US2278613A - Bale tie making machine - Google Patents

Description

April 7, 1942. G. K. GAUMER BALE TIEMAKING MACHINE 5 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 25, 1940 EVE-Z7 Ur Ge0rye- KG'aume1 am 5 April 7, 1942. G. K. GAUMER 2,278,613

BALE TIE MAKING MACHINE I 'Filed Sept. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet '2 9 ZWEHYUP' 1 George K Qczumezf April 7, 1942. e. K. GAUMER BALE TIE MAKI NG MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Geo? e 71'. Cvczumex April 1942- e. K. GAUMER 2,278,613

BALE TIE MAKING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 III 5171GT Geqzzge .71. Gazzmer by v 5 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 En UP April 7, 1942.

. G. K. GAUMER BALE TIE MAKING MACHINE Filed Sept. ,25, 1940 Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNETED S'TAII'ES PATET QFFEQE Northwestern Steel and Wire Company,

Sterling, IiL, a corporation of Illinois Application September 25, 1940, Serial No. 358,227 20 Claims. (01. 140-73) This invention relates to high speed wire fabricating machinery and more particularly relates to machines for making bale ties at the rate of 90 to 100 per minute.

The invention will hereinafter be described as embodied in a high speed bale tie making machine, but it should be understood that machines of this invention are adapted for the fabrication of wire, rod, or strip articles in general.

According to this invention a plurality of wires are continually fed in spaced relation directly from an annealing furnace, drawing dies, or reels, through a cut-off mechanism into elongated wire guides. The feed mechanism is constantly driven and grips opposite sides of each wire. The cutter mechanism is intermittently operated to sever the wires received in th guides into desired lengths. slack take-up springs are provided between the constantly driven feed mechanism and the intermittently operated cut-off mechanism to compensate for the momentary cessation of forward movement of the wires when the same are severed.

The severed wire lengths in the guides are then dumped from the guides into conveyors which laterally move the wire lengths in spaced parallel relation into work supports. These work supports may conveniently take the form of peripherally notched disks.

Each wire length deposited in the work support is longitudinally shifted to align an end thereof for a looping operation. A feature of this invention includes the provision of magnetic means for resisting the longitudinal shifting of the wire lengths in order that the same will only he moved the exact distance controlled by the aligner. The magnetic device imparts frictional resistance to the longitudinal shifting and prevents coasting of the wires beyond the desired position. In the high speed machines of this inj vention the aligner must operate with great rapidity and the magnetic device readily accommodates such rapid action.

The properly aligned wire length is then moved by the work supports into the loop-forming mechanism wherein the aligned end of the wire is out around a twister head, the free end of the bent portion and the adjacent wire portion clamped b a vise and the twister head rotated to braid the wires together for forming a permanent open loop on the end of each wire length.

Another important feature of this invention includes the provision of a tie straightener which prevents bowing of the wire during the bending operation and aligns the portion of the wire adjacent the bent fre end portion in parallel relation with the bent free end portion for insuring a uniform braiding together of the contacting wire portions.

The work supports are next moved to discharge the finished bale ties and at the same time to receive a new wir length from the conveyor.

It is, then, an object of this invention to provide high speed wire, rod or strip fabricating machines capable of rapidly forming finished articles in uniform condition.

A specific object of this invention is to provide an improved bale tie making machine capable of automatically producing over 90 finished bale ties per minute.

Another object of this invention is to provide a feed mechanism for wire fabricating machinery which positively grips opposite side surfaces of each wire to impart positive movement thereto without damaging the gripped surfaces.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved wire severing apparatus having replaceabl severing knives that can be readily adjusted to compensate for wear.

Another object of the invention is to provide knife holders in a wire severing mechanism which removably secure knives of inexpensive shape and which afford rapid adjustment and replacement of the knives.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rapidly operating wire length aligner.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a magnetic device in a bale tie machine which imparts resistance to longitudinal shifting of wire lengths in th machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tie straightener mechanism in a bale tie machine which insures uniform looping of the wire end.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed Sheets of drawings which, by way of example, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a broken front elevational view of a bale tie machine according to this invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view taken along the line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in elevation, taken along the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevational View, with parts in vertical cross section, taken along the line IVIV of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view, with parts omitted, taken along the line VIVI of Figure 1.

