Dual capstan in-line wire drawing machine
AssigneeRockford Manufacturing Group, Inc.
InventorWayne A. Shosie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wire drawing machine having first and second capstans for unwinding wire from first and second coils and for pulling the wire through first and second wire drawing dies. The output from both capstans is directed to a single production machine, with the capstans alternately supplying the production machine so as to maintain a substantially continuous flow of wire to that machine.
Claims11
Apparatus for drawing a length of wire through a die and for supplying the wire to a production machine, said apparatus comprising a support, a capstan rotatably mounted on said support, said capstan having an entrance end for receiving wire from said die and having an exit end from which wire is supplied to said production machine, feeding means on said support and located downstream of the exit end of said capstan for feeding wire from said capstan toward said production machine, cutting means located on said support between said feeding means and said production machine and selectively operable to cut said wire, and means for preventing said wire from being pulled reversely past said feeding means after the wire has been cut by said cutting means.
Apparatus for supplying wire to a production machine, said apparatus comprising a support, first and second drawing dies mounted on said support, first and second capstans mounted on said support to rotate about first and second axes, respectively, said first and second capstans being operable to draw first and second wires, respectively, through said first and second dies, respectively, each of said capstans having an entrance end for receiving the respective wire from the respective die and having an exit end from which the respective wire is supplied to said production machine, said first and second axes being positioned on said support such that said first and second wires from said first and second capstans, respectively, extend along first and second paths, respectively, which converge toward one another as said paths progress downstream from said capstans toward said production machine.
A wire drawing installation for reducing the diameter of wire and for supplying the wire to a production machine, said installation comprising first and second wire handling lines, each of said lines comprising:
- (A) means for storing a coil of wire,
- (B) a wire drawing die,
- (C) a rotatable capstan for pulling wire from said coil and through said die to reduce the diameter of the wire,
- (D) means for feeding wire from the capstan,
- (E) means for preventing the wire from traveling reversely toward the capstan, and
- (F) guide means for directing the wire fed from the capstan,
- the guide means for each line being located to direct the wire fed from the respective capstan to a common point just upstream of said production machine whereby the wires from the two capstans may be supplied alternately to the machine, said installation further comprising means for cutting each wire at a position between said point and the feeding means of the respective line, and welding means upstream of said dies for welding the trailing end of the wire of the coil of each line to the leading end of the wire of a new coil placed on the storing means of such line.
A method of supplying wire to a production machine, said method comprising the steps of, rotating a first capstan in one direction to pull wire from a first coil through a first drawing die and to wind the wire around the capstan, unwinding the wire from the capstan and feeding the wire from the capstan toward the production machine, stopping feeding of the wire before the trailing end of the wire from the coil reaches said capstan, cutting the wire between the production machine and the capstan to leave a length of wire extending from the capstan toward the production machine, preventing said length of wire from traveling reversely from said production machine toward said capstan, welding the leading end of an additional coil of wire to the trailing end of said first coil, and resuming feeding of said wire to advance said length of wire toward said production machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.