Abstract: A cyclically operable spring coiling machine includes a pair of feed rolls for intermittently advancing wire longitudinally to a coiling station at an upper portion of a vertical front frame of the machine. A coiling arbor and a coiling tool at the station cooperatively form leading end portions of the wire to a coil spring configuration and an improved cut-off means severs the coiled leading end portions of wire to provide individual coil springs. The improved cut-off means includes a pair of tool holders on opposite sides of the coiling arbor movable toward and away from the arbor and wire coiled thereabout and generally in opposition to each other. The holders are employed selectively depending on the hand of the spring being coiled and are respectively mounted on pivot shafts extending rearwardly through the front frame of the machine and geared together at rear end portions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a spring manufacturing machine equipped with two motors, which includes a wire feeding motor, a tool operating motor, and a control unit for controlling functions of these motors. The spring manufacturing machine is provided with an auxiliary feed mechanism so that wire feeding rollers as well as tools such as a coiling tool, etc. may be operated by the tool operating motor, and is capable of operating the tool and wire feeding rollers in timed relation by the tool operating motor, without necessity for frequent starting and shutting down of the tool operating motor and wire feeding motor even in the case where complicated processing is to be imparted to springs.

Abstract: A deflection coiling attachment for a wire winding machine particularly adapted for the making of complex spring configurations employing first and second separately controllable feed means comprising a feed snubber adapted for bi-directional movement and a feed roller mechanism adapted for uni-directional operation. The two separate feeds operate in sequence. In the disclosed embodiment the work station has supported there at a deflection head for forming spring coils, a bending tool and bending anvil for forming spring bends, guide members and a cutting tool. The feed roller drive is cam operated primarily for drive of the wire during the spring coiling sequences. The bi-directional snubber feed controls wire movement for other actions such as during bending sequences.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for winding axial air gap motor cores, using prepunched strip material, so that the finished cores have radially aligned slots. The invention includes a precise movement of the winding mandrel away from the punching means to gradually increase the interslot gap for each slot. The action of the punch press, mandrel rotation and linear mandrel motion are coordinated to prevent interference among these activities. The method of interslot gap sizing provides for proper radial slot alignment when the prepunched strip material is later wound on the mandrel.

Abstract: A machine for coiling wire to form any one of a number of different size, type and configuration of coil spring and comprising a machine frame in which is mounted a driveshaft, intermediate shaft, camshaft, and feed roller shafts. At a work station of the machine appropriate coiling dyes are supported along with one or more cutters mounted adjacent thereto. The wire is fed to the work station via a pair of feed rollers driven at variable speed, preferably by means of an elliptical gear drive, wherein the feed speed is at a maximum during coiling and decreases to a minimum feed speed for cutting. Wire feed is synchronously interrupted at cutting by means of a cam arrangement that briefly disengaged the feed rollers. This variable speed drive enables a high duty cycle of operation and also enables start up (feed rollers engaging) at reduced speed so as to minimize wire distortion.

Abstract: A spring coiling machine comprises two cooperating rotatable wire feeding rollers and a driving device for said wire feeding rollers by which said rollers may be rotated in order to feed a wire in its longitudinal direction between said rollers to a spring forming station, where wire bending tools are provided to cause the wire, as it reaches said station, to be successively bent into a generally helical shape in order to form a coiled spring by being brought into contact with said bending tools with successive portions thereof, and where a separate movable pitch controlling tool is provided to control the pitch of said spring along the length thereof through engagement with said wire. A cam follower is connected to said pitch controlling tool to control the position thereof through cooperation with a movable cam curve operatively connected to said driving device. Said cam curve is arranged for reciprocating rectilinear movement in unison with a reciprocating gear rack included in said driving device.

Abstract: The invention relates to arches for use in tunnels such as underground mine tunnels. These arches are composed of a bent metal beam often of "H" or "T"-section. Problems have previously arisen in accurately bending the beams to the required shape. The apparatus of the invention includes a D-shaped former which is rotatable relative to a roller. The beam is clamped to one end of the former and on rotation of the former relative to the roller, the beam is bent around the former so that it assumes the required shape, the ends of the beam being clamped to the former. A cutting device may be employed to cut the beam, while bent around the former, into three or more sections.