Figure '7 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIVII of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line VIIIVIII of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary end elevational view taken along the line X-X of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a vertical cross-sectional View taken along the line flm of Figure 6.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary front plan View taken along the line XII-XII of Figure 6.

Figure 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIIXIII of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view, with parts omitted, taken along the line XIV-XIV of Figure 12.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary plan view taken along the line XV-XV of Figure 14.

Figure 16 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line XVIXVI of Figure 15.

Figure 17 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line XVIIXVII of Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a fragmentary plan view of the wire aligner mechanism.

Figure 19 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view, with parts in side elevation, of the loop forming and tie straightener mechanism.

Figure 20 is a fragmentary top plan view taken along the line 2Q-XX of Figure 19.

Figure 20A is an end elevational view taken along the line XXA-XXA of Figure 20.

Figure 20B is a vertical cross section taken along the line XXB-XXB of Figure 20.

Figure 21 is a diagrammatic top plan view illustrating the loop forming and tie straightener mechanisms in initial position.

Figure 22 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the loop forming and tie straightener mechanisms in closed position.

Figure 23 is a fragmentary side elevational view of control cams and cam levers for the machine.

Figure 24 is a development of the cam surface on the left hand cam in Figure 23.

Figure 25 is a development of the cam surface on the middle cam in Figure 23.

Figure 26 is a development of the cam surfaces on the right hand cam in Figure 23.

Fig. 2'7 is a broken side elevational view of a bale tie.

As shown on the drawings:

In general, the machine may be considered to consist of a wire feed mechanism which continually supplies a plurality of wires, a cutter mechanism which receives the wires from the feed mechanism and severs the same into wire lengths, a wire guide and release mechanism which holds the wire lengths and discharges the same into the machine when needed, a conveyor mechanism which receives the discharged wires from the guide mechanism, an aligner mechanism which evens up the ends of the wire lengths, a loop former mechanism which forms a looped end On the wire lengths, and a tie straightener mechanism which holds the wires so as to insure uniform formation of the loops.

For convenience each of the above mentioned mechanisms will be described under a separate heading.

The wire feeder The wire feed mechanism is best shown at ID in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The mechanism I0 is illustrated as mounted on a frame independent from the main frame of the bale tie machine.

A driven belt I2 drives a pulley I3 which pulley in turn drives the shaft 4 to rotate a jaw clutch I5 for driving a shaft I6. The jaw clutch I5 is controlled by a link I! on a lever |8 pivotally supported on the shaft I4.

The shaft I6 is connected through pinions H! to a large bevel gear 20. The bevel gear 2!! drives a train of gears 2| which rotate the main drive shaft 22. Six feed rolls 23 are secured on the shaft 22 in spaced relation. Each feed roll 23 has a gear 24 bolted or otherwise secured thereto.

The feed roll mechanism I0 is provided with spaced guides 25 on each side of the feed rolls 23 and these guides extend above the rolls as shown. Bearing blocks 26 are slidably mounted in the guides and rotatably support top feed rolls 21 having gears 28 adapted to mesh with gears 24 on the feed rolls 23.

The bearing blocks 26 are vertically movable in the guides 25 and are spring pressed toward the bottom feed rolls 23 by means of coil springs 29 encased in housings 30 at the top of each bearing block. Adjusting bolts 3| are threaded through the tops of the housings 30 and act against the coil springs 29.

The teeth of the toothed portions 24 and 28 of the feed rolls are rather long so that they can engage even when the peripheries of the feed rolls are spaced apart for a considerable distance to accommodate wires W therebetween having large diameters. The top and bottom feed rolls are thus positively driven and no slippage can occur therebetween.

Each top feed roll is separately adjusted relative to its cooperating lower feed roll by means of an adjusting bolt 3|.

The feed rolls grip the opposite sides of the wires W as best shown in Figure 3 and positively move each wire through a coil spring tube 32 (Figure 1) which serves as a guide into the cut off mechanism. The coil spring guides are adapted to be bowed against spring tension when the cut off mechanism momentarily stops the forward passage of the wires to accommodate an added length of wire since the feed mechanism continually feeds the wires into the tubes. The coil spring tubes therefore act as automatic slack take up mechanisms. When bowed by the increased lengths of wires therein the springs are stressed and tend to reassume an unstressed straight position thereby moving the wires through the cutter as soon as the cutter permits such movement.

