US3128961A

US3128961A - wickwire

Info

Publication number: US3128961A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 1981-04-14

Description

April 14, 1964 c. F. WICKWIRE 3,128,961

WIRE comma MACHINE Filed Jari. s, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 75 /1/ gig $33 I s :WK- {l 76 16 'II/I/I/I/I/l l'l/I/I/I/I/I/l/A INVENTOR Che sierEWickwir-e ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,128,961 Patented Apr. 14, 19.64

3,128,961 WIRE COILING MACHKNE Chester F. Wickwire, Cortland, N.Y., assignor to Wickwire Brothers, Inc Cortland, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 164,829 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-82) This invention relates to wire coiling machines.

In general, wire coiling machines can be grouped into two categories, namely those that form the coil on a rotating reel or drum, and those that form the coil or dead package, as it is frequently called, on a stationary accumulating pin. While the coils formed on machines of the first type lie fiat and are inherently unstressed, those formed with the second type of machine are wild and unruly unless some means is provided for rotating the wire 360 about its axis for every complete coil laid onto the accumulating pin. The prior art discloses many schemes for forming dead packages, but some do not permit continuous operation,'and, in general, all are characterized by complicated and expensive apparatus for imparting the necessary 360 twist per coil to the wire.

The object of this invention is to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive machine for continuously forming large dead packages of wire. Briefly, the machine includes a curved guide pipe which rotates around the accumulating pin on a vertical axis and a pair of canted rotating cylinders that are located on opposite sides of and in engagement with the wire moving toward the entrance of the guide pipe. The cylinders are arranged to impart longitudinal as well as twisting movement to the wire and are driven in synchronism with the'guide pipe so that the length of wire which forms each coil is rotated 360 about its axis as it passes between the cylinders. The Wire is drawn into the machine by a capstan located ahead of the cylinders so that the cylinders need only impart sufiicient longitudinal force to the wire to push it through the rotating guide pipe.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is described herein with'reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the machine.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine.

FIG. 3 is an end view of them'achine as seen from the left side of FIG. 1. I

FIG. 4 is an'enlarged view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3 showing the support 'for the lower universal bearing.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a schematic planview of an alternative scheme for imparting twist to the wire.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the alternative twisting mechanism of FIG. 7.

As shown in the drawings, the Wire coiling machine is carried by a frame 11 supported on four columns 12 anchored to the floor (not shown) and defining a coiling area containing the stationary accumulating pin 13. A curved guide pipe 14, journaled in bearing 15mounted on lower frame plate 16, rotates about a vertical axis aligned with the axis of pin 13. The guide pipe has an entrance 17 located on the axis of rotation and an exit 13 spaced radially from that axis and located below the entrance.

The wire W from which the coil is to be formed is fed to the entrance of the guide pipe through a 90 curved pipe 19 supported by a bracket 21 fixed to intermediate frame plate 22. Ahead of this pipe 19 are a pair of driven

stellite rolls

23 and 24 which impart to the wire W the required 360. twist per revolution of guide tively, of the frame 11. Roll 24, on the other hand, is

fixed to a shaft 29 that is journaled in

universal bearings

31 and 32. Upper universal bearing 31 is carried by a slide 33 whose edges are beveled to form a sliding dovetail joint with the guides 34 and 35 attached to upper frame plate 28. Slide 33 is free to move in a direction substantially parallel with the direction of movement of wire W between

rolls

23 and 24 under the action of adjusting

screws

36 and 37. A pair of

lock nuts

38 and 39 maintain slide 33 in the'selected position. A pointer 41 and cooperating scale 42 carried by slide 33 and guide 34, respectively, aid the operator in positioning slide 33 to establish the desired angle of tilt for roll 24.

The lower universal bearing 32, which is identical to the bearing 31, is carried by a slide 43 movable in a direction normal to the direction of movement of slide 33 between

guides

44 and 45 attached to the under side of intermediate frame plate 22. As in the case of slide 33 and guides 34 and 35, the slide 43 forms a sliding dovetail joint with

guides

44 and 45. Three coil compression springs 46, reacting between seat 47 and slide 43, bias the slide 43 in the direction of wire W and maintain contact between the Wire W and

rolls

23 and 24. Spring seat 47 is slidable between intermediate frame plate 22 and guide 48 fixed to side frame plate 49 to vary the bias exerted by springs 46, An adjusting screw 56 and lock nut 51 are provided for this purpose.

Projecting from the right side of frame 11, as viewed in FIG. 1, is a subframe 52 which supports two sets of wire straightening

rolls

53 and 54 located on opposite sides of a capstan 55. The capstan shaft 56 is journalled in

bearings

57 and 58 carried by subframe 52.

