Abstract:
A wire bending device includes an upright frame and a wire feed hopper for dispensing wire rods. A wire bending section is mounted on the frame, and at least one transport arm is pivotally mounted on the frame, the transport arm operative to transport wire rods from the hopper to the wire bending section. The wire bending section includes a wire securement device mounted on the frame, the rotatable wire securement device operative to secure one end of a wire rod and rotate the wire rod about its longitudinal central axis and a wire bending unit movably mounted on the frame. The wire bending unit includes a wire bend head aligned with the center longitudinal axis of the rotatable wire securement device, the wire bending unit adapted to move on the frame such that the wire bend head remains aligned with the center longitudinal axis of the rotatable wire securement device. A control unit such as a programmable computer is operatively connected to the transport arm, the rotatable wire securement device and the wire bending unit to engage the transport arm to transport a wire rod from the hopper to the wire bending section, engage the rotatable wire securement device to secure one end of the wire rod, move the wire bend head to determined bend locations on the wire rod, rotate the wire rod about its longitudinal central axis to programmed positions, and engage the wire bend head to perform the programmed bend in the wire rod.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This is a continuation application of Petitioners&#39; earlier application Ser. No. 09/443,277 filed Nov. 18, 1999, entitled WIRE BENDING APPARATUS.  
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Technical Field  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to wire bending mechanisms and, more particularly, to a unidirectional wire bending apparatus which includes an air bladder wire securement mechanism which secures a wire to be bent in a bending position, a computer-controlled movably mounted bending unit having a bending head travelling adjacent the wire for bending thereof, and a wire rotation mechanism for rotating the wire so that as the bending unit travels along the wire, the wire may be rotated to permit the formation of three-dimensional bends in the wire.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Various types of wire bending devices are found in the prior art, and as the field of uses for bent wires has expanded, the methods by which the various wire bending devices perform their bending processes have become ever more sophisticated and specialized. Wires are commonly used in many different applications, such as car seats and the like, and for each different seat type, a different bent wire is required to fit within the seat. Therefore, the various wire bending units in the prior art need to accommodate different bend patterns.  
           [0006]    Some of the prior art devices include Nihashi U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,819 which discloses an apparatus for making a formed wire which bends wire by holding it at its mid-point by a holder and then consecutively bending the wire by a pair of movable bending units which start at opposite ends of the wire and move towards the center. As the bending units move along the wire, the wire is bent to a desired angle. After a bend is performed, the wire is released by the center clamp and held by clamps on each bending unit. The wire is then rotated to its new position, the center clamp reengages, and the bending units move to the next bending location. Nihashi includes several inherent disadvantages, however, such as the need for additional clamps and for the separate rotational devices which slow the bending process. Furthermore, Nihashi is a large machine, which will take up valuable shop floor space. There is therefore a need for a wire bending device that remedies these deficiencies.  
           [0007]    Other prior art devices disclose wire bending devices that are generally inefficient, requiring either manual insertion of wires to be bent or bending devices which only permit two-dimensional bending. There is therefore a need for a wire bending device which is capable of feeding wires automatically into the bending section of the device and which includes a wire rotating device to permit the formation of three-dimensional bends in the wire.  
           [0008]    One common type of wire bending device includes a wire feed which moves the wire past the bending head during the bending process. A major problem encountered in the operation of these devices is that the error tolerances for wire bends are often smaller than the error margins of the machine, which means that several pieces out of each production run will be unsuitable for their intended use. The errors arise due to the motion of the wire in different axes from the axis of movement of the wire, i.e., flexing of the wire during movement. To prevent this movement, many of the prior art devices “thread” the wire through a guide hole adjacent the bend head. Of course, while the bend head guide hole will substantially eliminate the flexing of the wire, it also adds a removal step to the bending process, which decreases the rate at which wires will be produced and renders the device less efficient. There is therefore a need for a wire bending device that holds the wire in a stationary position during the bending process while the bending head travels along the wire.  
           [0009]    Another problem encountered in the prior art is that the majority of bending devices support the wire above the bending unit, which forces the operator of the device to remove the wire from the machine after bending instead of the wire being released to fall into a stocking bin or the like. Again, the inefficiencies inherent in this design are obvious and there is a need for a solution to this design flaw.  