The cutter As shown in Figures 1, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10, the wires W are pushed by the feed mechanism from the coil spring tubes 32 through an apertured die block 35 carried on standards 36 from the main frame F of the bale tie machine. The block 35 has six spaced apertures 31 therethrough each receiving a wire W directly from a tube 32. Each aperture preferably has a beveled mouth 3111 (Fig. 9) for ready insertion of the leading ends of the wires into the die block.

As best shown in Figures 8 and 9 the face of the block 35 facing the cutter I0 is recessed in the top portionthereof as at. 35.11. Six spaced semi-cylindrical recesses 35b depend from. the recess 35a between the apertures 31. Six shafts 38 extend through the block 35 and project into the segmental cylindrical recesses35b as shown. Arms 39 are secured on, each shaft 38 and have rounded lower ends in spaced. relation from the cylindrical walls of the recesses 35b. The arms 39 are adapted to swing in the recesses 35a and 35b.

Theother ends: of theshafts 38 have knife carrier blocks 40 secured thereon. One edge of each block 40 is grooved as at 4611' to provide 'a uide for a knife 4|. A second block 42 has a similar groove 42a for receiving the other edge of the knife. A block 42" is secured to each block 40 by means of bolts 43. The knives 4| operate close to the face of the die block 35 as best shown in Figure 9 and are forced through the wires W projecting through the apertures 31 to cut off the leading ends of the wires.

Each knife is removably held by the blocks 46 and 4.2 and can be readily adjusted in the blocks. The knives can thusassume a simple square rod shape-with one end sharpened to provide asharp cutting edge. As the knives need regrinding they can be removed from the blocks, sharpened, and readily replaced in the blocks. They are adapted to project from the blocks for any desired distance and thus can be used after repeated grinding operations which materially shorten their length.

The arms 39 are all pivoted to a single bar 44 which is loosely linked to an operating arm 45 which is keyed on a shaft 46. When the shaft 46 is rotated to turn the arm 45 the bar 44 is rocked to move all of the arms 39 for driving the cutter knives 4| past the apertures 31 and thus sever any wires projecting from the apertures. It will be noted that the sharpened end of each knife 4| is beveled in a direction away from'the block 35 so that, during the severing operation, the leading ends of the wires are moved by the cutters into spaced relation from the block.

The operating arm 45 has a tail portion 45a (Fig. 8) pressed by a spring 41 to return the cutters to their initial position after each cutting operation.

As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the end of the shaft 46 has a yoke 46 therearound anchored in the end of an arm 49. The arm 49 is thus suspended from the shaft and can swing longitudinally of the shaft.

A pin 50 is threaded through the end of the arm 49 and seated into a recess in the shaft 46 so that the shaft will be rotated when the arm is raised. However, the pin does not interfere with swinging movement of the arm.

The free end of the arm 49 has a shoe 49a thereon adapted to be projected into the path of a roller on a large constantly driven gear 52. The gear 52 meshes with a pinion 53 on .a shaft 54 extending to the feed mechanism as shown in Figure 1 and driven by the shaft l6 of the feed mechanism through the bevel gears I9 as shown in Figure 2.

An intermediate portion of the arm 49 has a strap 49b thereon receiving a rod 55. The rod 55 extends into the groove 56a of a cam 56 as best shown in Figure 6. The cam 56 has a gear 51 thereon meshing with a gear 58 on a shaft 59. The shaft 59 has a ratchet 66 (best shown in Figure '7) thereon driven by a pawl 6| on the end of a lever 62. The lever 62 carriesv a roller 63 actuated by. means of a cam 64:v on a. main drive shaft 65. ..The gear 52: is. secured tothe main drive shaft 65 and constantly. rotates. this shaft.

