Improvements in Wire-straightening and Cutting Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 29th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wire-straightening and Cutting Machines.
I, THOMAS JAMES CROSSLEY, of the firm of Thomas Crossley & Co., Jacquard
Machinists, of Middleton Junction, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machines for straightening wire and cutting it into lengths
and consists in improved arrangements by means of which thinner wires can be cut
to even lengths than on the ordinary machines.
The machine frame carries a headstock in which an open hollow spindle with
adjustable cross bolts having eyelets for the wire is rapidly revolved as usual.
At the back of the headstock a pair of feed rollers connected by wheels take in
the wire from a reel and push it through the headstock spindle where by passing
through the eyelets set out of the centre it is bent backward and forward, twisted
and untwisted again and thus straightened in the usual way.
The wire on issuing from the spindle passes between a pair of cutters mounted
on a slide and operated at intervals when brought into action by the wire coming
against a stop fence.
One of my improvements consists in fixing the stop fence adjustably upon a rod
that slides in brackets fixed to the frame and is attached to the sliding cutter head,
so that when the end of the wire comes against the fence, the latter and the cutter
head slide together, thus preserving an equal distance from each other in all cases
and insuring the equal length of all the wires cut. Springs are used to return the
cutter head and rod with fence to their original position when the wire has been
cut and drops off.
The top cutter is operated by a stud or striker fixed to the side of a spurwheel
driven by a pinion on the driving shaft. I place this spurwheel farther away than
usual from the lever to which the top cutter is fixed and use a long stud for
striking the lever, so that the cutter slide can travel for a sufficient distance corre-
sponding to the length of wire fed into the machine by the feed rolls until the
lever is struck by the stud and the wire cut off, and buckling of the wire is thus
obviated.
The wire issuing from the hollow spindle having passed the cutter head is pushed
along the top of the machine frame, which is fixed at an angle of about 45 degrees
to the horizontal plane. The wire is held down by brackets and steaded by angle
brackets fixed to the top of the incline. For long wires 1 use several such brackets
so fixed that the wire is curved downwards as it proceeds along the top of the
frame, whereby the wires are held rigid and prevented from buckling when they
come against the sliding fence and push it along, so that wires from No. 12 to 18
wire gauge can be cut to exact lengths. When cut the wires roll down the incline
into a box.
By preference I run the hollow spindle and driving shaft towards the front of the
machine, as this takes out the original coil or twist the wire has better than running
it in the opposite direction. It also causes the spur wheel with the striking stud to
run outwards and the stud to slide along the cutter lever towards its outer end thus
obtaining an increase of power as the cutter descends and an easier shearing of the
wire.
Dated this 30th day of May 1880

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wire-straightening and Cutting Machines.
I, THOMAS JAMES CROSSLEY, of the firm of Thomas Crossley & Co., Jacquard
Machinists, of Middleton Junction in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to machines for straightening wire and cutting it into lengths
and consists in improved arrangements by means of which thinner wires can be cut
to even lengths than on the ordinary machines.
On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto fig. 1 shows a side view; fig. 2 a
plan; and fig. 3 a cross section of a wire straightening and cutting machine with my
improvements, the legs being only partly shewn.
The machine frame or headstock a is formed with spindle bearings 6 6 in which an
open hollow spindle or whizzer c with adjustable cross bolts d d having eyelets for the
passage of the wire is rapidly revolved by means of a pulley e on the spindle c driven
from a pulley on the side shaft g which is rotated by means of the driving pulley h.
At the back of the headstock a a pair of feed rollers i take in the wire w from a reel
and push it through the spindle c where by passing through the eyelets of the bolts d
set out of the centre it is bent backward and forward, twisted and untwisted again
and thus straightened in the usual way. The wire on issuing from the spindle passes
between a pair of cutters mounted on a cutter slide n and operated at intervals when
brought into action by the wire coming against a stop fence. To the headstock a a
table m having an inclined top is attached, along the top of which the wire wis
pushed, being held down by a bracket o, till it comes against the stop fence k. One
of my improvements consists in fixing the stop fence adjustably upon a rod / that
slides in brackets m¹ m¹ fixed to the table m and is attached to the slide n so that
when the end of the wire w comes against the fence k, the latter and the cutter-slide
slide together, thus preserving an equal distance from each other and insuring the
equal length of all the wires cut. After the wire is cut it rolls down the inclined
table into a box placed underneath and the slide n and rod with fence k are brought
back to their original positions by a spring p attached to the slide and a spring q
fixed to the table m and pressing against the end of the rod l.
The slide n carries a head s containing a cutter die through which the wire passes.
A beam levert is mounted upon a stud t¹ fixed in the heads and has a cutter fixed
to its shorter end which cuts off the wire when the other end of the lever is lifted by
a striker or stud u¹ fixed to the side of a striker wheel u driven by the pinion v on the
driving shaft g. I place the wheel u further away from the side of the lever t than
usual and use a long stud u¹ for striking the lever. In the machines hitherto made a
fence swivelling on a stud fixed to the table and connected by a rod to the cutter-
slide has been used, and the cutter lever placed near to the striker wheel and instead
of the stud a short projection at the side of the wheel has been employed for striking
the lever when the cutter slide was drawn forward by the fence, as it was turned by
the wire pushed against it. This arrangement was necessary as the swivelling of the.
fence could only impart a short sliding movement to the cutter slide, and had the
disadvantage that the cutter lever was frequently drawn up close against the side of
the spur-wheel and its further movement stopped thereby before the projection at the
side of the wheel had struck the lever and cut the wire, and as the feed rollers continued
to supply wire the latter was bent or buckled and the lengths cut were uneven.. This
evil is remedied by my arrangement of fixing the fence upon a sliding rod connected
to the cutter slide and placing the levert further from the spur-wheel u so that the
slide can follow up freely till the wire is cut, and the latter is not bent or buckled
between the cutters and the fence, and the lengths cut are exactly even in consequence.
As the slide n is drawn forward by the rod 1, the lever t comes into the path of the
stud u¹ and on being struck by it cuts off the wire.

page_text: The wire on being pushed along the table by the feed rollers i i, the lower one of
which is driven by the worm a and wormwheel y, is held down by a bracket o and
steadied by one or more angle brackets o¹ fixed on the top of the inclined table m.
For long and thin wires I use several such brackets fixed so that the wire is curved
downwards as it proceeds along the top of the frame whereby thin wires are held rigid
and prevented from buckling when they come against the sliding fence and push it
along, so that wires from numbers 12 to 18 wire gauge can be cut to exact lengths.
By preference I run the hollow spindle and driving shaft towards the front of the
machine as I have found that this takes out the original coil or twist of the wire better
than running it in the opposite direction. It also causes the spur wheel u with the
striking stud u to run outwards and the stud to slide along the cutter lever towards its
outer end, thus obtaining an increase of power as the cutter descends and an easier
shearing of the wire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
Firstly. In wire straightening and cutting machines the arrangement of an adjust-
able fence (k) on a sliding rod (1) connected to the cutter slide (s) substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Secondly. In wire cutting and straightening machines placing the cutter slide (n)
at such a distance from the striker wheel (u) that the cutter slide connected to a
sliding rod carrying a stop fence cannot be drawn against said striker wheel by means
of the wire pushing the stop fence before the striker has struck the cutter lever (t)
and cut the wire, and employing a long stud (u') as striker substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings and for the purpose set forth.
Thirdly. In wire straightening and cutting machines the arrangement of anglè
brackets (o') for curving and stiffening the wire, substantially as herein before
described.
Fourthly. The general arrangement of wire cutting and straightening machine,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of February 1890
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.