Rotary guide pipe 14,

rolls

23 and 24, and capstan 55 are driven in unison by a single electric motor indicated at 59. The motor 59 is coupled directly with roll shaft 25 and torque is transmitted from this shaft to the guide pipe 14 through a belt 61 and a pair of

sheaves

62 and 63 carried by shaft 25 and guide pipe 14, respectively. A second belt 64 and set of

sheaves

65 and 66 carried by shaft 26 and capstan shaft 56, transmit torque to the capstan 55. A pair of

rubber wheels

67 and 68 fixed to

shafts

25 and 29, respectively, transmit power to the tilting roll 24. 5

Continuous operation of the coiling machine is desirable and, therefore, means are provided for temporarily catching the coils laid down by guide pipe 14 during the time required to remove a full accumulating pin 13 and substitute a new one. As shown in the drawings, these means includethreefingers 69 pivot-ally mounted on pins 71 carried by theangle brackets 72 attached to the under side of frame plate 16 and spaced equiangularly around the axis of rotation of guide pipe 14. Each finger 69 is formed with a' circular cylindrical portion 73 that projects upward through an opening in frame plate 16 and is arranged to be engaged by a cam 74 carried by an actuating ring 75. Ring 75 is provided with a handle 76 and is mounted for rotational movement about the axis of rotation of guide pipe 14 by three grooved rollers 77 journaled on stub shafts 78 projecting upward from frame plate 16. When ring 75 is in the position shown in the drawings, springs 79 hold the fingers 69 out of the path of the wire issuing from guide pipe 14 and the wire, therefore, accumulates on pin 13. When the ring 75 is rotated in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2), cams 74 engage finger portions 73 and force them outward against the bias of springs 79 Since the wire catching portions of the fingers 69 are located on the opposite sides of the pivot pins 71 from the cam-engaging portions, they are moved inward into the path of travel of the wire W and form a temporary support on which the coils can rest while the coil on pin 13 is severed and removed. As soon as an empty accumulating pin is installed, the operator returns the ring 75 to the illustrated position and the springs 79 withdraw the fingers 69 and allow the coils that have accumulated on them to drop onto the new accumulating pin 13.

The coiling machine of this invention is especially useful in continuous wire drawing operations wherein the wire passes through the dies, then through either an annealing furnace or a galvanizing bath and finally to the coiler. :To commence operation, the end of the wire W is threaded by hand through the straightening rolls S3, wrapped once around the capstan 55, thence through the straightening rolls 54, between

rolls

23 and 24, and through pipe 19 and into rotary guide pipe 14. The end of the wire is left free and need not be attached to accumulating 1.

pin '13.

When motor 59 is running, wire W is drawn into the machine by capstan 55 and then removed from the capstan and pushed through the guide pipe 19 and rotary guide pipe 14 by the driven canted

rolls

23 and 24. Because of the tilt of the roll shaft 29, the

rolls

23 and 24 impart twisting as well as longitudinal motion to the wire. The angle of tilt of shaft 29 is selected to produce 360 of twist for each coil laid onto pin 13, and therefore, de-

pends upon the diameter of the wire and the diameter of the coil being produced. When the guide pipe 14 is rotating in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2 roll shaft 29 is tilted in the direction illustrated so that the wire W is twisted in the clockwise direction (viewed in the directon of travel). The angle of tilt of shaft 29 can be calculated approximately and established by suitable adjustment of

screws

36 and 37 before motor 59 is started. However, due to slippage, final adjustment of the angle of tilt is required after the machine is in operation. Since the coils formed by the rotating guide pipe 14 lie fiat only when the wire is given the proper twist of 360 per coil, the operator has no difficulty determining when the angle of tilt is correct.

The diameter of the coil formed by this machine depends upon the ratio of the speed of rotation of the guide pipe 14 to the feeding speed of the wire and can be changed simply by changing the relative diameters of

sheaves

62 and 63.

While in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 the wire is twisted and fed longitudinally by a pair of

rolls

23 and 24, other forms of rotating cylinders can be used. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate, in schematic form, an alternative arrangement which utilizes a pair of canted

belts

81 and 82. These belts are provided with projecting lugs or teeth 83 on their inner surfaces that mate with driving teeth (not shown) on the drive rolls 84 and 85. As in the main embodiment, one of the driven cylinders (namely belt 81) is tilted and the other moves in a direction parallel with the direction of movement of the wire W. Of course, it should be understood that both cylinders in either embodiment may be tilted.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail it will be obvious that many changes can be made in the structure of this embodiment without departing from the inventive concept. Because of this, the following claims should provide the sole measure of the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. machine for coiling wire of circular cross section comprising (a) a curved guide pipe mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and having an entrance on the axis of rotation and an exit spaced radially from that axis;

(b) means for feeding wire to the entrance of the guide pipe including a pair of rotary cylinders which are canted with respect to each other and between which the wire moving toward the entrance is fed, the cylinders imparting longitudinal movement to the wire and being so canted relatively to each other that they twist the wire about its longitudinal axis approximately 360 per loop of the coil to be formed; and

(c) drive means for rotating the pipe and the canted cylinders.