It will be noted'that theratchet 60 has eight teeth thereon. The cam 64 on the main shaft 65 actuates the pawl 6|. once for each revolution of theshaft 65. The. pawl, in turn, advances the ratchet 60 a. distance of one tooth for each. revolution. of, the shaft 65. Therefore the shaft 59 is rotated only once for every eight rotations .of the shaft 65. The rotation of the shaftv 59 moves the cam 56 to longitudinally shift the rod 55 for moving the shoe. 49a of the arm 49 into the path of the roller 5| on the large gear 52. As the shoe 49a rides over the roller 5| the arm. 49 is tripped to rock the shaft 46 and effect the rocking of the bar 44v tomove the cutters. As soon as the roller 5| has cleared the shoe 49a the spring 41 returns theshaft46 and moves the cutters to neutral position.

The wire guides and release mechanism As shown in Figures 1, 6 and 11 the wires are pushed through the cutter apertures 31 directly into elongated open bottom guides 16 suspended from arms 1| of brackets 12 secured at spaced intervals to the rear portion of the main frame F. The guides 16 extend along the-full lengthofthe machine as shown in Figure 1 from the cutter and are aligned with the apertures 31 in the cutter.

Closure bars 13 (Figure 11) close the open bottoms of the guides 16 and are supported on fingers 14 carried by abar 15 which is. slidably mounted in tracks 16 on each arm The rear ends of the bars 15 arepivoted to arms" which are keyed on the shaft. 46 described above. Every time the shaft 46is rocked by tripping of the arm 49 as the shoe 49a rides over the roller5| ,the arms 11 are rocked to move the fingers 14 for carrying the bars '|.3 past. the over the roller 5|, the arms 11 are rocked to move the guides is simultaneous with the actuation of the cutters so that the wire lengths in the guides can drop by gravity out of the open bottoms of the guides. V

' The conveyors As best shown in Figure 11 the wires -W, upon being released from the guides'lll, fall by gravity into the pockets P of endless conveyors 86 which extend under the guides. These conveyors move laterally in the machine and are trained aroundrearsprockets 8| which are keyed on the shaft 59 as shown in Figure 7. Idler sprockets 82 (Figure 11) are loosely mounted on a shaft- 63 extending. longitudinally in the machine in spaced parallel relation in front of the shaft 59.

Each conveyor 80 is built. up of a plurality of chain linkscarrying triangular support members 84 having their apexes in spaced relation and having sloping sides defining the pockets P for receiving the wires.

Since the rear sprockets 8| are secured on the shaft 59, they. are driven by the ratchet 66 and eachtime thepawl 6| actuatesthe ratchet the conveyors 86 are movedforwardly'one step. Thus six wiresv are simultaneously deposited in the conveyors and the conveyors are then moved a step. at. a time so that the sixth wire is moved out from under the guides before the, shaft 46 is again tripped to release a batch of. six new wires.

As shown in Figure 6, the conveyors 80 are spaced at intervals along the length of the machine'u'nder. theguides'm."

by the looping device.

The conveyors 80 dump the wires, one at a time, onto inclined ways 85. The wires fall by gravity along the ways 85 into the notches 88 of peripherally notched disks or work supports 81 mounted at spaced intervals along the length of the machine on a shaft 88.

The shaft 88 is driven through a ratchet 89 secured thereon, by a pawl 90. The pawl 90 is pivotally mounted on a bell crank 9| which is oscillated by a cam 92 on the main cam shaft 93 of the machine. This main cam shaft 93 is driven from the shaft 65 through a gear train 94 as shown in Figure 6. The middle gear'of the train of gears 94 is mounted on an idler shaft 95.

A large diameter gear 96 is loosely mounted on the end of the shaft 93 and carries a pawl and ratchet device as best shown in Figure 5. As therein indicated, a ratchet 91 is secured to the gear 96 and is driven by a pawl 88 pivotally mounted in a housing 99. The housing 99 is oscillated by means of a crank I having a driving arm IOI pivoted to the large gear 52 in spaced relation from the axis of the gear. It will be noted that the ratchet 91 only has three teeth so that the large gear 96 is only moved through one revolution for each three revolutions of the gear 52, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The aligner mechanism In order that the cut ends of the wires deposited into the work support disks 81 be aligned uniformly, it is necessary to longitudinally shift each cut wire length as soon as it is deposited into the notches 80 of the disks. The wires are purposely initially deposited in the disks so that the ends thereof to be looped are spaced too close to the inlet end of the machine for proper action In accordance with this invention, therefore, as shown in Figure 18, a pusher I is mounted in the path of the cut ends of the wire adjacent the first disk 81. This pusher I05 is carried on an arm I06 having a pin I01 riding in a cam groove I08 of a cam I09 secured on the main cam shaft 93.