Abstract: A cyclically operable spring coiling machine includes a pair of feed rolls for intermittently advancing wire longitudinally to a coiling station. A coiling arbor and a coiling tool at the station cooperatively form leading end portions of the wire to a coil spring configuration and a cutoff tool severs the coiled leading end portions of the wire to provide individual coil springs. A diameter slide carries the coiling tool and is movable approximately along the line of wire feed movement but on a side of the coiling arbor opposite the feed rolls. A second coil starter slide mounted on the diameter slide is movable along a line of movement in a lateral direction approximately at right angles to the diameter slide movement. A coil starter motor is mounted on the machine frame and a power transmitting means including a universal joint means connects the motor with the coil starter slide to move the latter between operative wire coiling and coil starting positions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming rings that is particularly suited for forming plow rings from elongated lengths of stock having irregular cross sectional shape. A length of stock (12) is positioned against a mandrel (20), the end of the stock being pre-bent from a previous bending operation, with the free end of the stock extending beyond the mandrel. A movable bending element (24) is brought into contact with the stock opposite the point of contact with the mandrel, and advanced around the mandrel partially bending the stock. A clamp (82) clamps the partially bent stock against the mandrel and a cutter (98) then cuts the stock, leaving a partial bend in the newly formed free end of the stock, the cut portion of stock being clamped to the mandrel. The length of stock is moved away from the mandrel so that the bending of the cut portion around the mandrel can be completed.

Abstract: A pair of continuously driven pull rolls of stock puller supported on a table having a longitudinal bed engage a web of the stock material to continuously unreel the stock material from a coil. The pull rolls are rotated by a drive shaft that is coupled to an input shaft of a feed roll unit. The input shaft is continuously rotated by a pulley-belt drive connection from a common power shaft. Continuous rotation of the input shaft is converted to intermittent rotation of a feed roll that intermittently advances the stock material to a stock material forming device, such as a material stamping or punching unit followed by a material cutting unit. The stamping and cutting units also include input shafts that are drivingly connected by pulleys and continuous belts to the common power shaft. The common power shaft is continuously rotated by a pulley-belt drive connection from an output shaft of a variable speed DC motor supported by the table.

Abstract: A machine for coiling wire to form any one of a number of different size, type and configuration of coil spring and comprising a machine frame in which is mounted a driveshaft, intermediate shaft, camshaft, and feed roller shafts. At the work station of the machine appropriate coiling dyes are supported along with one or more cutters mounted adjacent thereto. The wire is fed to the work station via a pair of feed rollers driven at variable speed, preferably by means of an elliptical gear drive, wherein the feed speed is at a maximum during coiling and decrease to a minimum feed speed for cutting. Wire feed is synchronously interrupted at cutting by means of a cam arrangement that briefly disengaged the feed rollers. This variable speed drive enables a high duty cycle of operation and also enables start up (feed rollers engaging) at reduced speed so as to minimize wire distortion.

Abstract: A ring former and cutoff utilizes a continuous ring former which causes the stock to assume the form of a helix having a number of turns. The leading end of the helix after forming a plurality of free turns passes through a drive roll set, through a stationary cutoff die and into a sizing hoop of larger diameter than those in the turns of the helix. The free end of the helix to expand within the sizing hoop. Sensors detect the expansion to energize the cutoff at the die to sever a turn of the helix with the momentary halt of the stock at the die causing the helix between the cutoff and former to expand or unwind. When the severed end of the helix is removed or falls free, the drive roll set again drives the new leading end of the helix through the cutoff die at a speed sufficient to return or wind the helix to its original condition.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for bending straight pipe sections which are of predetermined length including cutting at a preset angle, bending, and calibrating to form a finished elbow.

Abstract: Material is drawn from a roll of flat stock, passed through a pipe forming machine, and welded to provide a continuous length of pipe which is stored in a variable size loop. Pipe is withdrawn from the loop by means of a series of pipe straightening and feeding rollers which feeds the pipe to a bending machine. The bending machine is suspended from an overhead platform for rotation about a vertical axis and carries a shearing cutter so that multi-bend pipe sections, such as automobile exhaust pipes, may be bent, severed and dropped onto a conveyor for inspection and disposition while the pipe is being continuously formed from the flat stock. Distance between bends and plane of bend are respectively controlled by the pipe feeder and the bend machine rotation. Differences between forming and bending rates are compensated by varying the amount of pipe in the storage loop.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of rolling tire rim blanks from flat metal strips obtained by unwinding strip material from a coil which is cut into strips of desired lengths which are then rolled into a circular shape by anvil rolls cooperating with bodily moveable bending rolls producing a controlled flat portion on the leading end of the strip prior to rolling and another controlled flat portion on the trailing end of the strip following the rolling.

Abstract: This invention relates to a wire spring forming machine which consists of structure comprising endless wire feeding rollers which move continuously in a wire feeding direction and feed wire without interruption except for the cutting of each spring as it is formed and this is a substantial improvement over the prior art or general use made of segmental or rack gears which require a reversal of movement to a start position of the gears used for each increment of wire fed for each spring formed and which represents a loss of time during which the structure herein would be forming another spring.

