Method and apparatus for forming conveyor belt hinge pins

Apparatus for forming a plurality of hinge pins for joining conveyor belt ends from an elongated wire cable formed of a plurality of spirally twisted wire strands and having a longitudinally extending axis, the apparatus comprising:

• first gripping means for gripping a first portion of the cable at a first longitudinal position therealong;
• second gripping means for gripping a second portion of the cable at a second longitudinal position therealong;
• heating means for induction heating a third portion of the cable at a third longitudinal position therealong, between the first and second longitudinal positions;
• and
• means for rotating said first and second gripping means relative to one another about said longitudinal axis with sufficient torque, while maintaining a generally constant spacing between the first and second gripping means, to cause the cable strands to reduce substantially in diameter and to autogenously weld to each other at the heated portion and to sever the cable at the heated third longitudinal position therealong;
• and the means for rotating turns the rotatable gripping means such that the torque applied to the cable is in proportion to the heat applied thereto.

An apparatus for sectioning cable having a longitudinal axis, the apparatus comprising:

• a stationary chuck having gripping means for gripping the cable at a first longitudinal position therealong;
• a rotatable chuck having gripping means for gripping the cable at a second longitudinal position therealong and rotating the cable about the longitudinal axis at the second longitudinal position without longitudinal movement of the rotatable chuck;
• means for advancing a length of cable to bring a first portion thereof into said stationary chuck and a second portion thereof into said rotatable chuck;
• and
• heating means for heating the cable to a deformable temperature at a longitudinal position between said first and second longitudinal positions, simultaneous with the cable rotation, with the heating and rotating of the cable effecting severing thereof.

An apparatus for forming a plurality of hinge pins for joining conveyor belt ends from an elongated wire cable formed of a plurality of spirally twisted wire strands and having a longitudinally extending axis, the apparatus comprising:

• a stationary chuck for receiving a first portion of the cable therein, the stationary chuck having clamping means selectively moveable between an open position to allow free passage of the cable through the stationary chuck, and a closed position to tightly clamp the first portion of cable;
• a rotary chuck for receiving a second portion of the cable therein, the rotary chuck having rotary clamping means selectively moveable between an open position to allow free passage of the cable through the rotary chuck, and a closed position to tightly clamp the second portion of the cable;
• heating means for heating a third portion of the cable, intermediate of said first and second cable portions, to a deformable temperature;
• and
• said rotary chuck having means for rotating said rotary clamping means when in their closed position to twist the cable thereat about its longitudinal axis and induce sufficient torque in the portion of cable in proximity with the heating means, without longitudinal translation of the cable thereat, to cause the cable to reduce substantially in diameter and the cable strands to weld together at the heated portion, and the cable to sever at the heated portion.

A method for forming a plurality of hinge pins for joining conveyor belt ends from an elongated wire cable formed of a plurality of spirally twisted strands and having a longitudinally extending axis, the method comprising the steps of:

• securing the cable in a stationary position at a first longitudinal position therealong;
• gripping the cable at a second longitudinal position therealong;
• heating the cable to a deformable temperature at a third longitudinal position therealong, intermediate of said first longitudinal position and said second longitudinal position;
• applying sufficient torque to the length of cable intermediate the secured and gripped portions by twisting the cable thereat without application of longitudinal force to the cable to reduce the diameter of the cable at the heated portion with the strands being wound into a tighter spiral and welded to each other;
• and
• severing the cable by the twisting torque at the heated portion to form reduced diameter ends of adjacent hinge pins with the strands being more tightly wound and spiralled together at the ends of the hinge pin.