Adjustable apparatus for cutting and conveying wire segments of various lengths

Apparatus for severing a wire segment from a wire strand and for conveying said wire segment comprising:

• wire feed means for feeding said wire strand along a first path, said wire feed means comprising a cable having a pair of parallel cable flights which are reciprocably movable axially in opposite directions parallel to said first path and a pair of wire feed clamps for releasably gripping said wire strand, each wire feed clamp being fixedly connected to and movable with one cable flight, each of said wire feed clamps having two spaced apart extreme operating positions, said wire feed means further comprising cable drive means to effect reciprocating movement of said cable flights in opposite directions to thereby move each of said wire feed clamps between its two extreme operating positions during wire feeding operations;
• a pair of laterally spaced apart adjustably positionable conveyor assemblies, each conveyor assembly comprising at least one conveyor clamp, a pair of said one conveyor clamps in said pair of conveyor assemblies being adapted to receive said wire strand from said wire feed clamps and to grip and convey a wire segment cut therefrom along a second path transverse to said first path;
• wire cutter means for cutting said wire segment from said wire strand while the wire strand is gripped by said pair of conveyor clamps;
• first means operable for adjustably moving said conveyor assemblies laterally relative to each other in a direction parallel to said first path so as to change the spacing between said conveyor clamps;
• and second means synchronized with adjusting movement of said conveyor assemblies for effecting axial shifting movement of said wire feed clamps and said cable to thereby change the spacing between the two extreme operating positions of each wire feed clamp and thereby change the length of said wire strand to be received by said pair of conveyor clamps.

Apparatus for severing a wire segment from a strand of wire and for conveying said wire segment comprising:

• a pair of wire feed clamps which are fixedly connected to a pair of parallel flights of a cable which is connected to be driven by a cable drum which is oscillatably rotatable between two extreme angular positions, said angular positions determining the axial positions of said parallel cable flights and thus the extreme operating positions of each of said wire feed clamps;
• means to oscillatably rotate said cable drum to effect wire feeding movements of said wire feed clamps;
• a pair of laterally spaced apart conveyor assemblies for receiving said wire strand from said feed clamps and for conveying a wire segment cut therefrom;
• means to adjustably move said conveyor assemblies relative to each other to change the spacing therebetween to accommodate a wire segment of a particular length;
• and means synchronized with adjusting movement of said conveyor assemblies to effect axial movement of said wire feed clamps and said cable and thereby adjustably rotate said cable drum to change said two extreme angular positions thereof and to thereby reposition said wire feed clamps and enable them to provide a particular length of said wire strand to said conveyor assemblies.

Apparatus for severing a wire segment from a wire strand and for conveying said segment comprising:

• wire feed means for feeding said wire strand along a first path and comprising a cable having a pair of parallel cable flights disposed along a first path and axially movable in opposite directions relative to each other, a pair of wire feed clamps which are reciprocably movable in opposite directions along said first path, each of said wire feed clamps having two sppced apart extreme operating positions, each wire feed clamp being fixedly attached to one cable flight, and means to effect reciprocating movement of said cable flights to thereby move each of said wire feed clamps between its two extreme operating positions during wire feeding operations;
• a pair of conveyor assemblies which are laterally spaced apart from each other and having conveyor clamps for receiving said wire strand from said wire feed clamps and for conveying a wire segment cut from said strand along a second path transverse to said first path;
• first means operable for adjustably moving said conveyor assemblies laterally relative to each other in a direction parallel to said first path so as to change the spacing between said conveyor clamps;
• and second means synchronized with adjusting movement of said conveyor assemblies for effecting axial shifting movement of said wire feed clamps and said cable flights to thereby change the spacing between the extreme operating positions of each wire feed clamp and thereby change the length of said wire strand to be received by said conveyor clamps.