US2728447A - Wire drawer - Google Patents

Description

B. F. WARE WIRE DRAWER Dec. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 23, 1951 INVENTOR Arr-o E75 567V E Mme m '1 BY W B. F. WARE WIRE DRAWER Dec. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 23, 1951 INVENTOR. BEN F mm.-

A rraemsys B. F. WARE WIRE DRAWER Dec. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 23, 1951 Filed Jan. 25, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 a k-Q g I,

1 T T J INVENTOR. 6 6.5- By/ 8E fi MR5 Arr NEYS Dec. 27. 1955 B. F. WARE 2,

WIRE DRAWER Filed Jan. 2:5, 1951 s Sheets-She et s IHW'" IN VEN TOR.

WIRE DRAWER Ben F. Ware, Euclid, Ohio, assignor to The Ajax Manufacturing Company, Cleveland Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 23, 1951, Serial No. 207,406

7 Claims. (Cl. 205-24) This invention relates to wire drawers of the kind used in advance of headers, or other fabricating machines, for drawing and sizing the wire stock and supplying the drawn stock directly to such fabricating machines at substantially the rate of production operation of the latter. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved construction for a reciprocating wire drawer of this kind adapted to be used as an attachment for such a fabricating machine and which is an improvement over Patent No. 2,226,400, granted December 24, 1940.

In the use of wire drawers of the kind disclosed in the above cited patent, it has heretofore been necessary to provide the header, or other fabricating machine with which the drawer is used, with a feed stop again-st which the leading end of the drawn stock is abutted for determining the length of stock to be operated upon by the fabricating machine or severed by the cut-off mechanism thereof. If the drawn stock is not properly abutted against the stop by the feed rolls of the fabricating machine, the article produced will be irregular or defective.

As one of its objects, this invention provides an improved wire drawer for use in advance of a fabricating machine and in which wire gripping means of the drawer is also used as a means for interrupting the forward movement of the drawn stock for determining the length of feed.

Another object is to provide novel actuating means for the drawing grip device of a wire drawer of this kind by which the drawing grip device will be actuated in a timed relation to grip the stock and interrupt the feeding thereof when the proper length of stock has been fed to the fabricating machine.

A further object is to provide a wire drawer of the type having a reciprocable drawing die and a drawing grip device comprising jaw members adapted to grip the stock in response to axial movement of the jaw members and in which novel actuating means imparts such axial move ment to the jaw members for causing the same to grip the stock and determine the length of feed.

Another problem with which the present invention is concerned is one encountered when the drawn stock is of a non-circular cross-section. In the production of certain articles, for example in making spring lock washers from wire of a non-circular cross-section, the opera-' tion of the dies of the fabricating machine can be carried out to greater advantage if the stock can be fed thereto with its non-circular cross-section in a particular orientation.

As a further object, this invention accordingly provides an improved construction for a wire drawer of the reciprocating type in which a novel drawing grip device is arcuately adjustable to a setting corresponding with a desired orientation for the non-circular cross-section of the drawn stock.

Yet another object is to provide an improved wire drawer of this character in which the drawing grip device includes a trunnioned carrier for the jaw members and means for arcuately adjusting the carrier about the trunnion axis.

Yet another object is to provide an improved wire drawer of the kind mentioned in which the drawing die has a non-circular orifice and in which the mounting means for the die permits orientation thereof to a position corresponding with a desired orientation to which the drawing grip device has been adjusted.

The invention can be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly set out in the claims hereof.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevation showing a wire drawer embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the wire drawer;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof as seen from the stock delivery end;

Fig. 4 is a larger scale partial plan view showing the end portion of the wire drawer in which the drawing grip device is located;

Fig. 5 is a partial transverse vertical section taken through the wire drawer at the location of the drawing grip device, substantially as indicated by section line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a partial longitudinal vertical section taken through the drawing grip device, substantially as indicated by section line 6-6 of Fig. 4; a

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional detail taken on section line 77 of Fig. 6 and showing the non-circular shape of the wire-engaging portions of the jaws of the drawing grip device;

Fig. 8 is a partial longitudinal section through the drawing die and die box taken substantially on section line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a partial longitudinal section taken on a substantially horizontal plane as indicated by section line 9-9 of Figs. 5 and 6; and

Fig. 10 is a partial transverse vertical section taken through the wire drawer at the location of the drawing die, as indicated by section line 9-9 of Figs. 1 and 8.

