Process for forming roller guide frames for a fishing line

A process for forming roller guide frames designed to movably support a fishing line on a fishing rod, said process comprising the steps of:

• a) feeding an elongated strip of a metallic material having a predetermined width to a plurality of adjacent work stations,
• b) defining each of said plurality of work stations by a punching and stamping assembly in spaced relation to one another along a path of travel of said elongated strip,
• c) defining said predetermined width of said elongated strip sufficiently in transverse dimension so as to form oppositely disposed side portions of a sufficient intended length on each of a plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames,
• d) forcing movement of said elongated strip along the path of travel in a periodic, stop and go mode,
• e) driving each of said punching and stamping assemblies of said plurality of work stations simultaneously into forming engagement with said elongated strip when said elongated strip is in a stop mode along the path of travel,
• f) removing a formed roller guide frame from said elongated strip and said plurality of work stations to define a go mode of said elongated strip along the path of travel,
• g) successively forming said oppositely disposed side portions on each of said plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames to extend outwardly from opposite sides of said elongated strip and in co-planar relation thereto and to one another,
• h) forming an elongated band on said elongated strip which is integrally and fixedly connected between each of said plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames and adapting said elongated band to simultaneously move said plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames to a next successively disposed one of said plurality of work stations,
• i) forming a segment of said elongated band extending between said oppositely disposed side portions to define a base portion of each respective one of said plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames,
• j) subsequently bending each of said side portions of each of said plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames out of a co-planar relation and into spaced, parallel relation to one another, and into transverse relation to said elongated band, and
• k) removing a formed roller guide frame from said elongated strip and the plurality of semi-formed roller guide frames at a last, end most one of the plurality of work stations.