US3557684A

US3557684A - Binding machine

Info

Publication number: US3557684A
Application number: US767997A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jean E Glasson
Original assignee: Botalam SARL
Current assignee: Botalam SARL
Priority date: 1967-11-29
Filing date: 1968-10-16
Publication date: 1971-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 1988-01-26
Also published as: FR1553076A; GB1204440A; LU57165A1; DE1805322B2; DE1805322C3; BE722902A; DE1805322A1

Abstract

A binding machine having two articulated shells in the internal faces of which is formed a continuous passageway for permitting a binding wire to encircle a bundle of articles. A rotary twisting head is disposed adjacent the shells and is provided with two slots for gripping the two crossed ends of the wire which extends around the bundle. The two articulated shells are provided with noselike extensions which overlie the slots disposed in the twisting head for substantially closing the slots and thus providing a positive guide structure for ensuring that the wire is properly fed into and discharged from the passageway formed in the shells.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor [54] BINDING MACHINE 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] [1.8. CI .f 100/26, 100/31 [5 1] Int. Cl B6Sb 13/04 [50] Field of Search l00/26, 31

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,742,851 4/1956 Fryer l00/26X 3,012,497 12/1961 Fryer 100/26 3,234,870 2/1966 Missioux 100/26 Primary ExaminerBilly .I. Wilhite Att0rneyWoodhams, Blanchard & Flynn ABSTRACT: A binding machine having two articulated shells in the internal faces of which is formed a continuous passageway for permitting a binding wire to encircle a bundle of articles. A rotary twisting head is disposed adjacent the shells and is provided with two slots for gripping the two crossed ends of the wire which extends around the bundle. The two articulated shells are provided with noselike extensions which overlie the slots disposed in the twisting head for substantially closing the slots and thus providing a positive guide structure for ensuring that the wire is properly fed into and discharged from the passageway formed in the shells.

PATENTEU JAN26 IBYI SHEET 1 [IF 4 ay #6 I f M M. :0

BINDING MACHINE Machines of this type are employed in particular in steel works for tying coilsof wire or fagotting rods and are constructed in various forms and sizes. However, the operation of such machines is sometimes faulty. In particular. the metallic binding wire has a tendency to escape in the vicinity of the entrance or exit of the passageway which is formed inside the shells.

The present invention is primarily intended to overcome this disadvantage and is accordingly directed to a binding machine of the above-mentioned type which is essentially characterized in that guide means are provided in order that the wire should be effectively guided both at the entrance and at the exit of the shell passageway.

Thus, the binding wire can no longer escape and good performance of the binding machine is always ensured.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each shell is provided with a nose-shaped extension which is adapted to cover the longitudinal opening of one of the slots of the stationarily fixed twisting head when the shells are in the closed position so as to form two closed guide passages for the binding wire.

By virtue of this arrangement, the two slots of the twisting head are completely closed by the shell noses which are applied against said stationary head, with the result that the binding wire is thus perfectly guided towards the entrance of the shell passageway as well as at the exit of said passageway.

As an advantageous feature, the shearing unit which cuts the binding wire to the desired length comprises a moving portion and a stationary portion which is disposed in the vicinity of the twisting head.

This arrangement of the shearing unit makes it possible to guide the wire prior to its admission into the twisting head.

Preferably, the clamp for gripping the free end of the binding wire is constituted by a stationary portion which is rigidly fixed to the wire inlet shell and associated with the moving extremity of a jack which is mounted on said shell.

Thus, the binding wire is also guided as it passes out of the twisting head between the stationary portion of the shell and the extremity of the jack. In addition, said clamp serves to ensure that the end of the wire is securely held in position.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the twisting head is constituted by two jaws each pivotally mounted with a certain working play on a barrel-shaped portion of a common rotary shaft.

This arrangement enables the twisting head to produce an effective clamping action on the two ends of the binding wire, even when the wire diameter is not uniform.

