Abstract: A belt type conveyor is provided for conveying segments of wire cut from a continuous strand by a cutting machine to other wire processing machines, such as terminal attachment machines or the like. The conveyor comprises a pair of endless flexible belts supported one above the other by pulleys and guide rails so that the upper flight in the lower belt closely confronts the lower flight in the upper belt whereby wire segments entrapped between the flights are movable along the path of travel of the confronting flights. Each wire segment is disposed so that its axis is perpendicular to the path of travel of the flights and the ends of the segment extend beyond the sides of the flights so as to be accessible to the processing machines. A drive mechanism drives the confronting flights in steps or increments in the same direction and at the same speed. The belts and guide rails are constructed so that the confronting flights are biased toward each other to ensure a firm grip on the wire segments.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for repeatedly cutting segments from a strand of wire or cable and for conveying them to work stations so that either or both ends can be processed to provide a partly or fully finished wire lead or cord.

Abstract: Disclosed is a roller forming machine for converting a flat metal strip into a louver having long, narrow fins that extend lengthwise of the strip and are all bent laterally in one direction oblique to the plane of the strip. The fins are produced by a pair of fin forming rollers which slit the strip and bend out the fins to a larger acute angle to the plane of the strip than is desired in the finished louver. The strip then tends to twist along its length due to asymmetrical residual stresses generated by fin formation. To remove the twist, the strip is passed between cylindrical straightening rollers whereby the fins are bent partway back towards coplanarity with the strip, thus generating new residual stresses which oppose the original ones due to fin forming. One straightening roller is adjustable towards and from the other so that said new residual stresses can be empirically brought into equilibrium with the original ones.

Abstract: At least one head on a roller forming machine can be fixed at any of several different positions along the length of its frame. A line shaft extending along the frame has a bevel pinion for each head, meshing with a driven bevel gear on the head, to drive forming rollers on the head. Each bevel pinion comprises a front two-part pinion member and a rear two-part collar member. Each two-part member has a coaxial bore through it, and its two parts, held together by clamping screws, separate on a plane containing its axis. The bore through the pinion member has a sliding fit on the line shaft, that through the collar member has an interference fit, and the opposing surfaces of the collar member parts are taken down so that the collar member tightly clamps the line shaft. In the front surface of the collar member and the opposing rear surface of the pinion member are radially extending keyway grooves in which keys are received whereby the collar member constrains the pinion member to rotate with the line shaft.

Abstract: The hanking machine of this invention cooperates with a lead forming machine wherein each cord, gripped near opposite ends by intermittently moving cord grippers, arrives at a discharge station where the cord, extending along a horizontal line, is released by the grippers. Two carriages are guided for motion wherein a cord clamp on each tracks said line. In initial positions of the carriages, towards which they are biased and in which their cord clamps close on a cord substantially simultaneously with its release by the grippers, they are spaced substantial distances to opposite sides of a vertical plane; in release positions, wherein they release the cord, they are substantially nearer said plane. A turntable with coiling posts spaced to opposite sides of its rotational axis, has its axis horizontal and contained in said plane and has its coiling posts projecting across said line, one above it, one below it.

Abstract: In a flying shear wherein strip stock moves lengthwise forward, a lower blade carrier, confined to forward and backward motion, has an upwardly facing clamping surface and carries a lower shearing blade. An upper blade carrier, connected with the lower one for back and forth motion with it and for up and down motion relative to it, carries an upper shearing blade and is biased to a raised position. A gripper, connected to the lower blade carrier to swing about an axis spaced substantially above said clamping surface, has a bottom wedging surface curved eccentrically to said axis. The gripper is biased forward, for engagement of its said surface against strip stock whereby the strip stock is clamped to the clamping surface and pulls the blade carriers forward.

Abstract: This cord hanking machine has two turntables coaxially mounted on a carrier, each having pair of coiling posts spaced to opposite sides of its axis and projecting away from the other turntable. The carrier swings about an axis transverse to the coinciding axes of the turntables to carry each turntable alternately to a coiling station and to a tying station. Gripper jaws at the outer end of each post open to clamp a straight stretch of cord presented to the turntable at the coiling station. As that turntable rotates, an oscillating cord guide adjacent to the coiling station guides the cord into a coil around its posts. At the tying station a tying machine moves bodily toward the turntable and places a wire tie around the coiled cord on it. During tying, a claw on the tying machine engages behind the coil, and as the tying machine retracts from the turntable the hank is thereby drawn off of its posts.

