GB2091199A - Wire coil making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Hot coils of wire (110) are discharged from a former (17) onto a table (21) vibrated by means (22) so as to displace the coils (110) to a conveyor (27) of conventional type. The table (21) is cooled by water spray heads or coolant circulation ducts (not shown) so that deformation of the conventional roller conveyor (27) is controlled and the table (21) presents to the coils (110) an uninterrupted surface to avoid fouling the curved ends of the coils (110). The roller conveyor (27) may be cooled by air fans (28). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Wire coil making apparatus This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the production of helical coils from originally straight metal rod or wire, and more particularly to an improved means of conveying away from the coil-forming machine the hot coils which it discharges.

It is known to feed wire formed in a rolling operation into a suitable coiling machine so as to be coiled and that said machine converts substantially straight wire into helices or coils with a substantially constant pitch and diameter.

According to the known art coils formed by the coiling machine are laid on a roller conveyor or other suitable withdrawal means.

The coils drop onto said roller conveyor and the turns of each coil settle into an almost horizontal position owing to their weight and to the motion imparted to them by the withdrawal means.

It is known that in first transfer phase the ends of the wire coils tend to be caught in the rollers or in other parts of the conveyor system, the ends of the coils being curved owing to the coiling action applied to the wire.

The wire coils are caught in this way because their curved ends penetrate into the gaps between the conveying rollers.

Nevertheless it has been found impossible to eliminate said gaps since they are provided to prevent damage to the conveyor system due to expansion of the rollers caused by the high temperature of the freshly rolled and coiled wire.

On the other hand replacement of the rollers with moving belts would create great problems owing to the effects of expansion of the materials of which said belts are made.

Such problems can be overcome by means of complex and expensive lay-outs involving heavy maintenance and operating costs.

Moreover said belts obviate the problem only partially as said belts also have protrusions, spaces or interstices in which the coil ends can catch.

An object of this invention is to enable these difficulties to be overcome by preventing any undesired catching of the coiled wire in the conveyor system.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for the production of wire coils, wherein conveyor means for removing coils from a machine producing the same comprises means to support the coils which imparts movement to the coils across said support means by vibration.

Preferably said support means presents upwardly to the coils a substantially uninterrupted support surface, and means is provided to impart to said support surface a vibratory up-and-down movement adapted to displace the coils across said support surface.

Said support means preferably comprises a resiliently mounted table to which up-and-down vibratory motion is imparted electromagnetically or by rotary means acting on the table via one or more connecting rods, cams or eccentrics, means being provided to control the frequency and/or amplitude of the vibrations imparted to the table.

Said vibratory support means is preferably interposed between said coil-producing machine and a roller or belt conveyor Means is preferably provided to cool with vibratory support means. This may comprise suitably located spray heads for a cooling liquid, or said cooling means may comprise ducts for the passage therethrough of a fluid cooling medium under pressure in or adjacent to said vibratory support means.

Air for means may be provided to cool said roller or belt conveyor.

Owing to the uninterrupted surface of the vibratory conveyor, which can be made without hollows, spaces or protrusions, even the remotest chance that the ends of the coils or other parts thereof will be caught or entangled while passing across the vibratory conveyor can be avoided.

By the time they reach the conventional, e.g. roller, conveyor the coils are sufficiently cooled to prevent the kind of thermal expansion which has hitherto necessitated the provision of undesirably wide gaps.

Thus the danger of coils or coil ends becoming caught in the conventional conveyor is reduced or eliminated because no unduly large gaps need be present even when the conventional conveyor is cool.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a coiling machine having an improved conveyor system, Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line A-A of Figure 1.

In the drawings, straight rod or wire 10 coming from a rolling machine (not shown) is guided by suitable entraining rollers 11 to a coiling machine 12.

Said rollers 11 are driven by a motor 13 through transmission means 14.

The coiling machine 12 is driven by a motor 16 through transmission means 15.

At its discharge end 17 the coiling machine 12 has a shaping means 18 in the form of a helicoidally grooved former.

Said shaping means 18 is preferably surrounded by a shield 19 to prevent injuring the personnel by coils 110 which have just been formed and are still very hot.

The formed coils 110 are laid onto a vibrating conveyor means 20.

Said vibrating conveyor means 20 comprises a support surface or table 21 vibrated by a system 22, known per se, which is positioned below said support surface 21 to be driven via a shaft 23 by a motor 24, or can be positioned alongside or above said surface 21.

The vibration system 22 may be of the kind in which vibration is imparted by rotating eccentrically mounted bodies or cams or by connecting rods, or may utilise electromagnets and is preferably capable of being adjusted to regulate the frequency and amplitude of the vibrations imparted to the surface 21.

The vibrating surface 21 is upheld by a structure 25 which comprises resilient support means 26 consisting in this instance of spiral springs that have a suitable length and diameter, but other resilient supporting means, such as leaf springs, can alternatively be employed.

Cooling of the vibrating conveyor surface 21 is obtained by spraying water or other cooling fluid onto outer surfaces of a structure 29 in which said surface 21 is located by means of suitably located spray heads 30.

Alternatively, cooling may be obtained by circulation of 3 cooling fluid under pressure through hollow spaces or ducts (not shown) in or adjacent the structure 29.

Owing to the motion imparted to them by the vibrating surface 21, the formed coils 110 move at a predetermined speed onto transfer means 27 which, in the example shown, is a roller conveyor of known kind. The speed of movement of the coils onto the conveyor 27 is controlled by regulating the motor 24.

The roller conveyor 27 discharges the formed coils 110.

Cooling means may also be provided for the roller conveyor 27 and comprises, in the embodiment illustrated, air fans 28 of suitable power.

By suitably regulating the motors 13 and 16 it is possible to vary as desired the speed at which formed coils 110 are discharged and to obtain at the same time a differing separation between successive formed coils 110 lying on the vibrating transfer surface or table 21 and on the roller conveyor 27.

Claims (9)

1. Apparatus for the production of wire coils, wherein conveyor means for removing coils from a machine producing the same comprises means to support the coils which imparts movement to the coils across said support means by vibration.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support means presents upwardly to the coils a substantially uninterrupted support surface, and wherein means is provided to impart to said support surface a vibratory up-and-down movement adapted to displace the coils across said support surface.

3. Apparatus as claimed in either preceding claim, wherein said support means comprises a resiliently mounted table to which up-and-down vibratory motion is imparted electromagnetically or by rotary means acting on the table via one or more connecting rods, cams or eccentrics, means being provided to control the frequency and/or amplitude of the vibrations imparted to the table.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said vibratory support means is interposed between said coil-producing machine and a roller or belt conveyor

5. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein means is provided to cool said vibratory support means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said cooling means comprises suitably located spray heads for a cooling liquid.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said cooling means comprises ducts for the passage therethrough of a fluid cooling medium under pressure in or adjacent to said vibratory support means.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, or any one of claims 5 - 7 as appendant to claim 4, wherein air for means is provided to cool said roller or belt conveyor.

9. Apparatus for the production of wire coils substantially as described in the Description with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.