As already indicated above in a general way, the improved wire drawer 10 is intended to be used in advance of a fabricating machine, such as a header or the like,rand operates on wire stock S. The wire stock is drawn and sized by the improved drawer 10 and is supplied thereby directly to the fabricating machine P which is here represented only by a pair of feed rolls 11 and 12, one or both of which are driven from the mechanism of the fabricating machine.

The improved wire drawer 10 comprises main component parts corresponding with and occupying the same general arrangement as in the wire drawer disclosed in the above cited earlier patent. The improved wire drawer includes an upright frame 13 forming a support for a plurality of cooperating devices, namely a reciprocable die box 14 having a drawing die 15 therein, a drawing grip device 16, an inching feed device 17 and an inching grip device 18. r

The frame 13 is adapted to stand on a floor or other supporting surface and is provided at the top thereof with a pair of laterally spaced guides 19 and 20 forming a longitudinal guideway. The die box 14 is slidably mounted on the guides 19 and 20 for movement of the die 15 away from the grip device during a drawing stroke and for movement toward the grip device during a return stroke. For actuation of the die box 14 to cause such a drawing stroke of the die 15, the drawer is provided with an actuating lever 22. which is rockable on a transverse shaft 23 mounted in the frame 13. The

portion 22a of a rounded shape which is engageable with the fiat end face 25 of the die box for imparting the drawing stroke thereto.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 10, the drawing die comprises a cylindrical block seating in a cylindrical socket 14a of the die box 14. The die 15 has an orifice 1511 which is pushed over the stock S during the drawingstroke and which, in this instance, is of a non-circular shape. The shape of the die orifice is here shown, by way of example, as being of a generally rectangular or keystone shape corresponding with the non-circular crosssection mentioned above for use in making certain lock washers. The socket 14a is of a size to snugly receive the die 15 therein with sufiicient looseness to permit the die to be rotatably shifted in the socket to the position corresponding with the desired orientation for thenoncircular orifice 15a, as will be further explained hereinafter. When the die has been rotatably shifted in the socket to the desired orientation for the orifice, it is clamped in that position by tightening the set screw 14b.

The grip device 16 will be described in greater detail hereinafter and is referred to at this point merelyv to explain that this device embodies a pair of cooperating jaw members 26 adapted to grip the stock S and to hold the same against backward movement during the drawing stock of the die 15.

The inching feed device 17 and the inching grip device 18 need be only briefly referred to herein inasmuch as the are substantially the same as the corresponding devices of said earlier patent and do not constitute any I part of the present invention. The inching feed device 17 is slidable in the guideway formed by the guides19 and 20 and embodies a gripping means which-will automatically grip and advance the stock S during movement of this device toward the right, as seen in-Figs. 1 and 2, but will release the stock during movement of this device toward the left. The inching grip device 18 is adjustable along the guide members 19 and 20 and adapted to be clamped in a desired position of adjustment. This device embodies gripping means adapted; to grip the stock S to hold the same against backward movement during the return stroke of the inching feed device 17, but which will release automatically to permit movement of the stock in a forward direction, that is to say toward the right as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

The inching devices 1'7 and 18 are used only for the purpose of starting the stock S through the drawer 10 and when used for this purpose, short feeding strokes are imparted to the inching feed device 17 for pushing the stock through the die 15. For this purpose, short increments of feeding movement are transmitted'to the inching feed device 17 from the lever 22 by the feed link 27. As shown in Fig. 1, one end of the feed link 27 is pivotally connected with the inching feeddevice 17 and its other end is adapted for detachable connection with the lever 22 by being provided with a stirrup-shaped portion 27:: which is engageable with the transversepin 28 of the lever. In Figs. 1 and 2 the feed link 27 is shown with its stirrup portion 27a engaged with the pin of the lever 22 for actuation of the inching feed device 17. When the operation of the inching feed device 17 has caused a sufficient length of the stock S to be started through the wire drawer 10 for such stock to be engaged by the feed rolls 11 and 12, the link 27 is disengaged from the pin 28 and the inching devices 17 and 18 thereafter are ineffective. The feed link 27 is shifted to and retained in its disengaged position by a pivoted member 29 which is adapted to be swung by means of a lever 29a.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the die box 14 is shown in a position adjacent the inching grip device 18 but after the inching operation has been accomplished the die box will ocupy a position with the front thrust face thereof in engagement with the forked head 24 of the actuating lever 22. During the intermittent drawing strokes imparted to the die box 14 by the lever 22;

