GB2209013A

GB2209013A - A machine for continuously producing wire strapping

Info

Publication number: GB2209013A
Application number: GB8820286A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chin-Tsai Hu
Original assignee: HU CHIN TSAI
Current assignee: HU CHIN TSAI
Priority date: 1988-08-26
Filing date: 1988-08-26
Publication date: 1989-04-26
Also published as: GB8820286D0

Abstract

The machine makes wire strapping with snap ends to provide wire strapping for cotton bundle packing. The machine has a pressure and drawing mechanism preferably having a pair of drive wheels 102 and a tensile block 105, a shearing mechanism 2 for cutting the wire into predetermined lengths, an inverted U-shaped guide channel 3 along which the pre-cut wire strapping is directed. The guide is closed by a cover member which moves away from the guide to open the channel and allow the wire strapping to fall onto a slidable clamping device 6 which supports the wire strapping during presentation thereof to curve bending 4 and angle forming 5 mechanisms. The former bends the ends of the wire strapping whilst the latter gives the bent ends a 20 DEG bevel angle thereby providing inter-connectable snap ends to both ends of the wire strapping. The wire strapping is preferably of iron. <IMAGE>

Description

A MACHINE FoR CONTINU W SLY PRO W CINS WIRE STRAPPING The present invention relates to a machine for continously producing wire strapping under high tension and at low cost. More, particularly, the machine produces snap ends at the end or ends of metal wire strappings in a direct shape forming process without the need of several impact steps during the manufacturing process.

The synthetic fibre industry is well developed and the techniques used therein well knawn. Because of the heavy demand in the international markets the exportation of raw cottons, semi-synthetic fibres (ErC) is very popular. Raw cotton (not false-twisted poly fibres) inherently has high elasticity and needs to be compressed by large oil pressure operated machines (about 25 MT) and then packed into bundles held together by strapping belts for transportation.

Research has shown that approximately 10% of raw cotton packed and transported in this way is damaged during transportation and the tangled raw fibre is not usable for reel spinning and is removed as waste cotton. Usually the exporter suffers the loss which subsequently results in an increase in the costs of the cotton.

Known wire strappings are made of high gauge iron wire and it is necessary for the wires to be bent with a punch, whilst the ends of the wire strapping are angularly shaped byplacing the ends of the wire into punching dye. However, such a process cannot provide accurately produced wire strappings and the packing process is therefore more difficult. During packing two iron wires are arranged in one set and two sets of iron wires are used for packing one bundle of cotton. The noise level in the region of the strapping machine is about 60 decibelsand the noise of the machines and the factory whistles can cause unacceptable noise levels reducing productivity and interfering with the quality of the operators work. Furthermore, the fastening operation is completed manually through a double wound connection.If the wire strapping is not up to standard inferior packing may result and more particularly, an accident might happen during hydraulic preparing operations. Therefore, there is a need for the wire strapping to be improved in quality.

Therefore, with a production line having a capacity of 150 MT the packing of raw cotton is important and it is essential that gpod quality wire strapping be provided.

Therefore it is desirable to provide a wire strapping machine which overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a wire strapping machine in which cut lengths of wire are arranged to be preferred from a continuous source of wire, the machine including curve bending means for bending an end of the cut wire strapping and bevel angle means for adding a bevel angle to the bent end of the wire strapping to provide a snap end to the wire strapping.

Ih a preferred edbcdiment of a wire strapping machine according to the present invention there is provided shearing means for cutting the wire into required lengths for wire strapping and also apressure and drawing mechanism for feeding wire from the source thereof and initially drawing the wire. Guide means are also provided for guiding the cut wire strappings towards a curved bending and bevel angle means. Conveniently the guide means comprises an inverted U-shaped guide and closure means for covering the opening of the guide. A closure means preferably comprises an elongate member pivotally mounted for opening the guide to allow wire strapping to fall from the guide. The elongate member is coveniently an elongate rod locatedly mounted and arranged to be driven by oil pressure.

The machine may further include clamping means for receiving a supporting wire strapping from the guide means and directs the wire strapping to the curve bending and bevel angle means. The curved bending means preferably comprises an expansable central shaft, revolving bearing plate and a stud on the shaft and about which stud the ends of the wire strappingare bent when the central shaft and revolving bearing plate are rotated. The pressure and drawing mechanism may include a pressure adjustable drive wheels for feeding wire from a continuous source thereof into the machine, the drawing mechanism including a tensile block.

The angle forming means may comprise a bevel angle press for providing a bevel angle portion in the curved end of the wire strapping. Such bevel angle is preferably 200 relative to a plane in which the curve lies in the end of the wire strapping. The wire strappings are preferably formed of iron although other metals can be used.

An embodiment of an automatic wire strapping machine will now be described by way of an example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automatic wire strapping machine according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a guide used to direct wire strapping within the machine of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a curve-bending mechanism used in the prefered machine of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a side view of an angle forming mechanism of the machine of Figure 1 Figure 5 is an illustration of the use of wire strapping made by the machine of Figure 1 for packing a bundle of cotton, and Figure 6 illustrates the fastening of snap ends of wire strappings made by the machine according to the present invention.

Referring specifically to Figure 1 there is shown a wire strapping machine according to the present invention which comprises a wire rod drawing mechanism 1 for drawing wire from a continuous source (not shown), a hydraulic shearing tool 2 and an elongate guide assembly 3 extending from the shearing tool towards a pair of curve bending mechanisms 4 and a pair of hydraulic angle forming mechanisms 5 at the side of the machine (only one of each pair of mechanisms 4, 5 being shown), and a slidable clamping box for supporting wire strapping during bending.

