GB942217A - Feed mechanism for automatic wire-tying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

942,217. Tying machines. UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION. March 29, 1961 [April 4, 1960], No. 11539/61. Heading B8C. Mechanism for feeding wire to a tying machine comprises a driven drum 24, a fixed housing 22 fitting around the drum and having a helical wire-accommodating groove 26 on the interior with an entry end and an exit end for the wire in laterally offset paths, and two pressure rollers 46, 54 fitting in apertures formed in the housing along the groove at the exit and entrance ends respectively to engage the wire, the wire being fed along the groove by rotation of the drum in one direction, and retracted by rotation in the opposite direction. As shown in Figs. 1, 4, wire W is fed in through a housing 34, around the rotating drum 24 encased in a housing 22, through a guide tube 62, and into a guide track 12. The wire is helically wound around the drum 24 (see Fig. 7), fitting in slots 26 of the housing 22, the feeding of the wire being aided by sprung rollers 46, 54 which fit through apertures in the housing 22. In operation, the wire is fed along the above path, and around the guide track to overlap at the knotter station 10, where the free end is grasped by a gripper causing a switch 82 to be actuated to stop the machine. When a package P to be banded, arrives at the platform F a switch, either actuated by the package or manually, causes the drum 24 to be driven in a reverse direction, thus stripping the wire from the track. The wire tightenes round the package, and the ends are knotted and severed at 10. The surplus length of wire (see Fig. 4) passes into an escapement 16, and is engaged by tongues 76. After the knotting operation, the direction of rotation of the drum is reversed, and the cycle of operations repeated.