A clear understanding of the invention will in any case be obtained from the description which follows below, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings which show one nonlimitative form of construction and in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified general view of a binding machine in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a part-sectional detail view on a larger scale showing a portion of said machine;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

The binding machine which is illustrated in the FIGS. comprises in the first place a frame 1 on which the different components of said machine are mounted. The binding wire which is supplied from a source such as a reel (not shown) is delivered to the machine at 2 and passes first into an admission duct 3, then into a duct 4 which opens tangentially into an annular groove 5 formed at the periphery ofa driving drum 6. Said drum 6 is rotatably mounted on the frame I by means ofa shaft 7 and is associated with conventional drive means (not shown in the drawings) which are capable of rotating said shaft in either of the two directions indicated by the arrows 8 and 9 depending on requirements. The drum 6 is additionally fitted with ajaw 10 which is intended to clamp the wire within the groove 5 in order that said wire should be displaced with the drum at the time of rotation of this latter.

As it moves away from the drum, the binding wire penetrates into an inlet duct 11 which is also tangent to the groove 5 and which is followed by a shearing unit comprising a moving portion 12 and a stationary portion 13. As is clear from the sectional view of FIG. 4, one of the side walls of the duct 11 is provided with an opening 63, the extremity 64 of a jack 65 which is fixed on the frame 1 being placed opposite to said opening. Said jack 65, the function of which will become more readily apparent from the following description, is so designed that when it is actuated, its extremity 64 moves forward so as to clamp the binding wire in position inside the inlet duct 11.

The moving portion 12 of the shearing unit is adapted to pivot about a pin 14 which is rigidly fixed to the frame 1 under the action of a jack 15 which is applied at one end against the frame at 16 and at the other end against one end of the moving portion 12 at 17. Said moving portion 12 is placed in the vicinity of the exit of the duct 11 and comprises a shearing duct 18 which is in alignment with the duct 11 and through which the binding wire passes. The stationary portion 13 is placed immediately at the exit of the shearing duct 18 and in a position such that the binding wire is cut when the moving portion 12 pivots about its pin under the action of the jack 15. In fact, as is shown in FIG. 4, the shearing duct 18 is formed in a member 66 which is capable of sliding longitudinally with respect to the moving portion 12. Said sliding member 66 is subjected to the action of a compression spring 67 which maintains said member continuously in contact with the stationary portion 13, with the result that correct shearing of the wire may thus be obtained irrespective of the degree of wear of the shearing unit.

After having passed along the stationary portion 13 of the shearing unit, the binding wire passes by way of a slot 40, through a twisting head 19 which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

The wire then penetrates into a guide passageway 20 which is formed in the internal face of two crescent-shaped

binding shells

21 and 22. Each

shell

21 and 22 is rigidly fixed to a shaft respectively designated by the

reference numerals

23 and 24 and supported on bearings 25 which are fixed on the frame 1. Thus, the two shells which are shown in the closed position in the FIGS. are pivotally mounted on the frame and can be opened in order to admit the coil of wire or bundle of rods to be tied. Opening and closure of said shells is carried out by means of jacks 26 and 27 which bear on the shells at 28 and 29 and on the frame at 30 and 31.

The guide passageway 20 must be so designed that the binding wire which passes out of said passageway is capable of passing across the wire which is admitted therein. To this end, the passage will advantageously be of helical shape.

In the example herein described, the binding wire which is' delivered from the passageway 20 passes in front of the wire which is being admitted therein, then passes back through the twisting head 19 by way of a second slot 40' and arrives along a stationary jaw portion 32 which is integral with the shell 21. Said stationary portion 32 has the shape of a pad in this example and is associated with the moving extremity 33 of a jack 34 in order to constitute in conjunction with this latter the clamp which is intended to secure the extremity of the binding wire when this latter is drawn tightly around the bundle to be tied. The jack 34 is mounted on a support plate 35 which is fixed on the shaft 23 and is thus coupled with the binding shell 21.

The twisting head 19 will 'now be described in greater detail. Said head is set at a fixed height and is mainly constituted by two jaws 36 and 37 which are adapted to engage one inside the other and are pivotally mounted on a shaft 38 which is carried by a U-shaped support bracket 39. Between the two jaws and at the top portion of the head are formed the two

slots

40 and 40 within which are passed respectively the portion of binding wire which enters the guide passageway and the portion of wire which leaves said passageway. Said two slots are disposed in different planes so as to be aligned with the entrance and exit of the passageway 20. As stated earlier, said entrance and exit are laterally displaced to a slight extent in order that the two ends of the binding wire may cross each other without coming into contact.