the drawing die 15 is pushed over the stock S by movement in a direction away from the-drawing grip device 16 and during each such drawing stroke the stock is held against backward movement by the jaws 26 of this drawing grip device. During the reverse swinging movement of the lever 22 which is an idle return movement of the lever, the die box 14 andthe drawing die 15 move forwardly with the stock by reason of the feeding movement imparted to the stock by the feed rolls 11 and 12.

During this forward feeding movement, the jaws 26 of' to the actuating lever 22,-m0tion is transmitted to thislever from a drive shaft 32. The drive shaft 32 is a laterally extending shaft rotatably supported in a pair of bearings 33 and 34, of which the bearing 33 is mounted on the frame 13 and the bearing 34 is an outboard bearing supported by an extension portion 13a of the frame. The drive shaft 3:2 is adapted to be driven from the mechanism of the fabricating machine with which the drawer is used, as by means of asprocket 35 mounted on this shaft and a drive chain-36 extending therearound. An eccentric device 37 is mounted on the inner end of the drive shaft 32 and is connected with the lower end of the actuating lever 22 by a connecting rod 38. The eccentricity of the device 37 can be adjusted for varying the working stroke of the lever 22 as by means of an adjusting screw 39.

From the construction of the drawer 10 as thus far described, it will be seen that the drawing strokes imparted to thedie box 14 and the drawing die 15 by the lever 22 will be intermittent strokes produced in timed relation to the operation of the fabricating machine F by reason of the fact that the drawer is operated as an attachment to the fabricating machine through the drive chain 36. It'will also be seen that the intermittent driving of the feed rolls 11 and 12 by the mechanism of the fabricating machine, the drawn stock S will be fed intermittently to the die mechanism of the fabricating machine during the intervals between the intermittent drawing strokes of'the die 15 and by such intermittent functioning of the drawer the drawn stock will be supplied to the fabricating machine at substantially the rate of production operation of the latter.

Reverting now to the drawing grip device 16 of the improvedwire drawer 19, it will be seen from the drawings that the frame 13 is provided with a pair of axially spaced bearings4t) and 41 at.-a point adjacent to but above the drive shaft 32; The grip device 16 includes a grip box 42 having a recess or grip chamber 43 therein and a pair of axially projecting trunnions 44 and 45 which are located on opposite sides of the grip chamber and are journaled respectively in the bearings and 41. The trunnions 44 and'45 are provided with aligned openings 44a and 450 which communicate with the grip chamber 43 and accommodate the drawn stock S. The opening 44a of the trunnion 44 is here shown as having a guide bushing 46 mounted therein for guiding the stock.

The cooperating jaws 26 of the grip device 16 are in the form of a- 'pair of blocks-having their adjacent faces provided with complemental longitudinal grooves 26awhichdefinethe grip passage 16a. The grooves 26a are of a-transverse contour corresponding with the cross-sectional shape of the drawn stock S such that the stock will substantially fill the grooves, as shown in Fig. 7, and enable the jaws to gripthe stock during-closing movement imparted to thejaws, Asshown in Fig. 4 of the drawings,

the'ja'ws 26ers providedwith longitudinally taperedouter faces 267::

The gripping device 16 also includes bearing blocks 48 located in the grip chamber 43 outwardly of the jaws 26 and groups of caged rollers 49 disposed between the bearing blocks 48 and tapered outer faces 26b of the jaws. The jaws 26 are capable of limited axial shifting in the grip chamber 43 and when the jaws are shifted toward the left, as seen in Fig. 4, the tapered outer faces 26b cooperating with the rollers 49 cause the jaws to be wedged toward each other for closing the jaws into gripping engagement with the drawn stock 8'. Axial movement of the jaws in the opposite direction, that is toward the right as seen in Fig. 4, will permit the jaws to be spread apart by compression springs 50 disposed between the jaws for causing the jaws to release their gripping engagement on the stock. I