Abstract: The invention provides wire conveying clamp assemblies for high speed conveying of accurately sized wire leads and for precisely presenting the leads for mass termination, as for example to the terminals on a terminal block. The clamp assemblies are secured to an endless chain that rotates in a flat orbital path, and each assembly includes a side plate support fixedly attached to the chain, and a clamp housing slideably attached to that side plate support. The clamp housing is slideably movable along the side plate support in a direction parallel to the path of movement of the chain. A clamp arm is slideably mounted on the housing, and guide pin means are slideably engaged in the arm. A comb for engaging wire leads is attached to one end of the guide pin means, and pusher means move the comb and the guide pin means transversely relative to the chain path to cause separation of the free ends of the wire leads.

Abstract: In a wire lead forming machine whereby a European-type plug is attached to plug-end portions of two wires of a cable length, a wire bending device at each of a wire stripping and a plug attachment station has a pair of carriages mounted on parallelogram linkages for horizontal translatory movement. A clamping element on each carriage swings down to clamp a wire end portion against a flat top surface portion on the carriage, whereupon the carriages diverge, bending the wires to hold their tip portions parallel and spaced apart. A restraightening device at a station between the stripping and the plug attachment stations has upper and lower jaws between which the wires are received. The upper jaw swings down to confine the wire end portions in coplanar relationship, whereupon other jaws, moving horizontally between the upper and lower jaws, push the wires together.

Abstract: An insulated wire cutting and stripping machine comprising substantially identical upper and lower tool holders and permitting rapid replacement of blades and rapid changes of distance between blades on each holder for stripping off different lengths of insulation from wire ends. The upper and lower tool holders firmly hold the cutting and stripping blades with a clamp and screw. Each blade is on an assembly slideably engaged with an assembly carrying another blade on the same holder and sliding of the assemblies with respect to one another thus changes the distances between these blades.

Abstract: Apparatus for providing taped coils of sheet material comprises an intermittently operable feed roll mechanism for feeding a continuous web of sheet material through an intermittently operable web shear mechanism to an intermittently operable coiling mechanism on which coils are wound and which has an intermittently operable adhesive tape dispensing and applying mechanism associated therewith to tape the wound coil after web severance.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for making a wire lead which comprises a pair of insulated stranded conductors encased in an insulating jacket, with a two-pronged plug at one end and either untwisted or twisted bare or tinned wires with or without terminals at the other end. The apparatus comprises mechanisms to cut and convey a cable segment, strip the insulating jacket from both ends and trim cut the exposed insulated wires, preshape them, strip and twist the stranded wires at the plug end, attach the plug at that end, and strip and perform appropriate processing operations at the other end, i.e., twist, tin, or terminate.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for making a wire lead which comprises a pair of insulated stranded conductors encased in an insulating jacket, with a two-pronged plug at one end and either untwisted or twisted bare or tinned wires with or without terminals at the other end. The apparatus comprises mechanisms to cut and convey a cable segment, strip the insulting jacket from both ends and trim cut the exposed insulated wires, preshape them, strip and twist the stranded wires at the plug end, attach the plug at that end, and strip and perform appropriate processing operations at the other end, i.e., twist, tin, or terminate.The mechanism for stripping and twisting the end of a stranded wire comprises a gripping device which prevents axial and rotational movement of the wire, blades for severing the wire insulation, and a rotatable and axially movable spinner head which releasably grips, rotates, and axially removes the severed piece of insulation, simultaneously twisting the stranded conductors in the process.

Abstract: Apparatus for making a wire lead which comprises a pair of insulated stranded conductors encased in an insulating jacket, with a two-pronged plug at one end and either untwisted or twisted bare or tinned wires with or without terminals at the other end. The apparatus comprises mechanisms to cut and convey a cable segment, strip the insulating jacket from both ends and trim cut the exposed insulated wires, preshape them, strip and twist the stranded wires at the plug end, attach the plug at that end, and strip and perform appropriate processing operations at the other end, i.e., twist, tin, or terminate.

