METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SERIES OF ALIGNED RINGS OF WIRE PIECE Russian patent published in 1998 - IPC

FIELD: manufacture of wire rings, namely, production of series of aligned rings of wire piece. SUBSTANCE: apparatus includes winding unit with inlet opening for receiving wire piece. Winding unit provides possibility of forming helix around lengthwise axis. Formed helix is fed out of winding unit in such a way that free end of wire being placed further along motion direction of wire describes helical path around lengthwise axis and along it. Apparatus also includes cutting-off unit arranged behind winding unit. Cutting-off unit includes limiter spaced from and designed for receiving helix turns at operation of apparatus; retractable cutter mounted with possibility of moving from cutting position to idle position where further motion of free end of wire is possible; and support passing longitudinally from limiter zone along motion direction. Helix formed by means of winding unit moves forward along lengthwise axis until resting free end of wire upon limiter. Then cutter moves to cutting position, cuts off ring and returns to idle position. As cut-off free end of helix moves forward along helical path causing displacement of cut-off ring along support for further feeding ring to next procession unit. EFFECT: significantly increased rate of making aligned rings of wire piece. 10 cl, 8 dwg