Patent GB-750566-A (GB)
Title: Wire cutting and stripping machine
Inventor: ANDREN KARL H
IPC: H02G1/12
Filed: 1954-06-02
Abstract: 750,566. Stripping conductors. ARTOS ENGINEERING CO. June 2, 1954, No. 16279/54. Class 36. [Also in Group XXII] A machine for cutting insulated wire into predetermined lengths and for stripping the insulation from the ends of each length comprises a cutting and stripping assembly 30, which cuts the wire 33 and severs its insulation on either side of the cut, and a reciprocable clamp 25 which feeds a predetermined length of wire past the assembly 30 and then grips in turn the severed length of wire and the incoming wire to draw them away from the assembly 30, thus removing them from the severed insulation. A variable length, intermittently rotatable crank 22 is connected with driving means within casing 16 and is connected through a rack bar 23 with a counter-shaft 24 carried by a square-section rigid beam 15 along which clamp 25 is moved by a continuous cable 26 cooperating with a sheave 27 associated with shaft 24. Adjustment of the length of crank 22 varies the distance travelled by the clamp 25 along the beam 15 during each crank revolution. The clamp 25 is secured to cable 26 by a bracket 52 (Fig. 6) which is slidable along the beam 15 and which carries clamping jaws 29 which are operated by a square-section bar 28 parallel with beam 15. The bracket 52 has a bore within which a block 53, slidably embracing shaft 28, is oscillatable. An adjustable and flexible link connects pivot-pin 54 carried by block 53 with pivot-pin 54<SP>1</SP> connecting the upper ends of jaws 29 which are pivotally mounted in a slide 57 vertically movable in guides 58 carried by bracket 52. As the bar 28 oscillates one way the jaws are lowered and close about the wire 33 for the feeding movement of the clamp. Opposite oscillation of the bar 28 opens and raises the jaws to the position shown (Fig. 6) for the return stroke of the clamp. The cutting and stripping assembly 30 (Fig. 4) comprises a pair of wire-severing knives 67, two pairs of insulation severing and stripping blades 68, 69 and displaceable holders 71. These holders are secured to carrier-plates 74, 75 provided with rack teeth 81, 82 engaging pinion 83. The plate 74 is intermittently reciprocated by a rod 104 controlled by an eccentric 105, thereby moving the knives 67 and blades 68, 69 towards and away from each other. On withdrawal, stationary knock-out plates 72, slidably located in each of the holders 71, release the stripped insulation from the blades, and air is delivered from nozzles 36 to eject the strippings. After cutting the wire it is held taut between a feed-in guide 32 and the blades 68, so that when the clamp 25 returns to the starting position the jaws will always come together on the wire. When cutting long lengths of wire involving a number of reciprocal movements of the clamp 25 before operating the assembly 30, fingers 34 are provided to hold the wire taut during the return movement of the clamp. Such cutting and holding is controlled by a Geneva movement 96 driven by the driving means 16 and operating a multiple plate cam-wheel 97 which controls, through a roller 99 and valve 98, the admission of compressed air through pipe 100 to piston 101 within casing 102. A slide 103 carrying a push-rod 95 for operating the fingers 34 is intermittently reciprocated by rod 104 and has a notch 107<SP>1</SP> engageable with a tooth 106<SP>1</SP> carried by plunger 106 which is operable by piston 101 and spring 107 to control the connection of the slide 103 to the carrier plate 74. Indexing means is provided for shifting the plates of camwheel 97 so as to determine the number of reciprocations made by the clamp 25 before the tooth 106<SP>1</SP> engages notch 107<SP>1</SP> to operate the cutting assembly 30. The stripping movement of clamp 25 is obtained from an eccentric 49 driven from the driving means 16 and connected by bar 48 to pin 47 to actuate cranks 45, 46 to cause the clamp 25 to pull the severed portion of the wire from the cutting assembly 30, which remains closed. The clamp jaws are then opened and the clamp raised to return along the beam 15 to grip the wire the other side of the assembly 30, the bar 48 then actuating the clamp to pull this wire rearwardly from the assembly 30 before the latter is opened and the next feeding movement of the clamp commenced.