Endless clip-strip feed splicer

A method for a clip-strip feed splicer, including the steps of:

• a) mounting a first clip-roll on a first lobe of a lever, the first clip roll having a continuous first clip-strip received on a first spool, the first clip strip including a multiple of interlock-able clips, the multiple of interlock-able clips removably interlock-able together in series, with each interlockable clip of the first clip strip having a first interlock element and a second interlock element, the first interlock element interlockable to the second interlockable element of a neighboring interlockable clip;
• b) mounting a second clip-roll on a second lobe of the lever, the second clip-roll having a continuous second clip-strip received on a second spool, the second clip strip including a multiple of interlock-able clips, the multiple of interlock-able clips removably interlock-able together in series, with each interlockable clip of the second clip strip also having the first interlock element and the second interlock element;
• c) rotatably mounting the lever to a lever pivot on a lever arm, with the first spool and the second spool alternate-able from a feed position to a pre-stage position on the lever arm;
• d) feeding the first clip-strip past a clamp mechanism, the first clip-strip of the first spool initially in the feed position, and the clamp mechanism including a first block clamp-able against a second block to interlock to the first clip-roll to the second clip-roll, and the second clip-roll initially queued-up in the pre-stage position, with the first interlock element of the second clip-roll leading from the second clip-roll and positioned on the first block;
• e) rotating the lever to move the second clip roll on the second spool to the feed position, and the first spool to the pre-stage position;
• f) pulling the clip-strip with the pair of feed-rolls through the clamp mechanism feeding the first clip-roll into the splicer from the feed position;
• g) queuing the second clip-roll in the pre-stage position, with the first interlock element leading from the second clip-roll and positioned on the first block and waiting for a last clip from the first clip-roll to move into a clamping position with the second block;
• h) feeding the clip-strip from the first clip-roll from the feed position into the clamp mechanism;
• i) mounting the first interlock element in the first block from the second spool;
• j) aligning an out-going second interlock element of the clip-strip from the first clip-roll to an in-coming first interlock element of the clip-strip from the second clip-roll;
• k) clamping the first block to the second block to interlock the out-going second interlock element from the first clip-roll to the in-coming first interlock element of the second clip-roll;
• and
• l) resuming the pulling of the clip-strips from the second clip-roll with the lever rotating to the feed position.