Spring coiling machine

In a cyclically operable spring coiling machine having a coiling station;

• the combination of a feed roll assembly comprising at least one pair of oppositely rotatable feed rolls for cooperatively gripping wire therebetween and for advancing the same longitudinally to the coiling station, at least one coiling tool at the coiling station arranged to engage longitudinally advancing wire and to obstruct the linear movement thereof whereby progressively to bend the same and to thus impart a coiling stress thereto resulting in the formation of a coil spring at a leading end portion thereof, said coiling tool being mounted for movement in one and an opposite direction and substantially along the wire feed line and also for movement in a direction generally perpendicular to said wire feed line and substantially parallel to the axis of a spring coiled at the coiling station, a pair of servo motors respectively for controlling the movement of said coiling tool along and perpendicular to said wire feed line, an auxiliary arbor movable between inoperative and operative positions in direction generally perpendicular to but displaced slightly in a lateral direction from the wire feed line, the arbor being disposed in an operative position adjacent to and on one side of a portion of wire residing along the line of wire feed, and the arbor thus providing lateral resistance for bending of the wire portion thereabout by the coiling tool in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of a spring coiled at the coiling station, the coiling tool being disposed on an opposite side of the wire and moveable laterally across the wire line toward the arbor, and also including a servo motor for moving the arbor between its inoperative and operative positions, and at least one cut off tool at said coiling station adjacent said coiling arbor and operable intermittently to sever coiled leading end portions of the wire whereby to provide individual coil springs.

In a cyclically operable spring coiling machine having a coiling station;

• the combination of a feed roll assembly comprising at least one pair of oppositely rotatable feed rolls for cooperatively gripping wire therebetween and for advancing the same longitudinally to the coiling station, said feed roll assembly also including a servo motor for rotatably driving at least one of the feed rolls, and said feed roll assembly being mounted for rotation about the axis of wire advanced by the feed rolls, a stationary servo motor for rotating the feed roll assembly in timed relationship with the advancement of wire by the feed rolls, at least one coiling tool at the coiling station arranged to engage longitudinally advancing wire and to obstruct the linear movement thereof whereby progressively to bend the same and thus to impart a coiling stress thereto resulting in the formation of a coil spring at a leading end portion thereof, said coiling tool being mounted for movement generally toward and away from said coiling arbor and substantially along a forwardly extended wire feed line, a servo motor for controlling the movement of said coiling tool, and at least one cut off tool at said coiling station and operable intermittently to sever coiled leading end portions of the wire whereby to provide individual coil springs, a pitch tool at the coiling station engagable with and operable during longitudinal wire advancement to displace the wire laterally, said pitch tool being mounted for movement in a direction generally perpendicular to the line of wire advancement, a servo motor for controlling the movement of said pitch tool;
• said coiling tool being mounted for movement in two directions generally perpendicular to each other and both generally perpendicular to said wire feed line and respectively substantially perpendicular to and parallel with the axis of a coil spring formed at the coiling station, and two additional servo motors for controlling movement of the coiling tool generally perpendicularly to said wire feed line respectively in said two directions.

In a cyclically operable spring coiling machine having a coiling station, a feed roll assembly comprising two (2) pairs of feed rolls in adjacent relationship with at least one roll of each pair having an associated fluid cylinder means for urging the same in a generally perpendicular direction relative to the line of wire feed for gripping and releasing wire, said rolls cooperatively gripping wire therebetween and advancing the same longitudinally to the coiling station, at least one coiling tool at the coiling station arranged to engage longitudinally advancing wire and to obstruct the linear movement thereof whereby progressively to bend the same and to thus impart a coiling stress thereto resulting in the formation of a coil spring at a leading end portion thereof, at least one cut-off tool at said coiling station and operable intermittently to sever coiled leading end portions of the wire whereby to provide individual coil springs;

• the improvement comprising mounting the feed roll assembly for rotation in one and opposite directions about the axis of wire advanced by the feed rolls, providing a servo motor for rotating said feed rolls and which is supported by, rotatable with, and forms a part of the feed roll assembly, and providing a stationary servo motor for bodily rotating the feed roll assembly including the aforesaid feed roll servo motor in timed relationship with the advancement of wire and the formation of coil springs.