Outer-turn trimmer for wire coils on hook conveyor

Details Outer-turn trimmer for wire coils on hook conveyor Outer-turn trimmer for wire coils on hook conveyor

1999-10-06

2001-05-08

Bray, W. Donald (Department: 3725)

Cutting

With means to convey work relative to tool station

Cut made parallel to direction of and during work movement

C083S907000, C072S203000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06227091

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the manufacture of bar or wire. More particularly this invention concerns a trimming apparatus for cutting the outer turns off coils being transported on respective hooks of a conveyor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wire or rod is typically made by a combined rolling/drawing process to produce large coils that are themselves subject to batch-type treatments, for instance annealing. To this end the coils are typically transported on heavy-duty hook conveyors having a succession of hooks on each of which is suspended a respective wire coil. The conveyor extends through the various treatment stations for the bar or wire.
The system which produces the bars or wires formed into the coils normally treats the starting and trailing end of the material somewhat roughly. Furthermore in a drawing operation the starting and trailing ends are typically offsize. Thus these pieces must be cut from the material.
Typically this is done immediately upstream of the machine that forms the material into one or more coils and deposits the coils on a loop conveyor belt. A high-speed shear is used which must not interfere with the rapid loading of the still-hot rod or wire into the coiler, since the stock must be coiled hot. Alternately it has been proposed to cut the ends off after the coil is formed, on the conveyor belt, but this is fairly tricky, especially with respect to getting the offcuts out of the way, that is off the conveyor. Similar disruptions are encountered when a so-called sickle shear is used right in the coiler.
Thus recourse is often had to a system where two workers operating power shears clip the outside turns off the coils when they are on the hook conveyor. Such a manual procedure is extremely costly and requires skilled machine operators who must cut through the material and then pull off the unwanted turns.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for trimming the ends of a coils.
Another object is the provision of such an improved system for trimming the ends of a coiled wire which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, that is which is simple and automatic, and that effectively gets the trimmed-off pieces away from the production line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A hook conveyor passes a succession of coils having outer turns through a trimming station in a transport direction with each coil lying at the station in a plane generally parallel to the direction. A trimming apparatus has according to the invention a pair of supports flanking the conveyor at the station and each movable between outer and inner positions, respective guides on the supports defining respective vertical guide planes generally parallel to the direction, and respective shears movable on the guides along the respective guide planes. Respective actuators displace the shears along the respective planes and, in the inner positions of the respective supports, cut the outer turns from a coil in the station.
This system can automatically cut through the outer turns and then separate them from the coils wholly without human intervention. As a result of the two different shears, the bad outer turns will be removed from the coils that can then be sent for further handling, for instance strapping into salable bundles.
According to the invention respective separating wedges are displaceable on the guides generally radially of the coil in the station to separate the respective outer turns from the coil. Furthermore respective stripper rods carried on the supports are each displaceable between upper and inner positions engaging the coil in the station and lower and outer positions so that the rods pull the cut outer turns from the coil in the station on displacement from the respective inner to outer positions. These rods have hooked inner ends.
An upwardly open waste chute is provided in the station between the supports. This chute is formed by a pair of upwardly diverging plates beneath the conveyor in the station.
In accordance with the invention a pair of such shears offset in the plane from each other are provided on each support. The shears of each pair are asymmetrical with respect to the vertical. Thus the cut turns will be sure to drop off the conveyor hook.
The shears and their actuators may be mounted on the machine housing.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3585887 (1971-06-01), Gerhard
patent: 3756289 (1973-09-01), Rotert et al.
patent: 3838617 (1974-10-01), Felker

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