The depth of the slots 40 and 40' is such that, when the two jaws 36 and 37 are applied against each other, the two crossed ends of the binding wire are securely maintained each in its respective slot.

Closure of the jaws 36 and 37 is carried out by means of a cam 41 which is of triangular shape in this example and adapted to bear on inclined faces 42 which are formed at the lower end of each jaw. Said cam 41 is integral with a stem 43 which is adapted to move longitudinally under the action of a jack 44 mounted on a support plate 45 which is fixed on the frame 1. In fact, the jack 44 produces action on the stem 43 by means of a coupling unit shown diagrammatically at 46, with the result that said stem 43 is not coupled in rotation with the jack. in fact, the function of the twisting head 19 is to knot the two ends of the binding wire in order to form a strong tie. To this end, the twisting head can be endowedwith a movement of rotation by conventional driving means. In the example herein described, the rotation of the head is obtained by means of a jack 47 which produces action through a rack and pinion 48a on a sleeve 48, said sleeve being rigidly fixed to the bracket 39 which supports the jaws and within which the stem 43 is intended to slide freely.

The jaws 36 and 37 are normally maintained in the open position by means of two

restoring springs

49 and 50, the ends of each spring being respectively secured to the two jaws by means of lugs 51 and 52.

As will be noted from FIG. 2, each jaw 36 or 37 of the twisting head is pivotally mounted on a barrel-shaped portion of the shaft 38, as respectively designated by the references 53 and 54. The jaws thus have a certain relative working play which makes it possible to compensate for irregularities of the binding wire.

ln accordance with an advantageous property of the invention, each binding

shell

21 and 22 is provided at the level of the twisting head with an extension'having the shape of a nose as respectively designated by the

references

55 and 56. When the binding shells are closed, that is to say in the position which is shown in the figures, said

noses

55 and 56 are each intended to cover one of the slots 40 and 40' of the twisting head and thus form two closed guide passages for the binding wire at the entrance and at the exit of the passageway 20.

The binding machine in accordance with the invention additionally comprises a mechanism which is intended to fold back the two ends of the binding wire'when said ends have been knotted as a result of the rotation of the twisting head. Said mechanism is mainly constituted by an articulated arm 57 provided at the extremitythereof with a fork 58 which partly surrounds the central portion of the twisting head in the rest position. The arm 57 is pivotally mounted at 59 with respect to the frame 1 and is operated by means of a jack 60 which is applied against the frame at 61 and against the arm at 62.

One cycle of operation of the binding machine according to the invention will now be described in order to highlight the inherent advantages of this machine.

At the beginning of the cycle, the end of the binding wire which is cut off by the shearing machine during the previous cycle is located at the level of the exit of the shearing duct 18 and the

binding shells

21 and 22 are in the open position. The bundle to be tied which may be either a coil of wire or a fagot of rods, for example, is accordingly placed between the open shells and the jacks 26 and 27 close said shells against the bundle which is thus located in the intended tying position. The

drum jaw 10 being closed, the driving drum 6 is then set into rotation in the direction indicated by the arrow 8 and supplies a predetermined length of wire.

As it passes out of the shearing duct 18, the wire is first guided between the stationary portion 13 of the shearing unit and the rear face of the shell 22, then penetrates into the slot 40 of the twisting head 19. Said slot 40 is located in alignment with the entrance of the shell passageway 20 and, in accordance with the invention, is covered by the nose 56 of the shell 22, thus forming a closed guide passage for the binding wire. The wire is therefore perfectly guided towards the cntrance of the passageway 20 and is in no way liable to escape.

The binding wire is endowed with a certain malleability and is thus permitted to conform without difficulty to the circular shape of the

shells

21 and 22. As it passes out of the passageway 20, the wire again passes through the twisting head 19 by way of its second slot 40. As in the previous instance, said second slot 40' is covered by the nose 55 of the shell 21 and thus forms a cldsed passageso that the wire is perfectly guided therein without being permitted to escape and is directed so as to come into position between the clamping pad 32 and the extremity 33 of the jack 34.