The pusher I05 is actuated by the cam I09 to longitudinally shift each wire length W in the supporting disk 81 for properly aligning the ends of the wires. Since the machine is operating at high speed, the pusher I05 must travel at a high rate. The impulse of each wire caused by the pusher may be sufiicient to cause a. longitudinal coasting of the wire beyond the desired position.

According to this invention, therefore, as best shown in Figures 12 and 13, a permanent magnet H0 in the form of a segmental circular shoe is stationarily mounted adjacent the first disk 81 in the path of the wires carried by the disk. This magnet creates a magnetic field around the wires which arrests any objectionable coasting of the wire beyond the position created by the pusher. The permanent magnet also serves to securely hold the wires in the notches of the disk 81.

As shown in Figure 13 the magnet only extends around the top portion of the disk so that the wires can be dumped out of the disk after the looping operation hereinafter described.

While a permanent magnet shoe H0 is preferred it is obvious that an electromagnet can be used. The periphery of the magnet is circular to follow the contour of the wires when fully seated in the notches of the disk.

The 100p former 7 As best shown in Figures 12 and 19, thedisks 81 move the wires over a stationary anvil III. The disks feed one wire at a time to the anvil III. A vise II2 carries a gripper block or hammer II3 above the anvil III. The vise H2 is pivoted as at I I4 and has a dependent cam actuated lever ,II4a to open and close the vise so that the gripper will clamp the wire on the anvil III by mechanism hereinafter described.

A twister member I I5 carries a dependent loop shaping pin H6 at its forward edge and is supported on a rotatable shaft or head H1. The shaft II 1 is driven by a gear II8 meshing with the large gear 96 described above.

The member H5 is pivotally supported on the end of the shaft H1 and has a spring urged tail portion II5a (Fig. 203) adapted to be engaged by a slidable collar I20 slidably mounted on the shaft I I1 and actuated by a yoked arm I2I. The arm I2I is controlled by a cam I22 on the main cam shaft 93 as best shown in Figure 23. When the cam I22 trips the arm I2I to slide the collar I20 over the tail 511 of the tripper member II5 the pin II6 will be moved out of the loop of the finished bale tie as hereinafter described.

The arm I2I carries a roller I23 held on the operating face of the cam I22 by means of a spring I24 as shown in Figure 23.

A looping pin I 25 is carried on the end of an arm I260. of a forming post I26 as best shown in Figure 16. The forming post I26 is mounted in an upstanding cylindrical bushing I21 pressed into a housing I28, The arm I26a provides a shoulder I262) riding on the enlarged end I21a of the bushing I21 so as to have a substantial contact therewith.

As shown in Figure a V-notch I260 is cut in the arm I26 to communicate with a vertical groove I along the post I for providing an oil groove throughout the entire length of the cylinder I21.

The lower end of the post I28 has a beveled pinion I30 keyed thereon by means of a key I3I. The pinion is held on the postby means of a nut I32.

As best shown in Figure 14, the pinion I30 meshes with gear teeth I33 on an arm I34, carried by a short stub shaft I35 from the bracket I28. The other end of the arm I34 carries a pin I36 riding in a groove I31 of a cam I38. As shown in Figure 23, the cam I38 is secured on the main cam shaft 93.

As illustrated in Figure 21 the looping pin I25 abuts one side of the wire W while the twister pin I I0 abuts the other side of the wire W. The post I26 is then rotated to move the pin I25 for bend ing the wire around the twister pin I I6 as shown in Figure 22.

The end of the wire is thus looped.

The vise I I2 is next actuated by a cam surface I310. on the cam I38 acting against a roller I Iflb on the lever II 441 (Fig. 23) to move the gripper II3 on top of both portions of the wire as shown in Figure 22 for clamping the wire portions against movement. A spring S holds the roller II lb on the cam surface I31a as shown in Figure 23 and opens the vise when the roller rides on the low spots of the cam.