During each of the above-explained intermittent drawing strokes imparted to the die 15 by the lever 22, there is a tendency for the drawn stock 8' to be moved in a backward direction by the die. By reason'of a frictional drag between the stock and the jaws 26 of the gripping device 16, the jaws are moved through a small axial distance toward the left with the stock and this small amount of axial movement of the jaws is suflicient to result in the inward \vedging movement which results in a gripping of the stock by the jaws. To prevent excessive axial movement or chattering of the jaws 26 and the roller assemblies 49 in the grip chamber 43, the grip box 42 is provided with a pair of locating or abutment pins 51 for cooperation with the jaws and a second pair of locating or abutment pins 52 for cooperation with the roller assemblies. The pairs of locating pins 51 and 52 are slidably mounted in suitable drilled openings of the trunnions 44 and 45 with the adjacent ends of these pins projecting into the grip chamber. Compression springs 53 and 54 apply pressure to the outer ends of the locating pins 51 and 52 and serve as a cushioning and dampening means for reaction forces applied to these pins by the jaws 26 and the roller assemblies 49.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, to which reference has already been made above in a general way, the drawing grip device 16 is also used to interrupt the forward feeding of the drawn stock S by the feed rolls 11 and 12 in properly timed relation to the other functions of the drawer for determining the proper length of stock feed for the fabricating machine F and thus eliminates the need for a feed stop in the fabricating machine. The interruption of the forward feeding movement of the stock for this purpose is accomplished by a positive closing actuation of the jaw members 26 of the grip device 16 and this actuating means will now be described. In general, this actuating means comprises a plunger 56 slidably mounted in an axial opening 57 of the trunnion 45, a rotary annular cam 58 adapted to be driven by the shaft 32 and a lever 59 for transmitting motion from the cam 58 to the plunger 56.

As best seen in Figs. 6 and 9, the plunger 56 comprises connected hollow sleeve and head portions 56a and 56b defining a spring chamber 69 in which is located a compression spring 61. T he plunger 56 does not act directly on the jaw members 26 but cooperates therewith through a thrust transmitting means comprising a pair of laterally spaced push pins 62 which are axially slidable in correspondingly spaced openings of the trunnion 45. The push pins 62 are disposed with one end thereof in abutting engagement with the end faces of the jaw members 26 and with their other ends extending into the spring chamber 60 of the plunger 56 and engaged by a spring seat 63. The outer end of the spring chamber 6% is internally threaded, as indicated at 64, and a hollow stem 65 forming an axial extension of the plunger 56 has a nut portion 66 screwed into the threaded opening 64 so as to constitute a cover for the spring chamber and a seat for the outer end of the compression spring 61.

The drawn stock S being supplied to the feed rolls 11 and 12 of the fabricating machine F passes from the jaw members 26 of the grip device 16 through the axial passage 45a of the trunnion 45 and then through the passages 68 and 69 of the inner spring seat 63 and the stem which are in coaxial alignment with the passage 45a and with the grip passage 16a defined by the complemental grooves 26:: of the jaw members 26. Whenever inward axial movement is imparted to the plunger 56 by the lever 59, the push pins 62 will be shifted toward the left as seen in Figs. 4 and 6 and will cause a corresponding axial shifting of the jaw members 26 which will result in these members being wedged toward each other to grip the drawn stock S and interrupt the forward feeding thereof. The movement imparted to the plunger 56 by the lever 59 causes the applied force to be supplied to the push pins 62 through the compression spring 61 and when the required axial movement has been imparted to the jaw member 26 to cause the same to grip the stock, any further axial movement of the plunger 56 will merely result in compression of the spring 61 in the chamber 60. When the actuating force being applied to the plunger 56 by the lever 59 is removed, the compression spring 61 will expand in the chamber 60 and, by reacting against thepush pins 62, will cause a return outward movement of the plunger and the release of the gripping engagement of the jaw members 26 on the stock.