The amplitude of the movement of rotation of the drum 6 is calculated so that the length of wire delivered is just sufficient or, in other words, so that the end of the wire arrives along the pad 32 but does not pass beyond this latter to an excessive ex tent. The jack 34 then comes into action in order that the extremity 33 thereof should clamp the wire against the pad, whereupon the drum 6 is set into rotation in the opposite direction, that is to say in the direction shown by the arrow 9. By means of its jaw 10, the drum exerts a substantial tractive force on the wire and inasmuch as the free end of the wire is securely maintained by the jack 34, the wire passes out of the passageway 20 and is applied around the bundle to be tied.

When the binding wire is well tightened around the bundle, the jack 44 comes into action and initiates by means of the cam 41 the closure of the jaws 36 and 37 of the twisting head 19. The two crossed ends of the wire are then clamped within their

respective slots

40 and 40 and, by virtue of the fact that the jaws 36 and 37 are mounted on barrel-bearings, are securely held in position even if the diameter of the wire is not strictly uniform.

lnasmuch as the binding wire is then retained by the twisting head, the machine frees the end which was retained under the pressure applied by the jack 34 and cuts the wire at the other end. To this end, the jack 15 causes the moving portion 12 of the shearing unit to pivot about its pin 14, with the result that the wire is out between the sliding member 66 of said moving portion 12 and the stationary portion 13. At the same time, the jacks 26 and 27 open the

shells

21 and 22.

The twisting head is then set into rotation by the jack 47 in order to knot the two ends of the binding wire in known manner. The jack 44 is then driven in the opposite direction and the two jaws 36 and 37 which are no longer subjected to the action of the cam 41 accordingly open and release the wire under the action of the restoring

springs

49 and 50.

The drum 6 is then returned to its starting position as a result of a movement of rotation in the direction of the arrow 9. During this rotation, the jaw 10 is opened and the jack 65 is also actuated in order that its extremity 64 should retain the binding wire within the inlet duct 11. Thus, the wire cannot possibly be moved backwards by the drum and the end of the wire is consequently located at the level of the exit of the shearing duct 18 in readiness for the following cycle.

Finally, the arm 57 is lifted by the jack 60 and the fork 58 of said arm folds back the two free ends of the binding wire against the bundle. Said bundle is now provided with a strong and effective bond and can accordingly be discharged whilst the binding machine is ready to perform a further cycle of operation.

The different operations of the work cycle of the machine are naturally made fully automatic by means of suitable known devices by the invention would also apply with the same effect to semiautomatic or even hand-operated machines.

It will in any case be readily apparent that the form of execution of the invention which has just been described has been given solely by way of example without any limitation being implied and that a large number of modifications could be contemplated without thereby departing either from the scope or the spirit of the invention.

lclaim:

1. in a binding machine including a frame having a pair of shells pivotally mounted on said frame and movable between open and closed positions, said shells when in the open position being adapted to receive a plurality 'of articles therein with movement of said. shells to the closed position causing said articles to be formed into a bundle, said shells when in the closed position having on their internal faces a continuous passageway for receiving therein a binding wire, twisting means disposed adjacent said shells for coacting with the crossed ends of the wire extending from said passageway for twisting the ends of the wire to form a loop in surrounding relationship to the bundle of articles, said twisting means including a twisting head mounted for rotary movement relative to said frame with said twisting head having first and second slots formed therein for receiving therein the two crossed ends of the wire which extend from the passageway, means for feeding wire into said passageway and for applying traction to said wire for causing same to be snugly disposed around the bundle of articles, clamp means mounted on said frame and disposed for gripping the free end of said wire when said free end extends beyond said passageway, and cutting means for cutting the other end of said wire to the desired length, the improvement comprising guide means for guiding the wire into and out of the respective entrance and discharge ends of said passageway, said guide means including a noselike extension formed on each of said shells and disposed closely adjacent said twisting head for covering the longitudinal opening of a respective one of said slots when said shells are in the closed position, whereby said noselike extensions in cooperation with said slots define two closed guide passages disposed for direct communication with the opposite ends of said passageway.