The twister pin H6 is next rotated by rotation of the shaft I I1 to twist the looped end and form a braid twist 'I to produce the finished bale tie B. T. as shown in Figure 27.

After the twisting operation the vise H2 is opened, the collar I20 moved on the shaft IIT against the tail portion of the twister II 5 to move the pin IIB out of the loop and the disks 81 are rotated to discharge a finished bale tie out of the machine and to bring a new wire length over the anvil III.

The tie straightener Since the wrapping. of the wire around the twister pin II6 as illustrated in Figures 21 and 22 is apt to cause a bowing of the wire between the anvil and the pin II6, which would interfere with a twisting together of the free end of the wire and the adjacent intermediate portion of the wire, the present invention now provides a straightener member I40 slidably carried by the vise H2 on a pin I4Ila (Fig. 20A) and adapted to thrust against the wire to prevent a bowing of the same during the looping operation and to cooperate with the looping pin I25 for laying the free end of the wire tightly against the intermediate portion of the wire around which it is to be twisted.

As shown in Figures 19, 20 and 20A, the vise II2 has ears I4I on one side thereof pivotally supporting a lever I42 which is pivoted at its lower end to the member I40. The upper end of the lever I42 lies in the path of a block I43 slidably mounted on the vise H2 and having an inclined surface I43a adapted to act on the lever I42. The block I43 has a boss I431) through which extends a rod I44. A coil spring I45 is disposed around the rod I44 on the other side of the boss I431) and the rod has an enlarged head I 44a for retaining the spring between the head and the boss.

The rod I44 is connected through a flexible coupling I46 with a second rod I41 carried in the end of a lever I48. The lever I48 is pivoted at I49 to the frame F of the machine as shown in Figure 19' and extends below the frame as shown.

The lower end of the lever carries a roller I50 acted on by a cam II carried on the main cam shaft 93. The cam is adapted to throw the lever for sliding the block I43 relative to the vise II2 thereby causing the beveled portion I43a of the block to tilt the lever I42. This causes the tie straightener member I44 to move from the position shown in Figure 21 to the position shown in Figure 22 against the wire W. This action occurs simultaneously with the movement of the looping finger I25 from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 22. As a result, the freeend portion of the looped wire is held tightly against an intermediate portion of the wire for an appreciable distance as shown in Figure 22. The vise then closes on the two adjacent portions of the wire and the looping finger I25 as well as the straightener member I40 are moved back to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 22. The twisting pin H6 is then rotated to braid the looped end of the wire. The tie straightener is thus positively controlled by cam action to squeeze the wire and to back mi from the wire during the twisting operation. The Vise II2, when opened, moves the straightener therewith out of the path of the finished bale tie B. T.

The straightener member I48 insures the contacting relation between the free end portion of the looped wire and an intermediate portion of the wire as shown in Figure 22 so that the anvil and vise will tightly grip both portions of the wire while the twisting operation produces a uniform tight braided twist on each wire.

The tie straightener thus cooperates with the looping pin to squeeze the wire portions laterally into contacting relation. The anvil and vise squeezes the wire portions in a single horizontal plane.

Summary From the above descriptions, it should be understood that the present invention now provides a high speed bale tie machine which uniformly produces bale ties having twisted looped ends. The various parts of the machine are controlled through positively driven members including cams.

A feature of the invention includes the provision of a main cam shaft which positively controls movement of the work supports, the wire aligner, the looper, tie straightener, the stripping of the twister from the loop, and the vise. Positive control of these elements from a single shaft makes possible an exact timing of the machine mechanisms so that the machine can be run at Very high'speeds. Machines of the present invention can produce from three tofour times the number of bale ties heretofore produced by any prior known machine in the same length of time.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A bale tie machine comprising positively driven pairs of feed rollers gripping a plurality of wires therebetween, a plurality of open bottomed elongated guides receiving the wires from the feed rolls, shiftable closures for said guide bottoms to retain the wires therein, an apertured block between the feed rolls and guides receiving the wires through the apertures there of, knife carriages rockable over the face of the block where the wires emerge, knives detachably secured in said carriages, a rock shaft for moving the knives past the apertures to sever the I Wires and for shifting said guide closures to discharge the severed wires out of the guides, conveyors beneath the guides receiving said wires, a main driveshaft, a pawl and ratchet connection between said main drive shaft and said conveyors for moving the conveyors to advance the wires step by step, peripherally notched work supports receiving the wires from the conveyors, a main cam shaft driven from said main drive shaft, a cam and ratchet connection between said cam shaft and said work supports to rotate the supports for advancing the wires around the top portions thereof, a pusher successively engaging the end of each wire in the work supports to longitudinally shift said wires, a magnet acting on the shifting wires to arrest movement of the wires beyond the stroke of the pusher, a gripper receiving each shifted wire therebetween, a looper for looping the end of the wire, a wire straightener movable against the wire to cooperate with the looper for eliminating bowing of the wire, and cams on said main cam shaft actuating said pusher, gripper, looper and straightener. r 1

