GB2127049A

GB2127049A - Dereeling unit for winding wire

Info

Publication number: GB2127049A
Application number: GB08226145A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hans Piet William Begas
Original assignee: Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken NV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
Priority date: 1982-09-14
Filing date: 1982-09-14
Publication date: 1984-04-04

Abstract

A dereeling unit for winding wire comprises a main frame (3), a wire guide (7) on the main frame, two wheeled reel supports (21) removably mounted on subframes (5) which are tiltable on the main frame so that the reels on the supports can be arranged in inclined positions with their axes converging in the upward direction to intersect in the region of the wire guide, and two cylindrical covers (27) enclosing the reels on the supports and surmounted by anti-ballooning tubes (35). The covers and the tubes have longitudinal slots (33 and 37) through which the wire can pass so that, by joining the beginning of the wire on one reel to the end of the wire on the other reel, the wire can be unwound from both reels in succession without interrupting the motion of the wire. The angle alpha is less than 90 DEG . <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dereeling unit for winding wire The present invention is dealing with a dereeling unit for winding wire comprising a frame, a support for a reel and a wire-guide, a cylindrical cover surrounding the support and an anti-ballooning tube extending between the cover and the wire-guide.

Dereeling units are used in coil winding and are placed before a coil winding machine in order to ensure a controlled and regular supply of winding wire to the coil winding machine.

A dereeling unit of the kind set forth, which is known per se, is loaded with one full reel at a time; when the reel is empty, the coil winding machine has to be stopped, the coil winding and dereeling process has to be interrupted and the empty reel has to be exchanged against a full reel; after the dereeling unit has been loaded with a full reel, the dereeling and coil winding process can be continued. The exchange of the reels results in machine stops and in time losses. The interruption of the dereeling and coil winding process results in unfinished coils and in waste or winding wire.

It is an object of the present invention to increase the efficiency and to improve the flexibility of the dereeling and coil winding processes.

To this end the dereeling unit of the kind set forth is provided with a second support for a second reel, said second support being surrounded by a second cylindrical cover and a second anti-ballooning tube extending between said second cover and the wire guide, the axes of the supports including an angle smaller than 900, said first and second covers and said first and second anti-ballooning tubes each being provided with a longitudinal slot, the slots in the antiballooning tubes and the slots in the covers facing each other.

The dereeling unit according to the invention can be loaded with two full reels at a time. The leading wire end of one first reel is fed into a coil winding machine; during the coil winding process said first reel supplies the coil winding machine with winding wire and is emptied progressively the wire being drawn off overhead. In the meantime the trailing wire end of said same first reel is connected to the leading wire end of the second reel. To this end the wire must be reeled onto the reels in such a way that the trailing wire end of the innermost layer extends along one of the flanges of the reel to the outside; the full reels are placed in the dereeling unit with said flange resting on the support.For making said connection, the leading wire end of the second reel not being emptied is fed through the slot in the pertaining cover to be connected to the trailing wire on the first reel. The connection may be made in any suitable way, for instance by welding or soldering. When the first reel is going to be empty, the trailing wire part of the first reel will be drawn out through the slot in the first cover and out through the slot in the first anti-ballooning tube; the trailing wire end of the wire on the first reel will draw along the leading wire end of the wire on the second reel, the leading wire part on the second reel wandering through the slot in the second cover and being drawn into the second anti-ballooning tube through the slot thereof, through the wire guide towards the coil winding machine, the wire being drawn off from the second reel automatically.

During this continued coil winding and dereeling process the second reel being emptied, the first reel already empty is replaced by a full reel, the connection of the leading and trailing wire ends being made in the manner as described above. In this way the coil winding process and the dereeling process can be continued as long as wanted without any interruption, winding wire permanently being available for the coil winding machine. Preferably the welding or soldering spot is insulated with a convenient insulating material, like enamel.

The continuous dereeling of winding wire, which is possible with the dereeling unit according to the present invention, results in an increase of the efficiency of the dereeling and coil winding processes in general. The particular advantages obtained are the following: as machine stops are not required when changing and loading reels, time losses during the coil winding process are prevented; reel changes can be made at preset times or at random, at the moment the most convenient for the operator; as the wire on each reel can be used completely, waste of wire is prevented; as all coils can be completely finished, winding wire being permanently available, the production of unfinished coils is eliminated.

Preferably the supports form part of carriages, adapted to be removably mounted on subframes, which are tiltable with respect to the frame. Now it is possible to remove the carriages from the frame and to bring them to the reels to be loaded into the dereeling unit; the reels are mounted on the supports which form part of the carriages and are transported to the dereeling unit; the carriages are slided onto the subframes which have been brought into their loading position; finally the subframes are tilted in order to bring the reels into the correct dereeling position with respect to the wire guide on the frame. This feature simplifies the loading of the dereeling unit and the handling of the full reels which may weigh up to about 200 kg. Special transport or handling means for the reels are not required.

