Method for making packets of amorphous metal strip for transformer-core manufacture

A method of making packets of amorphous metal strip adapted to be wrapped about the arbor of a transformer-core-making machine, each packet comprising a plurality of groups of strip, each group comprising many thin layers of strip, each layer having two longitudinally-extending edges at opposite sides of the layer and two-transversely extending edges at opposite ends of the layer, the longitudinally-extending edges at each side of the layers of each group being substantially aligned and the transversely-extending edges at each end of the layers in each group being substantially aligned, said method comprising:

• (a) providing a composite strip comprising many thin layers of amorphous metal strip stacked in superposed relationship,
• (b) advancing the leading end of said multi-layer composite strip forward,
• (c) after the step of (b), cutting said multi-layer composite strip at a location spaced rearwardly of the leading edge of said composite strip, thereby detaching from said leading end a first section of multi-layer amorphous metal strip and also creating a new leading end just behind said cutting location, (c) axially advancing said detached section to a position axially spaced from and adjacent said cutting location,
• (d) clamping said detached section to a supporting surface in said advanced position,
• (e) advancing the new leading end of said composite strip forward,
• (f) after the step of (e), cutting said composite strip at a location spaced rearwardly of the new leading edge of said multi-layer composite strip, thereby detaching from said new leading end an additional section of multi-layer amorphous metal strip and creating another new leading end just behind said latter cutting location,
• (g) axially advancing said additional section over the top of the immediately-preceding detached section,
• (h) unclamping the immediately-preceding detached section and then clamping the additional detached section to said supporting surface atop and in stacked relationship to the immediately-preceding detached section,
• (i) repeating steps substantially as defined in (e), (f), (g) and (h) with respect to each succeeding new leading end or section until a predetermined number of sections of multi-layer strip have been detached from said composite strip and stacked upon said supporting surface to form a packet for wrapping about said arbor, and in which the method is further characterized by:
• (j) each group being formed from one or more of said sections with the layers of each group stacked in substantially aligned relationship, and
• (k) the leading edge of the additional sections of composite strip being advanced during the aforesaid additional-section advancing steps into positions that locate the adjacent transversely-extending edges of adjacent groups in staggered relationship with respect to each other.