Method and mechanism for feeding of wires, wire rods, tubes or other material of prismatic cross section from different feeding lines to one processing line

Abstract

The present invention refers to a method and a mechanism for convergence of a multitude of wires ( 1 - 4 ) wire rods, tubes, or other material of prismatic cross section to one particular line ( 00 ), where the material may be cut and stored or may be cut and bent or may be cut and welded or may be cut and processed in another way. The method depends on the elastic properties of metals, which can be temporarily deformed when under stress, and are restored to their original shape when the stress load is removed, as long as the stressing of the metal remains in the elastic region. Hence, during the convergence of wires, there is a minimum distance between the feeding-straightening ( 6 - 9 ) units and the point of convergence to a common line, which is defined by the material with the weakest elastic properties and by the locations of the feeding lines. The method can be applied to feeding line, which are parallel with each other or not, and for feeding lines, which lie or not on the same plane.

1 . A method for the selection of a feeding wire or wire rod or tube or other material of prismatic cross section from more than one feeding and straightening lines, and guidance along a particular axis OO′ for further processing, where the method is characterised by the advancement of the selected wire towards axis OO′ while at the same time it is deflected from its original alignment, following an appropriate curved path, where no permanent plastic deformation of the wire occurs.  
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , which is characterised by the selection and feeding of only one wire from several feeding and straightening lines, which may lie on the same plane, and may or may not be parallel to each other.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , which is characterised by the selection and feeding of only one wire from several feeding and straightening lines, which may or may not be parallel with each other in space.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , which is characterised by a collection and transfer line, which may be fixed with respect to the feeding lines or it may move in a sense parallel to itself or it may even rotate at an angle with respect to its original alignment.  
     
     
         5 . A machine for the selection of a feeding wire or wire rod or tube or other material of prismatic cross section from more than one feeding and straightening lines, and guidance along a particular axis OO′ for further processing, where the method is characterised by the guidance of the wires ( 1 ) etc. through the straightening units ( 6 ) etc. with guides ( 18 ) etc., which are arranged in such a manner on an appropriate curve, that no plastic deformation of the wires occur, where the wires are guided towards a common for all wires cutter ( 23 ) and then towards the next processing step on axis OO′, and where the advancement of the fed wire is measured by a length—measuring device.  
     
     
         6 . A machine according to  claim 5 , which is characterised by the measuring of the length of the advancement of the fed wire by measuring rollers ( 11 ) etc., located before the convergence mechanism, and by the converge of all the wires to the cutter ( 23 ), which is characterised by a fixed cutting tool ( 24 ) with as many openings as the fed wires, but where only one wire goes though the cutter ( 23 ) at each time, where it is cut after advancing at the appropriate distance.  
     
     
         7 . A machine according to  claim 5 , which is characterised by the measuring of the length of the wire advancement by measuring rollers ( 29 ) after the convergence of the wires and before the location of the cutter ( 30 ), where only one wire reaches the measuring rollers and the cutter, where it is consequently cut after been fed at the appropriate length.