2. A binding machine according to claim 1, in whichthe cutting means includes first and second relatively movable shearing portions, means stationarily mounting said first shearing portion on said frame substantiallyadjacent the twisting head, and means movably mounting said second shearing portion on said frame for causing movement thereof adjacent to and relative to said first portion for causing shearing of said wire.

3. A binding machine according to claim 1, in which the clamp means includes a clamp jaw stationarily mounted and fixedly secured to the shell into which the wire is initially fed, and said clamp means further including movable jack means having a movable clamp member disposed for coaction with said stationary clamp member for engaging the free end of the wire therebetween, said jack means being mounted on said last-mentioned shell for movement therewith.

4. A binding machine according to claim 1, in which the twisting head includes a pair of jaws and means pivotally mounting said jaws for movement toward and away from each other, said jaws when moved to an engaged position defining said pair of slots therebetween, said means pivotally mounting said jaws further including means for permitting limited lateral angular displacement of said jaws.

5. A binding machine according to claim 1, wherein said pair of shells when in the closed position extend through an angle of substantially 360, means pivotally mounting one pair of adjacent ends of said shells on said frame for permitting swinging movement of said shells relative to one another and relative to said frame, said twisting head being disposed closely adjacent said one pair of adjacent ends of said shells with one of the slots on said twisting head being aligned with the inlet end of the passageway formed in the wire inlet shell, the other slot on said twisting head being substantially aligned with the discharge end of the passageway formed on the wire discharge shell, the pair of slots being laterally displaced relative to one another and also extending at an angle relative to one another for permitting the adjacent ends of the wire which extend beyond said passageway to intersect, whereby rotation of said twisting head causes said intersecting ends to be bound together.

Claims

1. In a binding machine including a frame having a pair of shells pivotally mounted on said frame and movable between open and closed positions, said shells when in the open position being adapted to receive a plurality of articles therein with movement of said shells to the closed position causing said articles to be formed into a bundle, said shells when in the closed position having on their internal faces a continuous passageway for receiving therein a binding wire, twisting means disposed adjacent said shells for coacting with the crossed ends of the wire extending from said passageway for twisting the ends of the wire to form a loop in surrounding relationship to the bundle of articles, said twisting means including a twisting head mounted for rotary movement relative to said frame with said twisting head having first and second slots formed therein for receiving therein the two crossed ends of the wire which extend from the passageway, means for feeding wire into said passageway and for applying traction to said wire for causing same to be snugly disposed around the bundle of articles, clamp means mounted on said frame and disposed for gripping the free end of said wire when said free end extends beyond said passageway, and cutting means for cutting the other end of said wire to the desired length, the improvement comprising guide means for guiding the wire into and out of the respective enTrance and discharge ends of said passageway, said guide means including a noselike extension formed on each of said shells and disposed closely adjacent said twisting head for covering the longitudinal opening of a respective one of said slots when said shells are in the closed position, whereby said noselike extensions in cooperation with said slots define two closed guide passages disposed for direct communication with the opposite ends of said passageway.

2. A binding machine according to claim 1, in which the cutting means includes first and second relatively movable shearing portions, means stationarily mounting said first shearing portion on said frame substantially adjacent the twisting head, and means movably mounting said second shearing portion on said frame for causing movement thereof adjacent to and relative to said first portion for causing shearing of said wire.

5. A binding machine according to claim 1, wherein said pair of shells when in the closed position extend through an angle of substantially 360*, means pivotally mounting one pair of adjacent ends of said shells on said frame for permitting swinging movement of said shells relative to one another and relative to said frame, said twisting head being disposed closely adjacent said one pair of adjacent ends of said shells with one of the slots on said twisting head being aligned with the inlet end of the passageway formed in the wire inlet shell, the other slot on said twisting head being substantially aligned with the discharge end of the passageway formed on the wire discharge shell, the pair of slots being laterally displaced relative to one another and also extending at an angle relative to one another for permitting the adjacent ends of the wire which extend beyond said passageway to intersect, whereby rotation of said twisting head causes said intersecting ends to be bound together.