As shown in the drawings, the drive shaft 32 is provided with a disk portion 70 adjacent to or as a part of the eccentric device 37 and the annular cam 58 is connected with the shaft by being mounted on this disk portion. The lever 59 is pivotally mounted on the frame 13 by means of a pivot shaft 71 supported by a pair of laterally spaced brackets 72. The lower arm 59a of this lever is provided at its free end with a roller 73 which engages the cam face of the cam 58. The upper arm 5% of the lever is provided at its upper end with a forked portion 74 which straddles the axial stem 65 of the plunger 56 and engages the outer end face 560 of this plunger.

For holding the upper and lower arms of the lever 59 in engagement with the plunger 56 and the cam 58, respectively, the lever is provided with an additional intermediate arm 75 against which a compression spring 76 acts. The spring 76 is mounted on a rod 77 which extends through an opening 78 provided in the inner end of the arm 75. The upper end of the rod 77 is suitably anchored on the frame 13 as by means of a yoke '79 mounted on a transverse shaft 80 to which further reference will be made hereinafter.

From the foregoing description of this actuating means for the drawing grip device 16, it will be seen that during the functioning of the fabricating machine F the improved wire drawer 1% will be operated in timed relation thereto by motion transmitted through the chain 36. The drawing strokes of the die 15 will take place in alternate relation with the forward feeding movements which are intermittently imparted to the drawn stock S by the feed rolls 11 and 12. The same rotary movement of the shaft 32 which causes the drawing strokes of the die 15 also drives the cam 58, and hence, the intermittent gripping of the stock by the jaw members 26 as the result of actuating movement transmitted thereto by the lever 59 and the plunger 56 will take place in. timed relation to the drawing strokes.

The combined result of these functions of the apparatus is that after each drawing stroke of the die 15, the drawn stock and the die will be moved forwardly by the feed rolls 11 and 12 and when an amount of such eeding movement necessary for supplying the proper length of stock to the fabricating machine has taken place, the rotary movement of the cam will rock the lever 59 in a counter-clockwise direction, thereby causing the plunger 56 to actuate the jaw members 26 for gripping the stock with a positive action to thereby interrupt the forward feeding movement. Continued rotary movement of the cam 58 permits the lever 59 to be rocked in the opposite direction by the spring '76, thereby releasing the plunger 56 and permitting the jaw members 26 to release their grip on the stock so that another forward feeding of the drawn stock can take place.

When the improved wire drawer 10 is to be used with non-circular stock, such as the substantially rectangular or keystone shaped stock mentioned above for producing certain lock washers, the orifice of the drawing die and the grip passage 16a of the drawing grip device 16 have a cross-sectional shape which corresponds with such non-circular cross-sectional shape of the stock. As has already been mentioned above in a general way, the improved wire drawer It) provides for the feeding of such non-circular drawn stock S" to the fabricating machine F with the cross-sectional shape of the stock in a desired orientation which will contribute to a more satisfactory functioning of the dies of the fabricating machine.

To enable the wire drawer 10 to supply the drawn stock S to the fabricating machine F in such desired orientation, the grip box 42 of the drawing grip device 16 is supported for arcuate adjustment by having its trunnions 44 and 45 journaled in the axially spaced bearings and 41. By rocking the grip box 42 in the bearings 40 and 41 the non-circular grip passage 16a of the grip device 16 can be rotated to a desired orientation, for example an angular displacement of 10 degrees, whereupon the drawn stock S will be supplied to the fabricating machine F with its cross-sectional shape in such desired orientation. It will be understood, of course, that the cooperating grooves of the feed rolls 11 and 12 will be of a shape or contour suitable for the orientation at which the drawn stock is being supplied.

The extent to which the grip box 42 is arcuately adjusted can be determined by graduations 81 provided on the projecting end portion of the trunnion and with which an index member or pointer 82 mounted on the end face of the bearing 41 cooperates.

The arcuate movement of the grip box 4 2 is imparted thereto by suitable gearing which, in this instance, comprises a worm gear sector 84 which is secured to the grip box adjacent the base of the trunnion 45 by means of the screws 85, and a worm member 86 which meshes with this gear sector as shown in Fig. 5. The worm 86 is carried by and secured to the transverse shaft 82) which is rotatably mounted in the side walls of the frame 13. A handle 87 attached to the outer end of the shaft provides for rotation of the worm member 86 for driving the gear sector 84 and thus imparting the desired extent of rocking movement to the grip box 43.