Abstract: A magnetic strip is first driven around one end of a mandrel by a plurality of cam operated pins slidably extending through a rotary member and is then moved along a spiral guiding piece disposed around the mandrel until the strip passes through a cutter in its inoperative position. Then the strip enters a push plate slidably mounted on the mandrel and travels along a spiral path therein to be spirally wound around the mandrel. When a predetermined length of the strip passes through the cutter, the cutter cuts the strip and the push plate is moved along the mandrel to shift the wound strip to a carrier abutting against the mandrel for readiness for the next working operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inserting and forming spiral wire binders in a manner which insures uniform cutting and crimping of the coil ends and alignment of the inbent crimps. The method comprises the steps of feeding the spiral wire into the book its full length, stopping the feeding operation for a predetermined time delay and finally severing and crimping the coil ends. The apparatus comprises means responsive to completion of the feeding operation for stopping the feed and initiating actuation of a timer, and cutting and crimping the coil ends in response to running out of the timer.

Abstract: An automatic machine for coiling metal wires to form springs including means for variably adjusting the diameter and the pitch of the spirally formed spring and for variably adjusting the length of the springs formed by said machine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing the coil set from a coiled roll of sheet metal material or the like, and which comprises a pair of cooperating rolls defining a nip through which the sheet metal is advanced, and a deflecting roll positioned immediately downstream of the nip to flex the advancing sheet material beyond its yield point and remove the coil set therefrom. Upon stopping of the advance to permit the cutting or other processing of the sheet material, the deflecting roll is automatically withdrawn from contact with the sheet material to thereby prevent the formation of a crease in the material, and upon restarting of the advance, the sheet material is initially reversely advanced a short distance to insure that any portion of the sheet material which has not been flexed to remove the coil set will be positioned upstream of the nip before the forward advance is commenced.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved method and apparatus for pipe bending. In the method a leading portion of a length of pipe is heated and bent around a mandrel into a pipe bend, whereafter it is hot calibrated or sized to finished dimensions and at the same time cut off and trimmed to size at both ends. In a machine for carrying out the method, there are a heating chamber and an interchangeable bending mandrel. At the end of the bending mandrel there is a horizontally functioning calibrating or sizing device. A severing device is both in front of and behind the calibrating device for cutting off and trimming the pipe bend, and the pipe bend is movable both longitudinally and/or transversely in the horizontal plane.

Abstract: A spring coiling machine with an improved drive means has a pair of feed rolls for advancing wire from a source of supply to a coiling station. Coiling tools at the station obstruct feed movement and form coil springs and a cut-off tool successively severs the springs. The coiling tools and cut-off tool are operated from a camshaft driven by a first electric motor and a second electric motor drives the feed rolls. Continuous rotation for both camshaft and feed rolls is provided by the electric motors and a mechanism operated by the camshaft lifts an upper feed roll to terminate feed roll gripping action on the wire and to thus terminate wire feed at the completion of each spring. The first or camshaft motor serves as a lead motor and the feed roll motor as a follower. A digital feedback from the first motor is introduced to the control system therefor and also as an input to a second control system for the feed roll motor.

Abstract: A spring forming machine including an inclined bed structure provided with a front side having circular mounting channels surrounded by a ring of access openings, each surrounded by screwthreaded mounting sockets or perforations, and provided with a back side on which is mounted a main drive gear accessible through the openings. The mounting sockets support a variety of tool operating units each having a drive means extending through a selected clearance opening and terminating in a planetary gear engageable with the main drive gear. The mounting channels support separately, or in conjunction with the mounting sockets, a variety of wire forming tool components which are driven by corresponding tool operating units. The main drive gear also operates a wire feeding apparatus offset laterally from the bed structure.

Abstract: Apparatus for automatically cutting sections of measured length from a coil of an elongated strip which has a rotatable mounting device for the coil, a feed and straightener driven at a constant speed for pulling the strip from the coil, a hump table, a speed control unit with a pair of pinch rolls, a shears, and a device for generating a first signal when the leading edge of the trip has been transported past the shears by a distance equal to the length of the measured section for breaking the pinch rolls to stop movement of the strip at the shears and for actuating the shears, said device also generating a second signal when the leading edge of the strip has been transported past the shears by a shorter distance than the measured length of the section for actuating a pneumatic cylinder to drive the pinch rolls toward each other and grip the strip, the lower pinch roll being driven by a constant speed motor at a cicumferential speed less than the speed of the strip from the feeder, thus producing a hump betw