Abstract: Apparatus for high-speed production of sets of accurately and identically sized insulated wire leads having wire terminals at the lead ends comprises: a feed mechanism including counter-reciprocating wire feed clamps for simultaneously drawing a plurality of separate strands of insulated wire from a plurality of wire reels; a mechanism for simultaneously straightening and arranging the strands drawn therethrough in parallel spaced apart relationship in a common generally horizontal plane; a severing mechanism for simultaneously severing sets of wire segments of predetermined length from the strands; conveyor clamps for releasably gripping and conveying sets of wire segments; and conveyor means for advancing the conveyor clamps and sets of wire segments therein through processing mechanisms and to a collecting station.

Abstract: Apparatus for high-speed production of sets of accurately and identically sized insulated wire leads having wire terminals at the lead ends comprises: conveyor clamps for releasably gripping and conveying sets of wire segments arranged in parallel spaced apart relationship in a common generally horizontal plane; conveyor means for advancing the conveyor clamps and sets of wire segments therein through processing mechanisms and to a collecting station; processing mechanisms including wire cutter and stripper mechanisms for accurately trimming both ends of the wire segments in the sets simultaneously and for stripping insulation therefrom simultaneously and terminal attachment mechanisms for simultaneously attaching terminals to both ends of the wire segments in the sets; and a wire gathering mechanism for each processing mechanism for accurately guiding the ends of the sets of wire segments therethrough and for holding the sets against displacement during processing.

Abstract: Apparatus for high-speed production of sets of accurately and identically sized insulated wire leads having wire terminals at the lead ends comprises: a feed mechanism including counter-reciprocating wire feed clamps for simultaneously drawing a plurality of separate strands of insulated wire from a plurality of wire reels; a mechanism for simultaneously straightening and arranging the strands drawn therethrough in parallel spaced apart relationship in a common generally horizontal plane; a severing mechanism for simultaneously severing sets of wire segments of predetermined length from the strands; conveyor clamps for releasably gripping and conveying sets of wire segments; and conveyor means for advancing the conveyor clamps and sets of wire segments therein through processing mechanisms and to a collecting station.

Abstract: Apparatus for high-speed production of sets of accurately and identically sized insulated wire leads having wire terminals at the lead ends comprises: a feed mechanism including counter-reciprocating wire feed clamps for repeatedly drawing a plurality of separate strands of insulated wire simultaneously from a plurality of wire reels; a mechanism for simultaneously straightening and arranging the strands as they are drawn therethrough in parallel spaced apart relationship in a common generally horizontal plane; a severing mechanism for repeatedly severing sets of wire segments of predetermined length simultaneously from the strands; conveyor clamps for releasably gripping successive sets of wire segments received from the feed clamps; conveyor means for advancing the conveyor clamps so that the ends of the wire segments in the sets pass through processing mechanisms, and conveyor clamp actuator mechanisms for causing the conveyor clamps to initially grip sets of wire segments for conveyance and to subsequentl

Abstract: A wire feeding unit and an associated wire length measuring unit advance supply wire through a cutting zone and at the same time the advanced supply wire is guided by a wire transfer system across transversely spaced endless conveyor chains of a wire propelling conveyor. The feeding unit is automatically stopped when it has advanced a measured length of the supply wire and the transfer system tensions the advanced supply wire while it is held against lengthwise displacement by the stopped feeding unit. The wire transfer system then engages the stopped and tensioned wire length with gripping jaws on the conveyor chains, the gripping jaws are closed, and the supply wire is severed in the cutting zone. Tensioning of the advanced supply wire prevents it from sagging between the transversely spaced conveyor gripping jaws and thereby avoids undesirable length variations of the cut off portion of the supply wire.

Abstract: A rotary wire stripping machine for removing insulation from the end of an insulated wire including a reciprocating carriage which supports a rotating stripping head. The rotating stripping head includes a central bore for receiving the end of a wire and a pair of cutting blades which are movable radially inwardly to cut the insulation of the end of the wire. The reciprocating carriage may be moved from a first position wherein the stripping head receives the end of the wire to a second position wherein the blades pull insulation off the end of the wire.