Power Tool for Stainless Steel Metal Locking Ties
A power tool for installing a metal locking tie is disclosed. The power tool includes a body and a power chassis. The body of the tool includes a gear carrier, a tensioning mechanism and a cutting mechanism. The gear carrier is positioned in the tool body and the tensioning mechanism is mounted in the gear carrier. The cutting mechanism engages the gear carrier. As the tie is tensioned, the gear carrier moves linearly in the tool body to cut the tensioned tie.
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The present invention relates to a power tool for stainless steel metal locking ties, and more particularly to a power tool for stainless steel metal locking ties having a power source to tension the locking tie and to cut the locking tie.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAs is well known to those skilled in the art, cable ties or straps are used to bundle or secure a group of articles such as electrical wires and cables. Cable ties of conventional construction include a cable tie head and an elongated tail extending therefrom. The tail is wrapped around a bundle of articles and thereafter inserted through the passage in the head. The head of the cable tie typically supports a locking element, which extends into the head passage and engages the body of the tail to secure the tail to the head.
In practice, the installer manually places the tie about the articles to be bundled and inserts the tail through the head passage. At this point, a cable tie installation tool is used to tension the tie to a predetermined tension. The tools of the prior art, although capable of tensioning and thereafter severing the excess portion of the cable tie, typically have several disadvantages therewith. As a result, it is desirable to provide an improved metal tie tool having a single power source for tensioning and cutting the locking tie.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed towards a power tool for installing a metal locking tie. The tool includes a body and a power chassis. A gear carrier is positioned in the body and a tensioning mechanism is mounted in the gear carrier. A cutting mechanism is also positioned in the tool body and positioned to engage the gear carrier. As the tie is tensioned, the gear carrier moves linearly in the tool body to cut the tensioned tie.
The tool body 30 also includes a worm 52, a worm gear 54, a worm gear shaft 56 and a mandrel 58 for tensioning the stainless steel locking tie 220 (see
As illustrated in
The gear carrier 50 can move linearly toward the front of the tool, but is held in place in the tool body 30 by a spring loaded toggle mechanism 100 (see
As illustrated in
When the gear carrier 50 and toggle link 102 are in the starting position, the torsion spring 114 presses both rollers 110 against the stationary plate 140 which provides a force reduction on the pin 112 in the detent pocket 130. The toggle link 102 is limited to a minimum rotational angle of no more than six degrees with respect to the linear movement of the gear carrier 50. By limiting the angle of the toggle link 102 to no more than six degrees, or nearly in-line, with the line of force exerted by the stainless steel locking tie 220, the force is reduced and only a small component of that force is resisted by the pin 112 in detent pocket 130.
As illustrated in
As discussed above, the torsion spring 114 presses the toggle link rollers 110 against the generally vertically orientated stationary plate 140. The orientation of the stationary plate 140 provides a force reduction on the toggle mechanism detent. The pin 112 of the toggle link 102 is positioned in the detent pocket 130 of the vertical portion 128 of the lever arm 120.
As illustrated in
The cutting mechanism 200 is located in the nose 32 of the tool 20. As illustrated in
After the tie 220 is cut, the tensioning force which pulled the gear carrier 50 forward is removed. As a result, the torsion spring 114 is now able to rotate the toggle link 102 back to the nearly horizontal position, exerting a linear force against the stationary plate 140 and moving the gear carrier 50 back to the starting position. As the toggle link 102 rotates back to the starting position, the end of pin 112 falls back into the detent pocket 130. As the gear carrier 50 moves back to the starting position, the worm gear 54 walks back along the worm 52.
Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teaching of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
Claims
1. A tool for installing a metal locking tie, the tool comprising:
- a tool body:
- a gear carrier positioned in the tool body;
- a tensioning mechanism mounted in the gear carrier; and
- a cutting mechanism engaging the gear carrier,
- whereby the gear carrier moves linearly in the tool body once the tie is tensioned to cut the tie.
2. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a toggle mechanism positioned in the tool body, wherein the toggle mechanism holds the gear carrier in place until a toggle holding force has been exceeded.
3. The tool of claim 2, wherein the toggle holding force is spring loaded.
4. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a toggle mechanism including a toggle link and a lever arm, wherein the toggle link engages the lever arm.
5. The tool of claim 4, wherein the lever arm includes a horizontally extending portion, a lever arm pivot and a vertically extending portion, the vertically extending portion includes a detent for housing the toggle link.
6. The tool of claim 4, wherein the toggle link includes a torsion spring.
7. The tool of claim 1, wherein the cutting mechanism includes a cutting lever with a roller and a cutter, whereby the roller engages the gear carrier to actuate the cutter.
8. The tool of claim 1, wherein the tensioning mechanism includes a worm actuating a worm gear to rotate a mandrel.
9. The tool of claim 1, wherein the body is attached to a power chassis by a swivel connector.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 10, 2008
Publication Date: Jun 10, 2010
Applicant: Panduit Corp. (Tinley Park, IL)
Inventor: Bon B. Sledzinski (Westmont, IL)
Application Number: 12/331,916
International Classification: B21F 9/02 (20060101);