The invention will be described with reference to an embodiment of the dereeling unit according to the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of the dereeling unit; Fig. 2 is a side view of the unit.

The dereeling unit 1 illustrated in the drawings comprises a frame 3, two subframes 5, and a wire guide 7, which in the illustrated embodiment is constituted by an orifice the axis of which extends vertically. Above the wire guide a nipple 9 is mounted the axis of which extends horizontally.

The subframes 5, are tiltable mounted on the frame 3 and can be pivoted about shafts 11, by means of pneumatic units 13, which may be actuated by means of manually controlled valves 15. One part of the pneumatic units is fixed to the frame 3, the other part being fixed to the subframes 5.

The subframes 5 comprise U-shaped rails 1 7 adapted to slidably receive carriages 1 9 which act as transport means and as support for reels A and B mounted on the dereeling unit. In Fig. 2 one of the reels has been deleted for the sake of clarity.

Each carriage 1 9 comprises a platform 21, wheels 23 and a core 25 for centring the reels. Each of the reels A and B is surrounded by a cylindrical cover 27 which is resting on the platform concentrically with respect to the reels and which comprises an essentially conical cap 29 having a central orifice 31. The cover 27 with its cap 29 is provided with a longitudinal slot 33 running from the bottom of the cover 27 up to the orifice 31.

Between each of the reels A and B and the wire guide 7 there is mounted an anti-ballooning tube 35, each tube being provided with a slot 37. The covers 27 and the anti-ballooning tubes 35 are mounted in such a way that all the slots 33 and 37 are situated in a same plane, which is defined by the axes X-X of the reels A and B, respectively of the cores 25, when the carriages 19 and the reels A and B are in the dereeling position, the slots 33 facing each other and the slots 37 facing each other respectively.

For starting the dereeling and winding process the subframes 5 are pivoted into their loading position, in which the wheels 23 of the carriages 1 9 touch the ground, whereafter the carriages 1 9 are removed from the subframes 5. The carriages 19 are loaded with full reels A and B and are provided with the covers 27. One of the loaded carriages 19, with reel A for instance is mounted on one of the subframes 5 by inserting the platform 21 into the U-rails 17 taking care that the slot 33 in the cover 27 does have the correct orientation. The leading wire end a of the wire W on reel A is fed through the corresponding antiballooning tube 35, through the wire guide 7, through the nipple 9 and passed over possible further guiding means into a coil winding machine not illustrated, which is arranged behind the dereeling unit 1 and which is to be supplied with wire.

By actuating the corresponding valve 1 5 the subframe 5 is pivoted about its shaft 11 whereby the wheels 23 of the carriage 1 9 are raised from the floor, the subframe 5 with the carriage 1 9 being brought from its loading position into its dereeling position in which the axis X-X of reel A extends in the direction of the wire guide 7. From now on the dereeling and coil winding process can be started.

The wire W being drawn off from Reel A, reel B is loaded in the dereeling unit 1 in the same way as reel A. However in order to ensure a continuous uninterrupted dereeling process when reel A is empty, the leading wire end b of the wire on reel B is guided downwardly through slot 33 in cover 29 to be connected by welding or soldering to the trailing wire end c of the wire on reel A, which trailing end c extends along the lower flange of reel A. The welding or soldering spot is indicated in the drawing by reference S. When both the subframes 5 with the carriages 19 and the reels A and B are in the dereeling position, the axes X-X of the reels and of the cores 25 include an angle, smaller than 900. The manner in which the leading end b of the wire on reel B is taken along by the trailing end c of the wire on reel A and the way in which the leading end part is guided through the slots 33 and 37 have already been described. The replacement of the empty reel A takes place in the way as set out above.

The wire on reels A and B, being drawn off overhead, tends to balloon. The covers 27 limit the diameter of the balloon described by the wire and prevent the ballooning wire to come into contact with parts of the dereeling unit, which could cause breaking of the wire. The anti-ballooning tubes act in a similar way.

Claims

1. A dereeling unit for winding wire comprising a frame, a support for a reel, a wire-quide, a cylindrical cover surrounding the support and an anti-ballooning tube extending between the cover and wire-guide, characterised by a second support for a second reel, said second support being surrounded by a second cylindrical cover and a second anti-ballooning tube extending between said second cover and the wire-guide, the axes of the supports including an angle smaller than 900, said first and second covers and said first and second anti-ballooning tubes each being provided with a longitudinal slot, and the slots in the antiballooning tubes and the slots in the covers facing each other.

2. A dereeling unit as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the supports form part of carriages adapted to be removably mounted on subframes which are tiltable with respect to the frame.

3. A dereeling unit substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.