The adjustment of the grip box 43 to an angular position corresponding with the desired orientation for the drawn stock S is made when the wire drawer it} is initially set up for operation with its related fabricating machine F. At the time that this arcuate adjustment of the grip box 43 is being made, the set screw 14b for the drawing die 15 is loosened so as to permit arcuate shifting of the die 15 in the socket 144 of the die box 14. Since the arcuate adjustment of the grip box 43 determines the orientation of the non-circular drawn stock S, this non-circular drawn stock will in turn react on the drawing die 15 and will rotate the same in the socket through a corresponding angular distance which will located the drawing die in the same position of orientation for its non-circular drawing orifice 15a. After the orientation of the drawing die 15 has been thus established to correspond with the orientation of the grip box 43, the set screw 14b is tightened to lock the drawing die in this setting.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings it will now be readily understood that this inven- 8. tion provides an improved wire drawer of the kind used in' conjunction with and in advance of a header or other fabricating machine such that the drawer will operate to intermittently interrupt the forward feeding of the drawn stock for accurately determining the proper length of feed for the articles being produced by the fabricating machine, and also provides for non-circular drawn stock to be supplied to the fabricating machine at an orientation for the cross-sectional shape of the stock which will be most advantageous to the functioning of the dies of such fabricating machine. It will be seen furthermore that this function of the improved wire drawer in thus interrupting the feeding movement of the drawn stock is accomplished by novel actuating means which cooperates with the drawing grip device for causing a positive closing movement of the jaw members thereof in timed relation to the other functions of the drawer. Likewise, it will be seen that the feeding of the drawn stock to the fabricating machine in a desired orientation is accomplished by the provision of novel mounting means for the drawing grip device and the drawing die by which a desired arcuate adjustment can be obtained for these devices.

Although the improved wire drawer of this invention has been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it will be understood of course that the invention is not to be regarded as being limited correspondingly in scope but includes all changes and modifications coming Within the terms of the claims hereof.

' I claim:

1. A grip mechanism for gripping wire comprising in combination, a supporting frame, bearing means on said frame, a grip box having substantially aligned trunnions rockable in said bearing means, said trunnions having substantially aligned openings for the axial passage of a Wire through said box, a pair of jaw members in said box and having cooperating grip elements engageable with said wire, said jaw members having relative closing movement in said box in a direction transverse to the axis of said wire and also having limited shifting movement in said box in the direction of said axis, Wedge means in said box, wedge means on said jaw members and cooperating with the wedge means of said box for causing said relative closing movement in response to said shifting movement of said jaw members, thrust applying means for imparting said shifting movement to said jaw members including plunger means coaxially slidable on one of said trunnions and push pin means actuated by said plunger means and extending into said box, a gear member conneeted with said box and disposed substantially coaxially of the trunnion axis, and a drive member meshed with said gear member and adapted to be actuated to cause swinging of said box about said trunnion axis.

2. A grip mechanism for gripping wire comprising in combination, a supporting frame, means on said frame defining a grip box having substantially aligned openings for the axial passage of a wire therethrough, a pair of jaw members in said box and having cooperating grip elements engageable with said wire, said jaw members having relative closing movement in said box in a direction transverse to the axis of said wire and also having limited shifting movement in said box in the direction of said axis, wedge means in said box, wedge means on said jaw members and cooperating with the wedge means of said box for causing said relative closing movement in response to said shifting movement of said jaw members, said box having other openings therein, a plunger slidably supported by said box, push pins slidable in said other openings and extending between said plunger and said jaw members, a shaft rotatable on said frame, a cam driven by said shaft, and lever means actuated by said cam and engaging said plunger.

