Methods and apparatus for drawing wire

A method for drawing wire from a coil of material and winding it as a coil of wire which comprises providing a rotatable material pay-off means on which a coil of material is supported, the pay-off means being rotatable about an axis and the coil of material having its axis parallel thereto;

• a wire take-up means on which a coil of wire drawn from the material is adapted to be wound with its axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the take-up means;
• and a rotatable die located between the pay-off means and the take-up means and rotatable about an axis of rotation, the axis of said take-up means and said axes of rotation of the die and the pay-off means being parallel to each other;
• transferring the material from the coil of material to the coil of wire while substantially retaining its coil form and passing the material through the die while rotating the die in a plane between the two coils to draw wire from the material;
• and rotating the pay-off means and the coil of material in the same direction as the die is rotated and at a speed just sufficient to compensate for the elongation of the material as it is drawn into wire while permitting relative rotational movement between said payoff means and wire drawing die.