           [0010]    Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved wire bending device.  
           [0011]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire bending device which will automatically feed wires to be bent into the bending section of the device.  
           [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire bending device which includes a bending head and a wire securement device that rotates the wire to permit three-dimensional bending of the wire.  
           [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire bending device that is at least partially computer-controlled to enable rapid resetting of bend positions in the wire and to allow for multiple bend patterns to be accessed and used without requiring resetting of the bend information.  
           [0014]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire bending device which includes a wire securement device such as an air bladder actuated chuck that will hold a very short section of the end of the wire to permit substantially the entire wire to be bent.  
           [0015]    Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a wire bending device which is relatively simple and sturdy in construction and is safe and efficient in use.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0016]    The present invention provides a wire bending device which includes an upright frame and a wire feed hopper for dispensing wire rods, the hopper mounted on the frame. A wire bending section is mounted on the frame, and at least one transport arm is pivotally mounted on the frame, the transport arm including a releasable wire holding device such as a magnet mounted thereon for releasably holding a wire rod, the transport arm being operative to transport wire rods from the hopper to the wire bending section of the device. The wire bending section includes a rotatable wire securement device mounted on the frame and having a center longitudinal axis, the rotatable wire securement device operative to secure one end of a wire rod and rotate the wire rod about its longitudinal central axis and a wire bending unit movably mounted on the frame, the wire bending unit including a wire bend head aligned with the center longitudinal axis of the rotatable wire securement device, the wire bending unit adapted to move on the frame such that the wire bend head remains aligned with the center longitudinal axis of the rotatable wire securement device. A control unit such as a programmable computer is operatively connected to the transport arm, the rotatable wire securement device and the wire bending unit, the control unit programmed to engage the transport arm to transport a wire rod from the hopper to the wire bending section, engage the rotatable wire securement device to secure one end of the wire rod, move the wire bend head to determined bend locations on the wire rod and rotate the wire rod about its longitudinal central axis to programmed positions, and engage the wire bend head to perform the programmed bend in the wire rod.  
           [0017]    The present invention thus provides a substantial improvement over those bending devices found in the prior art. For example, many devices require manual insertion of wires to be bent into the device, whereas the present invention automatically feeds wires into the bending section. Furthermore, because the present invention provides for rotation of the wire rod, three-dimensional bends may be formed in the wire. Also, the precise controllable positioning of the wire bend head greatly reduces the chances of unusable wires being produced. Repeatability and consistency are the hallmarks of the present invention, and thus it is seen that the present invention is superior to those devices found in the prior art.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wire bending apparatus of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3A is a partial end view illustrating the wire rod being positioned prior to bending;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3B is a bottom view of FIG. 3A;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4A is a view similar to FIG. 3 except that the rod has been bent 90°;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4B is a bottom view of FIG. 4A;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a partial top elevational view of a portion of the wire bending apparatus;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view illustrating the wire rod having been bent 90°;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a wire rod having been bent several times;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the bin for storing the rods prior to their being bent;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 10 is a partial bottom perspective view of portions of the invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the wire feeding apparatus;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 12A, 12B and  12 C are sectional views illustrating the sequential movement of a rod through the wire rod feeding apparatus;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of the invention; and  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 14 is a partial end view of the invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0034]    The wire bending device  10  of the present invention is best shown in FIGS.  1 - 5  as including an upright frame  12  having vertical support beams  14   a  and  14   b  and upper horizontal support beam  16  extending between and connecting vertical support beams  14   a  and  14   b.  The base structure  18  of upright frame  12  which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be constructed in various other manners so long as the support functions of the base structure  18  are fulfilled.  