The wire or drawing mechanism 1 comprises a conical guide tube 101 for feeding wire rod 7 fran a continous supply thereof to a pair of drive wheels 102. A band wheel 103 is provided for adjusting the pressure between the wheels 102 to assist in transmitting the wire rod 7 through the drive wheels 102 to a drawing mechanism 104 having stretching blocks 105 and a guide cylinder 106 for the stretching process. The stretched wire 7 is delivered to a guide channel assembly 3 through another set of drive wheels 107 the pressure between which is adjustable by hand wheel 108 for further processing of the wire.

Referring to Figure 2, the guide assembly 3 comprises an inverted U-shaped channel 301 to guide the wire 7, and an elongate cylindrical rod 302 at the lower portion thereof to cover the opening of the channel. When wire 7 arrives at a stop or bottom plate 303 the wire is cut by the hydraulic shearing tool 2 (as shown in Figure 1) and the cylindrical closing rod 302 is rotated by oil pressure to move the wire along the guide. Therefore, a preset length of straight wire is arranged to drop from the channel 301 between slide or guide plates 8, when rod 302 is moved in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3, onto clamping block 6 and is clamped by the block (6) through hydraulic operation thereof.

Referring to Figure 3, the iron wire 7 clamped by the clamping block 6 is delivered to the bending mechanism 4 at a position between the central shaft 401 and stud 402. Udder the influence of the oil pressure mechanism 403, the driving gear 404 drives the gear 5 and the bearing plate 406 to revolve and bend the iron wire 7 into a snap end 701. The oil pressure mechanism 403 In regard to Figure 4, the angle forming mechanism 5is shown to comprise an oil pressure device 501for driving an upper dye 502 and lower dye 503 to bend the snap end 701 of the iron wire 7 into a 200 bevel angle relative to the plane in which the curved end lies to complete the wire strapping formation operation. The finished wire strapping 7 is then removed from the angle forming mechanism 5 by the clamping block 6.

As shown in Figure 5, a cotton bundle placed at the bottom of the hydraulic press is rapidly delivered to a table, where two spaced wire strappings are wound around the raw cotton bundle. This is achieved by lateral pressure plates gradually closing inwardly to squeeze the wires into a right angle at both sides. The operator then fastens the snap ends of the iron wires (as shown in Figure 6) whilst the cotton bundle is squeezed by the lateral pressure plates . The lateral pressure plates are then opened, and the well packed cotton bundle is ready for delivery.

The wire strapping is a metal wire strapping preferably of iron or steel although other metals could be used.

The clamping end bending assemblies 4, 5 and 6 are shown in Figure 1 to be remote from the shearing mechanism 2. However, those mechanisms are duplicated, although now shown in detail, as shown by the presence of the clamping block 6 and angle bending mechanism 5.

This-additional assembly operates sinultaneously with the previously described assemblies to provide wire strapping which has snap ends at both ends of the wire strapping.

then causes the central shaft to drop downwardly, and the iron wire 7 is driven to the angle forming mechanism 5 by the clamping slide block 6.

In regard to Figure 4, the angle forming mechanism 5is shown to comprise an oil pressure device SOlfor driving an upper dye 502 and lower dye 503 to bend the snap end 701 of the iron wire 7 into a 20 bevel angle relative to the plane in which the curved end lies to complete the wire strapping formation operation. The finished wire strapping 7 is then removed fran the angle forming mechanism 5 by the clamping block 6.

This additional assembly operates simultaneously with the previously described assemblies to provide wire strapping which has snap ends at both ends of the wire strapping.

Claims

ClAIMS

1. An wire strapping machine in which cut lengths of wire are arranged to be produced from a continuous source of wire, the machine including curve bending means for bending an end of the cut wire strapping, and bevel angle means for adding a bevel angle to the bent end of the wire strapping to provide a snap end to the wire strappl ing.

2. A machine as claimed in Claim 1, including shearing means for cutting the wire into the required lengths for wire strapping.

3. A machine as claimed in Claim 2, including a pressure and drawing mechanism located before the shearing mechanism mechanism in the direction of supply of wire from the source thereof into the machine for feeding wire from the source thereof and initially drawing the wire.

4. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including guide means located before the curve bending and bevel angle means for guiding the cut wire strappings towards the curve bending and bevel angle means.

5. A machine as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the guide means comprises an inverted U-shaped guide and closure means for covering the opening of the guide.

6. A machine as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the closure means covering the opening of the guide comprises an elongate member pivotally mounted for opening the guide to allow wire strapping to fall from the guide.

7. A machine as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the member is an elongate rod rotatably mounted and arranged to be driven by oil pressure.

8. A machine as claimed in Claim 6 or 7, including slidable clamping means for receiving and supportingwire strapping which falls from the guide means.

9. A machine as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the pressure and drawing mechanism includes a pair of pressure adjustable drive wheels for feeding wire from a continuous source thereof into the machine, and a drawing mechanism with a tensile block attached.

10. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curve bending means includes an expansable central shaft, revolving bearing plate and a stud on the shaft and about which stud the ends of the wire strapping are bent when the central shaft and revolving bearing plate are rotated.

11. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the angle forming means comprises a bevel angle press for providing a bevel angle portion in the curved ends of the wire strapping.

12. A machine as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the angle is 20 relative to a plane in which lies the curve in the end of the wire strapping.

13. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the wire strapping is formed of iron.

14. An automatic wire strapping machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.