GB825067A - Sphere winding machine - Google Patents

Abstract

825,067. Winding and reeling. SPECIALTIES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. July 10, 1956 [Sept. 9, 1955], No. 21312/56. Class 83 (4). [Also in Groups XXV and XXVIII] A machine for covering a sphere with wire comprises a spindle supporting the sphere, wire applying means adapted to move in a substantially circular path about the sphere in a diametral plane thereof, means for tilting the spindle in a plane perpendicular to, and passing through a diameter of, the circular path about an axis lying in the first-mentioned plane and passing diametrically through the sphere, the means including an arm in the form of a casing parallel to the spindle having a hollow shaft at one end in alignment with the aforementioned axis for pivotally mounting the arm, and means including a tube perpendicular to the arm for mounting the spindle at the other end of the arm, and means for rotating the spindle to rotate the sphere about an axis perpendicular to the firstmentioned axis, the spindle rotating means including a drive shaft extending through the hollow shaft and driven mechanism carried by the arm and within the casing and extending through the spindle mounting means. Wire is fed by a roller 44 on an arm 42 which describes a circular path about a sphere so as to wrap great-circles on the sphere. The sphere is mounted on a spindle 25 driven by gearing through a shaft 35, chain 33 and shaft 29 and is tilted about an axis coincident with the shaft 29 by giving the hollow shaft 28 an oscillation derived from the rotation of a grooved drum which causes a slide carriage in the form of a gear rack to rotate in alternate directions a gearwheel and chain and thus a gear on the shaft 28. A counterweight is preferably provided to balance the weight of the sphere. The machine may include means to programme the operations to produce a predetermined number of layers of windings. Specification 777,588 is referred to.