         [0035]    For clarity and to provide a better understanding of the operation of the present invention, the description of the present invention will follow the progress of a single wire rod  100  as it is fed through the wire bending device  10  of the present invention. Therefore, the present description begins with the wire rod  100  being positioned within the hopper  20 , which is shown best in FIGS.  1 - 5 . The hopper  20 , in the preferred embodiment, would include a large wire holding bin  22  having a width of approximately forty-eight inches. Of course, the precise width of the bin  22  is not critical to the present invention, so long as wire rods which are to be bent by the wire bending device  10  are of smaller length than the width of wire holding bin  22  to fit therewithin. The wire rods stored within bin  22  would be stacked atop one another and aligned generally parallel with each other within the wire holding bin  22 , the wire rods being removed from wire bin  22  by feed mechanism  24  positioned adjacent the lower front of wire holding bin  22 , as shown best in FIG. 5. In the preferred embodiment, the feed mechanism  24  would include a large cylindrical roller  26  mounted within wire holding bin  22  and adjustably spaced from base  28  of wire holding bin  22  such that the gap between the outer wall of roller  26  and base wall  28  may be adjusted. It is preferred that the forward end of base wall  28  be lower than the rear end of base wall  28  such that wire rods within wire holding bin  22  will roll forward to contact the outer wall of roller  26  as the outer wall of cylindrical roller  26  at base wall  28  approach one another. It is further preferred the cylindrical roller  26  be mounted on wire holding bin  22  in connection with a biasing device  30  such as a spring tension device. Biasing device  30  would act to force cylindrical roller  26  downwards towards base wall  28  thus, preventing the unintentional exit of wire rods from between cylindrical roller  26  and base wall  28 . When cylindrical roller  26  is rotated in a clockwise direction, the lowermost wire rod  100  is engaged by the outer wall  27  of cylindrical roller  26  and pulled forward due to frictional contact therewith. Because the diameter of wire rod  100  is greater than the cap between cylindrical roller  26  and base wall  28 , cylindrical roller  26  moves upwards slightly, but continues to be biased downwards due to the effect of biasing device  30  on cylindrical roller  26 . In this manner, the feeding of wire rods may be precisely controlled through the rotation of cylindrical roller  26  specifically for the purpose of aligning the rods in a single layer.  
         [0036]    When wire rod  100  moves forward far enough to disengage from cylindrical roller  26 , wire rod  100  rolls forward down the slope of base wall  28  to contact the second section of the feed mechanism  24 , shown best in FIG. 5. The second section of feed mechanism  24  includes right and left rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34 , right rod-receiving mechanism  32  being mounted in a fixed position adjacent the forward end of base wall  28  and left rod-receiving mechanism  34  being adjustably mounted on a pair of slide bars  36   a  and  36   b  which will permit the distance between right and left rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34  to be adjusted. In this manner, different lengths of wire rods may be received and positioned correctly prior to being fed through the wire bending section of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, when a wire rod  100  rolls into contact with left and right rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34 , wire rod lifters  35   a  and  35   b  lift the wire rod  100  upwards above wall plates  36   a  and  36   b,  and the wire rod  100  then rolls forward on top of wall plates  36   a  and  36   b  until it is stopped by a pair of wire retention arms  38   a  and  38   b  which are pivotally mounted on the left and right rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34  whereby the wire rod  100  is supported in a feed-engaging position, as best shown in FIG. 6. The wire rod  100  is thus ready for transport from the hopper  20  to the wire bending section  40  of the present invention.  
