collecting a finished cable and a means for drawing the filaments supplied by the bobbin means of said second and third members past, around and through the components of said cable making apparatus.