2. A machine for coiling wire of circular cross section comprising (a) a stationary frame;

1(1)) a curved guide pipe supported by the frame for rotation about a vertical axis and having an entrance on the axis of rotation and an exit spaced radially from the axis and positioned below the entrance;

(c) a capstan journaled for rotation by the frame;

(d) a pair of rotary cylinders canted with respect to each other and supported by the frame, the cylinders being interposed between the capstan and the entrance of the guide pipe and arranged to impart longitudinal motion to the wire traveling from the capstan to the entrance of the guide pipe and to twist the wire about its longitudinal axis approximately 360 per loop of the coil to be formed; and

(e) motor means for driving the guide pipe, the capstan and the rotary cylinders in synchronism.

3. The machine defined in claim 2 including means associated with at least one of the rotary cylinders for varying its angle of cant.

4. The machine defined in claim 2 in which the motor means comprises.

(a) a single motor;

( b) torque transmitting means interconnecting the motor, the guide pipe, the capstan and the canted cylinders, whereby all of the rotary parts rotate in synchronism.

5. The machine defined in claim 4 including (a) a set of straightening rolls supported by the frame and interposed in the path of travel of the wire between the capstan and the canted cylinders; and

(b) a second set of straightening rolls supported by the frame and interposed in the path of travel of the wire ahead of the capstan.

6. A wire coiling machine comprising (a) a stationary frame;

(1)) a curved guide pipe supported by the frame for rotation about a vertical axis and having an entrance on the axis of rotation and an exit spaced radially from the axis of and positioned below the entrance;

(0) a pair of rolls located adjacent the path of travel of wire moving toward the entrance of the guide pipe and arranged to engage the opposite sides of the wire;

(d) a pair of shafts, each carrying one of the rolls;

(e) bearing means supported by the frame and journaling one of the shafts for rotation about an axis transverse to the direction of travel of the wire between the rolls;

(1) a pair of universal bearings journaling the other shaft for rotation about an axis transverse to the direction of travel of the wire between the rolls;

(g) a first adjustable support for one of the universal bearings carried by the frame and movable in a direction generally parallel with the direction of movement of the wire between the rolls to cant one roll with respect to the other;

(12) a second adjustable support for the other of the universal bearings carried by the frame and movable in a direction normal to the direction of travel of the wire between the rolls;

(i) spring means biasing the second adjustable support in the direction of the wire to thereby press the associated roll against the wire and press the wire against the other roll;

(j) locking means for holding the first adjustable support in a selected position;

5 6 (k) a drive motor; and References Cited in the file of this patent (l) torque transmitting means interconnecting the guide UNITED STATES PATENTS tpipe, the two roll shafts and the drive motor, the 667,870 E dwar d8 M ,Feb. 12 1901 orq'ue transmitting means so arranged that the rolls 1 822 589 George et a1 Sept 8 1931 move the wire toward the entrance of the guide pipe. 5 ,2O38204 Bidk Apr 1936 7. The machine defined in claim 6 including a rotary 2:833:329 DBPO; g, 1958 capstan supported by the frame and located ahead of the 2 90 073 Blake et 1 Aug 1 95 rolls so that the wire passes around it at least once before 2 929, 575

Kovaleski M

22, 19 0 moving to the rolls; and in which the torque transmitting 10 3,023,977 Whitacre Mar. 6, 1962 means is arranged to deliver torque to the capstan. 3,040,946 Briggs June 26, 1962

Claims

1. A MACHINE FOR COILING WIRE OF CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION COMPRISING (A) A CURVED GUIDE PIPE MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS AND HAVING AN ENTRANCE ON THE AXIS OF ROTATION AND AN EXIT SPACED RADIALLY FROM THAT AXIS; (B) MEANS FOR FEEDING WIRE TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE GUIDE PIPE INCLUDING A PAIR OF ROTARY CYLINDERS WHICH ARE CANTED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND BETWEEN WHICH THE WIRE MOVING TOWARD THE ENTRANCE IS FED, THE CYLINDERS IMPARTING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT TO THE WIRE AND BEING SO CANTED RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER THAT THEY TWIST THE WIRE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS APPROXIMATELY 360* PER LOOP OF THE COIL TO BE FORMED; AND (C) DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING THE PIPE AND THE CANTED CYLINDERS.