         [0037]    To move the wire rod  100  from the hopper  20  to the wire bending section  40  of the wire bending device  10  of the present invention, a pair of pivoting wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b  are mounted on a rotating beam  44  mounted on base structure  18  of upright beam  12 . The rotation of rotating beam  44  is controlled by an electric motor  46  mounted on upright frame  12 , as shown best in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b  may be rotated between a wire pick-up position adjacent hopper  20  and a wire feed position adjacent wire bending section  40  of wire bending device  10 . In the preferred embodiment, leftmost wire feed arm  42   b  would be slidably adjustably mounted on rotating beam  44  to permit adjustment of positioning of wire feed arm  42   b  to accommodate variously sized wire rods. Mounted on the upper ends of each wire feed arm  42   a  and  42   b  are proximity switches  48   a  and  48   b  and electromagnets  50   a  and  50   b,  shown best in FIG. 2. As the wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b  are pivoted into wire receiving position adjacent hopper  20 , the proximity switches  48   a  and  48   b  signal that the arms  42   a  and  42   b  are in the correct position and stop the functioning of electric motor  46  thereby ceasing rotation of rotating beam  44 . When the wire rod  100  is positioned within left and right rod-receiving mechanisms  34  and  32 , the wire rod  100  is supported generally adjacent electromagnets  50   a  and  50   b  on the ends of wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b.  Current then flows through electromagnets  50   a  and  50   b  thus releasably securing wire rod  100  to the wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b.  At that same time, right and left rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34  release wire rod  100  by wire retention arms  38   a  and  38   b  pivoting upwards to permit the wire rod  100  to be transported to the wire bending section  40  of the present invention. Once the wire rod is released by rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34 , electric motor  46  is engaged thus rotating the rotating beam  44  in a counterclockwise direction and pivoting wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b  towards the wire bending section  40  of the present invention. Proximity switches  48   a  and  48   b  recognize the location of the wire bending section  40  and signal the electric motor  46  to stop rotating the rotating beam  44  when the wire rod  100  is aligned with the wire bending section  40  of the present invention. When rotation of rotating beam  44  ceases, the wire rod  100  is correctly positioned for securement within wire bending section  40  of the present invention.  
         [0038]    The wire bending section  40  of the present invention is shown best in FIGS.  1 - 6  as including a wire securement mechanism  51  which receives the wire rod  100  held by electromagnets  50   a  and  50   b  on wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b  and secures the wire rod  100  in a generally horizontal position below upper horizontal support beam  16  of upright frame  12 . The wire securement mechanism  51 , in the preferred embodiment, includes a wire support sleeve  52  into which the wire to be bent is inserted, the wire support sleeve  52  extending coaxially with the axis of rotation of the wire rotational mechanism  80 . The sleeve  52  accepts the wire therein with the end of the wire seated only approximately one-eighth of an inch (⅛″) within the outer end of the sleeve  52 , and the wire is held within the sleeve  52  by a chuck  53  positioned within the sleeve  52 . The chuck is opened and closed by the inflation and deflation of air bladder  54  which moves a shaft  57  within sleeve  52  which in turn expands or contracts the chuck to secure the wire therewithin. Of course, various kinds of chucks may be used with the present invention, each of which would be understood by one skilled in the art, but it is important that any chuck used in the invention be capable of securing the wire rod  100  using as short a section of the rod as practicable. Because of the chuck, wires may be quickly and easily inserted and removed from the sleeve  52  by inflating and deflating the air bladder  54 .  
         [0039]    Rotation of the wire is accomplished by the wire rotational mechanism  80  which, in the preferred embodiment, is a small wheel  82  connected by a belt  84  to the large wheel  86  concentrically mounted on the wire securement mechanism  50 . Wire securement mechanism  51  is rotatably mounted on vertical support beam  14   a  by bearings  55   a  and  55   b  such that wire securement mechanism  51  can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the wire being secured therein, the rotation being done by the driving of small wheel  82  by means of a precision drive motor  88  or the like, thus turning belt  84  and large wheel  86 . The wire securement mechanism is thus rotated to align the wire in the next bending position. It is expected that the precision drive motor will be operatively connected to a computer to accurately control the amount of rotation of the wire to ensure precise bending of the wire, along with efficient repeatability of the programmed bending sequence.  
         [0040]    The bending unit  101  is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 as including a base plate assembly having a generally inverted U-shaped slide plate  102  and a generally flat mounting plate  104  mounted on the slide plate  102 . A cam support bar  106  extends generally perpendicular from the mounting plate  104 , the cam support bar rotatably supporting a bending cam shaft  108  by bearing collars  110   a  and  110   b.  Mounted on the base of cam shaft  108  concentrically therewith is a cylindrical pinion  112  which rotates with cam shaft  108 , pinion  112  intermeshing with movable rack  114 . Movable rack  114  is driven perpendicular to the pinion  112  to rotate the pinion  112  and thus rotate the cam shaft  108 . The rack  114  may be driven by any appropriate means, but it is preferred that the rack  114  be forced outwards by a pneumatic or hydraulic ram or the like. Mounted at the outward end of rack  114  is a projecting rack bolt  115  which extends outward to contact bend stop bolts, as will more clearly explained later in this disclosure.  