3. A grip mechanism for gripping wire comprising in combination, a supporting frame, means on said frame defining a grip box having substantially aligned openings I for the axial passage of a wire therethrough, a pair of jaw members in said box and having cooperating grip elements engageable with said wire, said jaw members having relative closingmovement in said box in a direction transverse to the axis of said wire and also having limited shifting movement in said box in the direction of said axis, wedge means in said box, Wedge means on said jaw members and cooperating with the wedge means of said box for causing said relative closing movement in response to said shifting movement of said jaw members, said box having other openings therein, a hollow plunger slidably supported by said box, a spring seat movable in said plunger, push pins slidable in said other openings and extending between said spring seat and said jaw members, a compression spring in said plunger and engaging said spring seat, and actuating means effective on said plunger in a direction to apply thrust to said jaw members through said spring and said push pins.

4. In grip mechanism for gripping wire, a frame hav ing a recess therein and substantially aligned hollow hearings on opposite sides of said recess, a grip box defining a grip chamber and having oppositely extending trunnions journaled in said hollow bearings for swingably supporting said grip box in said recess, said trunnions having substantially coaxially aligned passages therein communicating with said grip chamber from opposite sides thereof for the passage of a wire through said chamber, a pair of jaw members in said box and having cooperating grip elements engageable with said wire for gripping the same, a gear member connected with said box, and a worm rotatably mounted on said frame and drivingly engaging said gear member.

5. In grip mechanism for gripping wire, a frame having a recess therein and substantially aligned hollow hearings on opposite sides of said recess, a grip box defining a grip chamber and having oppositely extending trunnions journaled in said hollow bearings for swingably supporting said grip box in said recess, said trunnions having substantially coaxially aligned passages therein communicating with said grip chamber from opposite sides thereof for the passage of a wire through said chamber, a pair of jaw members in said box and having cooperating grip elements thereon, said jaw members having relative closing movement in said chamber in a direction transverse to the axis of said wire and also having limited shifting movement in said chamber in the direction of said axis, wedge means in said chamber and effective on said jaw members for causing said relative closing movement in response to said shifting movement of said jaw members, a gear member connected with said box, a worm rotatably mounted on said frame and drivingly engaging said gear member, the axial passage of one of said trunnions having a counterbore therein and said box having guide openings therein connecting said counterbore with said chamber, a plunger slidable in said counterbore, and push pins movable in said guide openings and extending between said plunger and said jaw members for transmitting said shifting movement to the latter.

6. Grip mechanism as defined in claim 5 in which said plunger has an axial passage therein to accommodate said wire and includes a stem projection through which the last-mentioned passage extends, and which grip mechanism includes a swingable actuating lever having a forked portion engaging said plunger in straddling relation to said stem projection.

7. Wire gripping mechanism for a wire drawer having a die holder reciprocably supported by a frame and a drawing die provided with a drawing orifice of non-circular cross-section and seated in a position of predetermined orientation in said holder, comprising spaced hollow bearings supported by said frame in substantially coaxial alignment with said orifice, a grip box defining a grip chamber and having oppositely extending trunnions journaled in said bearings for swingably supporting said grip box in the space between said bearings, said trunnions having substantially coaxially aligned passages therein communicating with said grip chamber from opposite sides thereof for the passage of a drawn Wire of the non-circular cross-section of said orifice through said chamber, a pair of jaw members in said box and having cooperating grip elements engageable with said wire and defining a grip passage of said non-circular cross-section, said jaw members having relative closing movement in said chamber in a direction transverse to the axis of said wire and also having limited shifting movement in said chamber in the direction of said axis, wedge means in said box, Wedge means on said jaw members and cooperating with the Wedge means of said box for causing said relative closing movement in response to said shifting movement of said jaw members, the axial passage of one of said trunnions having a counterbore therein and said box having guide openings therein connecting said counterbore with said chamber, a plunger slidable in said counterbore, push pins slidable in said guide openings and extending between said plunger and said jaw members, thrust applying means including a'swingable lever engaging said plunger, a gear member connected with said box, and a worm rotatably mounted on said frame and drivingly engaging said gear member for swinging said box to produce an orientation of said grip passage corresponding substantially with the orientation of said drawing die.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,018,211 Hogue Oct. 22, 1935 2,226,400 Gaines Dec. 24, 1940 2,228,746 Berkebil Jan. 4, 1941 2,310,914 Gaines Feb. 9, 1943 2,337,881 Gaines Dec. 28, 1943 2,487,972 Katz Nov. 15, 1949 2,492,544 Vetter Dec. 27, 1949

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