2. Abale tie machine comprising a plurality of feed rolls secured on a single shaft, a cooperating vertically shiftable feed roll for each roll on the shaft, gear teeth connecting the feed rolls into positively driven pairs each receiving a wire therebetween, spring means urging the vertically shiftable feed rolls toward their cooperating rolls to grip the wires therebetween, elongated open bottomed guides receiving the wires from the feed rolls, shiftable closures for the guide bottoms to retain the wires therein, an apertured block between the feed rolls and the guides receiving the wires through the apertures thereof, rockably mounted knife grippers on the apertured block, knives clamped in each gripper, means for rocking said grippers to move the knives past the apertures in the block for severing the wires, means for shifting said closures to discharge the severed wires out of the guides, peripherally notched rotatable work supports, conveyors receiving the wires from said guides to successively feed the same into the work supports, a pusher successively engaging the end of each Wire to longitudinally shift the wire in the work supports, a magnet cooperating with the shifting wire to arrest movement thereof beyond the stroke of the pusher, a looper for looping the end of each wire, a wire straightener cooperating with said looper to clamp the looped end of the wire against an intermediate portion of the wire, and a positively driven cam shaft actuating said looper and said straightener.

3. A bale tie machine comprising a plurality of pairs of positively driven feed rolls receiving wires therebetween, gears connecting the feed rolls of each pair, a resilient shiftable mounting for one feed of each pair, elongated supports receiving the wires from the feed rolls, cutters for severing the wires seated in said supports, conveyors receiving the severed wires from the supports, peripherally notched work supports re ceiving the wires from the conveyors, a pusher for longitudinally shifting the wires in the work supports, means for arresting the shifting of each wire beyond the stroke of the pusher, a looper for looping the end of each wire, a wire straightener cooperating with said looper, and a cam shaft positively actuating said looper and said wire straightener.

4. In a bale tie machine a feed mechanism comprising a driven shaft, a plurality of feed rolls keyed on said shaft, peripheral teeth on each of said feed rolls, a plurality of vertically shiftable bearings above said feed rolls, a top feed roll in each of said bearings having teeth adapted to match with said first mentioned teeth, and adjustable means for urging the top feed rollstowardthe first mentioned feed rolls to provide a plurality of pairs of positively driven rolls each adapted to grip opposite surfaces of a wire passed therebetween.

5. In a bale tie machine a plurality of pairs of positively driven feed rolls for gripping opposite surfaces of a plurality of wires, an apertured block receiving said wires through the apertures thereof, rock shafts extending through said blocks, knife carriages secured on said rock shafts, knives detachably clamped in said carriages and projecting therefrom at selected distances toward the apertures in the block, and arms for oscillating said rock shafts to move the knives past the apertures for severing the wires emerging therefrom.

6. In a bale tie machine including rotatable wire supports, the improvement which comprises a stationary magnet acting on wires in said supports to resist movement of the wires for holding the wires in the supports.

7. In a bale tie machine including rotatable work supports and a pusher for longitudinally shifting wires in said supports, the improvement which comprises a magnet acting on said wires to resist said pusher for holding said wires from shifting beyond the stroke of said pusher.

8. In a bale tie machine including a peripherally notched rotatable work support receiving wires in the notches thereof, the improvement which comprises a stationary segmental cylindrical magnet shoe adjacent said work support for acting on wires in the support to resist movement thereof.