         [0041]    The apparatus which actually bends the wire is referred to generally as the wire bend head and includes a cam follower  116  which is mounted on the side of the cam shaft  108  adjacent the top of the cam shaft  108  and a bend block  118  mounted on the cam support bar  106  adjacent the top of the cam support bar  106 . The cam follower  116  rotates with the cam shaft  108  about bend block  118  to bend a wire extending therebetween about bend block  118 , as the axis of rotation of the cam shaft  108  is generally aligned with the bend block  118 , as shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0042]    An alternative embodiment of the wire bend head is shown in FIG. 5 in which the cam shaft  108  is replaced by a cam sleeve  130  which rotates about an upright non-rotating bend head support shaft  132  extending upwards from mounting plate  104 . On top of the support shaft  132  is the bend head  134  through which the wire to be bent extends. A cam follower  136  similar to the one described in connection with FIG. 4 is mounted on sleeve  130 , and operates in a similar manner, i.e., rotating about the bend head  134  to bend the wire. One improvement permitted by this arrangement is that the bend head  134  may be quickly and easily switched to accommodate a new size of wire. The degree of bend of the wire is determined by the distance through which the rack  114  travels, thereby rotating the cam shaft  108  and thus cam follower  116 . Also, the location of the bend made in the wire is determined by the location of the bending unit  101  along the wire. The positioning apparatus  150  for controlling the positioning of the bending unit  101  along the wire rod  100  is best shown in FIG. 2 as including a slide track  152  over which slide plate  102  fits, the slide track  152  permitting movement of the bending unit  101  parallel to the wire to be bent. There are two current best modes of moving the bending unit  101  along slide track  152 , and these are by means of a rodless air cylinder  154  (shown in FIG. 1) or by means of an electric motor  156  mounted on the bending unit  101  which is connected to a gear  158  which intermeshes with a track  160  (shown in FIG. 2). Of course, it should be noted that any appropriate type of precisely controllable movement device may be substituted for those described above, such as a rack and pinion or mounting of the bending unit  101  on a movable rotating belt which extends along the table  12 .  
         [0043]    The two movement devices each operate in their understood manner, with the location of the bends in the wire being determined by the following system, which is shown best in FIGS.  3 - 6  in the preferred embodiment. Mounted on the forward portion of the mounting plate  104  are two proximity switches  163   a  and  163   b,  proximity switch  163   a  positioned slightly closer to said wire securement mechanism  51  than proximity switch  163   b  such that as said bending unit  101  moves towards the wire securement mechanism  51 , proximity switch  163   a  encounters the stop/bend points before proximity switch  163   b.  A plurality of stop/bend collars  164   a,    164   b,    164   c,    164   d,    164   e  and  164   f  are adjustably mounted on a slide bar  168  mounted on the frame  12  forward of the slide track  160 , as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 6. The horizontal position of each of the stop/bend collars  164   a - f  may thus be adjusted to signify bend points on the wire rod  100 . As the bending unit  101  moves towards the wire securement mechanism  51 , the speed of movement of the bending unit  101  is fast until proximity switch  163   a  signals the control unit  180  that the next stop/bend collar in line has been reached. The travel speed of the bending unit  101  is then immediately slowed and the bending unit moves at a reduced rate of speed until proximity switch  163   b  signifies that the bend location has been reached. Proximity switch  163   b  is positioned on the bending unit  101  such that the proximity switch  163   b  is aligned with the stop/bend collar when the bending unit  101  is in the precise location for the bend to be performed, thus permitting the bend to be formed in the wire rod  100  at the exact location determined by the operator.  
