Apparatus and method for striping insulated wire

Apparatus for removing insulation from wire where the insulation surrounds a wire core, including

• a support structure,
• a mounting fixture mounted to the support structure for holding a spool of wire in a manner that enables the wire to be unwound from the spool,
• a mandrel element mounted to the support structure and adapted to be rotated, a portion of the wire being unwound from the spool and an end of the unwound wire being attached to said mandrel element, so that as the mandrel element is rotated the wire is continually unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element,
• a manually adjustable knife blade disposed between the mounting fixture and the mandrel element to engaged the wire as said wire is unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element, said knife blade being positioned essentially at a tangent to the wire core so that said knife blade cuts the insulation into first and second sections, the first section of insulation riding over the blade as the wire is wound around the mandrel element and the second section of insulation remaining on the wire core after the wire engages the knife blade,
• an alignment member disposed between the mounting fixture and the mandrel element for aligning the wire to move along predetermined path past the knife blade, and
• a stripper member disposed between the knife blade and the mandrel element that strips the second section of insulation from the wire prior to the wire being wound around the mandrel element.

Apparatus for removing insulation from wire where the insulation surrounds a wire core, including

• supporting structure,
• means attached to the supporting structure that enables the wire to be moved along a predetermined path,
• a mandrel element mounted to the support structure and adapted to be rotated, an end of the wire being attached to said mandrel element, so that as the mandrel element is rotated the wire is continually moved along said predetermined path and wound around the mandrel element,
• a manually adjustable knife blade disposed along said predetermined path to engage the wire, said knife blade being positioned essentially at a tangent to the wire core so that said knife blade cuts the insulation into first and second sections, the first section of insulation riding over the blade as the wire moves along said predetermined path and the second section of insulation remaining on the wire core after the wire engages the knife blade,
• a compression member positioned in advance of the knife blade which straightens the wire as said wire is unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element, said compression member including an anvil member and a guide member overlying the anvil member, said guide member having an elongated groove therein having a diameter about equal to the diameter of the wire with the insulation thereon,
• said guide member being removably mounted so that alternate guide members with grooves of different diameters may be substituted to correspond to the diameter of the wire being stripped of insulation,
• a spring member which applies a compressive force to the guide member, pressing said guide member firmly against the anvil member,
• a stripper member disposed between the knife blade and the mandrel element that strips the second section of insulation from the wire prior to the wire being wound around the mandrel element, and
• a mounting mechanism for the knife blade that enables said blade to be moved in pitch and yaw directions and raised and lowered relative to the wire.

Apparatus for removing insulation from wire where the insulation surrounds a wire core, including

• a support structure,
• a mounting fixture mounted to the support structure for holding a spool of wire in a manner that enables the wire to be unwound from the spool,
• a mandrel element mounted to the support structure and adapted to be rotated, a portion of the wire being unwound from the spool and an end of the unwound wire being attached to said mandrel element, so that as the mandrel element is rotated the wire is continually unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element, said mandrel element having the general configuration of a tapered cone with an exterior wall with a slot in an end of the wall for receiving the end of the wire and a hollow interior near said end of the wall, with a finger member positioned to engage the wire attached to the mandrel element for bending the wire so that the wire is attached to the mandrel,
• a manually adjustable knife blade disposed between the mounting fixture and the mandrel element to engaged the wire as said wire is unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element, said knife blade being positioned essentially at a tangent to the wire core so that said knife blade cuts the insulation into first and second sections, the first section of insulation riding over the blade as the wire is wound around the mandrel element and the second section of insulation remaining on the wire core after the wire engages the knife blade, and
• a stripper member disposed between the knife blade and the mandrel element that strips the second section of insulation from the wire prior to the wire being wound around the mandrel element.

Apparatus for removing insulation from wire where the insulation surrounds a wire core, including

• a support structure,
• a mounting fixture mounted to the support structure for holding a spool of wire in a manner that enables the wire to be unwound from the spool,
• a mandrel element mounted to the support structure and adapted to be rotated, a portion of the wire being unwound from the spool and an end of the unwound wire being attached to said mandrel element, so that as the mandrel element is rotated the wire is continually unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element,
• a manually adjustable knife blade disposed between the mounting fixture and the mandrel element to engaged the wire as said wire is unwound from the spool and wound around the mandrel element, said knife blade being positioned essentially at a tangent to the wire core so that said knife blade cuts the insulation into first and second sections, the first section of insulation riding over the blade as the wire is wound around the mandrel element and the second section of insulation remaining on the wire core after the wire engages the knife blade,
• a mounting mechanism for the knife blade that enables the blade to be moved in pitch and yaw directions and raised and lowered relative to the wire, and
• a stripper member disposed between the knife blade and the mandrel element that strips the second section of insulation from the wire prior to the wire being wound around the mandrel element.