Abstract: A wire winding machine includes two mandrels for winding wire alternately thereon. A traverse positions wire axially along each mandrel, and moves in an arcuate path to position wire adjacent one or the other mandrel. A single transfer arm transfers wire from a wound to an unwound mandrel by extending a wire guide adjacent the wound mandrel, retracting the wire guide to engage the wire, rotating to position the wire adjacent the wound mandrel, and extending to guide the wire into a clamping and cutting mechanism. The mechanism clamps and cuts the wire in response to the mandrel end cap being placed into position. The wire winding machine includes a portable operator console, and a network interface. A wire tension control unit includes a radiated signal source and detector to detect movement of a moveable pulley assembly relative to a fixed pulley assembly to control the supply of wire.

Abstract: A winding process for winding yarn into a cross-wound bobbin in the textile machine includes depositing the yarn on a bobbin in a transversing stroke by a transversing movement of a yarn guide. The process includes intermittently decreasing the traversing stroke from a maximum value to a minimum value and then increasing the value of the traversing stroke from the minimum value back to a relatively constant maximum value and holding the stroke at the maximum value for a predetermined period of time. The traversing frequency of the yarn guide is decreased to a relatively constant minimum value substantially simultaneously with the increasing of the traversing stroke from the minimum value back to the relatively constant maximum value. The traversing frequency is maintained at the constant minimum value for a predetermined period of time. The traversing frequency of the yarn guide is then increased from the constant minimum value after the predetermined period of time.

Abstract: A method for producing a coreless coil of strand-like material in which the strand-like material, which may be wire, insulated or non-insulated cable, glass fiber or the like, is wound in several layers on a substantially cone-shaped winding spool. The layers are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the winding spool. The first pair of layers each contain N.sub.1 windings. The second pair of layers each contain N.sub.2 =N.sub.1 +.DELTA.N windings, where N is a constant value. In this manner, the number of windings for consecutive layer pairs is increased until the total number of possible windings for a predetermined winding pitch is reached. The layers of each pair are wound by a take-up apparatus that moves in a first direction for winding one of the layers of a pair and in a second opposite for direction for winding the other layer of the pair. A coreless coil produced by such a method, an apparatus for carrying out the method, and an apparatus for unwinding a coreless coil also are disclosed.

Abstract: A yarn build is applied to at a constant traverse length up to a limit diameter D. In order to achieve a uniform yarn draw-off tension, even with packages of large mass and correspondingly large diameter, the traverse length is thereafter reduced as the diameter increases. In the case of a conically shaped tube, the conicity of the build is also reduced which leads to improved exploitation of volume and greater package mass for a given package radius.

Abstract: An optical fiber is joined, preferably with an ultraviolet curable adhesive, to a strip of a flexible support material such as a plastic tape to form an optical fiber assembly. The assembly is wound onto a bobbin to form an optical fiber canister, which is then paid out upon demand. The optical fiber assembly requires little or no adhesive to hold it in place on the bobbin, as the support material of each turn aids in holding the adjacent turns in place, with the result that the bend radius during payout is increased.

Abstract: A method of winding optical fiber on a bobbin comprising alternately winding in one direction around the bobbin compact and crossover layers. Each compact layer extends axially of the bobbin from a start end proximate one end of the bobbin to a finish end proximate the other end of the bobbin and includes a plurality of fiber turns in virtual axial contact with each other which define generally parallel grooves in the surface of the compact layer. The turn defining the start and finish ends of each compact layer is aligned with a respective start and finish set-back groove in the surface of the immediately preceding compact layer axially spaced from the respective start and finish ends of the preceding compact layer.