         [0044]    Each of the stop/bend collars  164   a - f  include an inwardly extending, length-adjustable bend stop bolt  166   a - f  that extends inwards towards slide track  160 , the bend stop bolts  166   a - f  positioned to impede the outward motion of rack  114  by receiving contact from the projecting rack bolt  115 . The distance through which the rack  114  travels is determined by the bend stop bolts  166   a - f.  When the rack  114  is moved towards slide bar  168 , thereby rotating the cam shaft  108 , the movement of the rack  114  is stopped when projecting rack bolt  115  butts against the adjacent bend stop bolt  166   a - f.  The direction of rack movement then reverses and the bending unit is readied for the next bend to be made. By adjusting the length of the bend stop bolts  166   a - f,  the point at which the projecting rack bolt  115  contacts each bolt is changed, and thus the length of travel of the rack  114  is modified. If the rack  114  moves a greater distance, the degree of bend formed in the wire being bent is greater, and vice versa. Therefore, when the movable rack  114  is forced to move, pinion  112  and cam shaft  108  rotate thereby rotating cam follower  116  about bend block  118  thus forming a bend in the wire rod  100  extending from wire securement mechanism  50 . Once the rack  114  has returned to its starting location, the control unit  180  senses this and engages the rodless air cylinder  154  or electric motor  156  to move the bending unit  101  to the next stop/bend collar  164   a - f.  Once all of the stop/bend collars  164   a - f  for the particular bend pattern have been encountered by the bending unit  101 , the now bent wire rod  100  is released from the wire securement device  51  and the process begins anew.  
         [0045]    The control unit  180  of the present invention is preferably a programmed computer which performs the functions coordinating the functioning of the invention. Specifically, the control unit  180  would initiate cylindrical roller  26  to feed a wire rod  100  to right and left rod-receiving mechanisms  32  and  34  which position wire rod  100  for transfer to the wire bending section  40 . Electric motor  46  would then be engaged thus rotating the rotating beam  44  in a counterclockwise direction and pivoting wire feed arms  42   a  and  42   b  towards the wire bending section  40  of the present invention. Proximity switches  48   a  and  48   b  recognize the location of the wire bending section  40  and signal the electric motor  46  to stop rotating the rotating beam  44  when the wire rod  100  is aligned with the wire bending section  40  of the present invention. When rotation of rotating beam  44  ceases, the wire rod  100  is correctly positioned for securement within wire bending section  40  of the present invention.  
         [0046]    The control unit  180  then signals wire securement device  51  to secure the wire rod  100  in wire bending position and engages the wire bending unit  101  to commence bending. As each positioned stop/bend collar  164   a - f  is reached, the proximity switches  163   a  and  163   b  signal the control unit  180  of the location of the wire bending unit  101 , and the control unit  180  stops the movement of the wire bending unit  101  at the correct location for the bend to be made. After the bend is made in the wire rod  100 , the control unit engages the rodless air cylinder  154  or electric motor  156  to move the bending unit  101  to the next bend location. Simultaneously, the control unit  180  rotates the wire rod  100  through engagement of the wire rotational mechanism  80  to the programmed alignment for the next bend in the bending sequence. Finally, when all of the bends of the wire rod  100  have been performed, the control unit signals the wire securement device  51  to release the wire rod  100  and the next wire rod is moved into position for bending.  
         [0047]    The other primary function of the control unit  180  is to count the number of wires produced during the production run and to deactivate the wire bending device  10  upon reaching the preset production run number. This feature helps to lessen the tasks of the operator and permit the operator to be more efficient in production.  
         [0048]    When taken as a whole, it is seen that a limitless number of types of bends in wires may be made by the present invention. By adding or subtracting stop/bend collars  164   a - f  the number of bends made in the wire can be precisely set, and by programming the control unit  180  to initiate rotation of the wire by means of the wire rotational mechanism  80  after a bend is made, the precise shape of the wire being bent can be controlled.  
         [0049]    It is to be understood that numerous modifications, additions and substitutions may be made to the wire bending device  10  of the present invention which fall within the intended broad scope of the disclosure of this invention. For example, the size, shape and arrangement of the features of the present invention may be modified and changed so long as the functionality of the invention is maintained. Furthermore, the drive mechanisms for the various elements of the present invention may be replaced with other mechanisms found in the art, so long as the precise location control features are maintained. Finally, although the present invention has been described as including a wire transport device including transport arms, it is entirely feasible that alternative constructions would perform the transport tasks equally as well.  
         [0050]    There has thus been shown and described a wire bending device which accomplishes at least all of the stated objectives.