An inline method of making a wire rope comprising the steps of:
- (A) Forming an independent wire rope core by the steps of:
- (i) Coating individual core wires with a core lubricant prior to combining the individual core wires;
- (ii) Combining a plurality of individual core wires by using a planetary strander to feed the individual core wires through a core guide plate into a core closing die, and wherein the core closing die rotates and thereby helically twists, closes, and combines together the individual core wires as the individual core wires are fed through the core closing die, with the combined twisted individual core wires having an outer surface;
- (iii) Providing a tube of core encapsulating material in a manner so as to surround the outer surface of the combined twisted individual core wires and the core lubricant, wherein the core encapsulating material has an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein the core encapsulating material is provided so as to seal the core lubricant and the combined twisted individual core wires prior to substantial disassociation of the core lubricant from the combined twisted individual core wires;
- (B) Forming a plurality of strands, with each strand being formed by the steps of:
- (i) Coating individual strand wires with a strand lubricant prior to combining the individual strand wires;
- (ii) Combining a plurality of individual strand wires by using a planetary strander to feed the individual strand wires through a strand guide plate into a strand closing die, and wherein the strand closing die rotates and thereby helically twists, closes, and combines together the individual strand wires as the individual strand wires are fed through the strand closing die, with the combined twisted individual strand wires having an outer surface;
- (iii) Providing tubes of strand encapsulating material in a manner so as to surround the outer surfaces of the combined twisted individual strand wires and the strand lubricant of each of the strands, wherein the strand encapsulating material has an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein the strand encapsulating material is provided so as to seal the strand lubricant and the combined twisted individual strand wires prior to substantial disassociation of the strand lubricant from the combined twisted individual strand wires;
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- (C) Forming the independent wire rope core and the plurality of strands into a wire rope by the steps of:
- (i) Combining the independent wire rope core and the plurality of strands using a planetary strander to feed the independent wire rope core through a central aperture in a wire rope guide plate and to feed the plurality of strands through radially spaced apertures in the wire rope guide plate into a wire rope closing die, and wherein the wire rope closing die rotates and thereby helically twists, closes, and combines together the plurality of strands and the independent wire rope core as the plurality of strands and the independent wire rope core are fed through the wire rope closing die, wherein the plurality of strands are arranged radially outwardly from the independent wire rope core, with the outer surface of the strand encapsulating material of each of the strands contacting the outer surface of the core encapsulating material of the independent wire rope core, and with the strands being twisted helically around the independent wire rope core and adjacent to the independent wire rope core to be combined with the independent wire rope core to form a wire rope;
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- (ii) Wherein the wire rope so formed has no further wire rope encapsulating material located radially outwardly of the strands and encapsulating both the wire rope core and the strands.