9. In a bale tie machine including a peripherally notched rotatable disk receiving wires in the notches thereof and a pusher for longitudinally shifting the wires, the improvement which comprises a stationary segmental cylindrical magnet shoe adjacent said disk for creating a magnetic field resisting movement of the wires in the notches of the disk.

10. In a bale tie machine including a peripherally notched rotatable disk receiving wires in the notches thereof, the improvement which comprises a segmental cylindrical magnet shoe stationarily mounted adjacent said disk and extending around the top portion only of the disk.

11. In a bale tie machine including rotatable work supports, a movable wire gripper, a looper, a wire straightener for backing up the wire during the looping operation, and a Wire pusher, the improvement which comprises a single main cam shaft and cams on said shaft for driving said work supports, said gripper, said looper, said wire straightener and said wire pusher in timed sequential relation.

12. In a bale tie machine a looper comprising an elongated post having an annular shoulder near the top thereof, an arm projecting laterally from the top of said post, a pin extending upwardly from said arm, an elongated cylindrical boss receiving said post and having a wide rimmed portion supporting said shoulder, and said post and said boss cooperating to provide an oil groove therebetween for lubrication of the post throughout the entire length of the boss.

13. In a bale tie machine including a device for looping an end of a wire, the improvement which comprises a wire straightener for abutting the wire, a lever sliding said member toward and away from the wire, and a positively driven cam for tilting said lever to effect abutment of the straightener against the wire during the looping operation and for thereafter spacing the straightener from the wire.

14. In a bale tie machine including an anvil for receiving a wire thereover, a rockably mounted gripper cooperating with the anvil to clamp the wire therebetween, a twister pin, and a looping arm for bending the wire around the pin to lay the end of the wire over the anvil, the improvement which comprises a slidably mounted wire straightener backing up the Wire during the bending operation and cooperating with the looping arm to bring the bent end of the wire into full line contact with an appreciable length, of the adjacent intermediate wire portion extending over the anvil, a lever tiltably mounted on the gripper for actuating said straightener, a slidable block on said gripper having a surface for tilting said lever to move the straightener toward and away from the wire, a driven cam, a vertical lever tilted by said cam, and a flexible linkage between said vertical lever and said slidable block.

15. In a bale tie machine including a cam shaft and a wire looper driven thereby, the improvements which comprise a wire straightener for said machine adjacent said looper to abut the loop forming portion of the wire immediately next to the portion directly acted on by the looper to prevent bowing of the wire and means connecting said straightener with said cam shaft to positively operate the straightener at properly timed intervals.

16 In a bale tie machine including a twister pin, a looping arm for bending a wire around said pin, and a pair of clamping jaws for holding the bent wire, the improvement which comprises a shiftable wire straightener cooperating with said looping arm to hold an intermediate portion of the wire against the bent free end of the Wire, and a positively driven cam for shifting said straightener.

17. In a bale tie machine the improvement which comprises a vertical cylindrical boss fixedly mounted on said machine, a forming post extending through said boss and having an annular shoulder riding on top of the boss, a looping pin on said post in spaced relation from the axis of the boss, a pinion secured on the lower end of said post beneath said boss, and an arcuate gear segment engaging said pinion to rotate the post.

18. In a bale tie machine including means for feeding a plurality of wires and an apertured block receiving the wires through the apertures thereof, the improvements which comprise knife carriages rockably mounted on said block adjacent each aperture therein, elongated knives detachably mounted in said carriages, and projecting therefrom at selected distances for movement past the apertures to sever wires emerging therefrom and means for rocking said carriages to move said knives toward and away from said apertures whereby the knives can be removed from the carriages for sharpening and replaced in the carriages to project the desired amounts therefrom.

19. In a bale tie machine including a twister pin, a looping arm for bending a wire around said pin, an anvil for receiving the wire thereover, and a movable clamping jaw cooperating with said anvil to hold thebent wire, the improvement which comprises a wire straightener movably mounted on said clamping jaw and cooperating with said looping arm to hold an intermediate portion of the wire against the bent free end of the wire, and means for moving said wire straightener on said clamping jaw toward and away from said intermediate portion of the wire. 20. In va bale tie machine including a twister pin, a looping arm for bending a wire around said pin, and clamping jaws for holding the bent wire, the improvement which comprises a wire straightener intermediate the clamping jaws and twister pin to abut the loop forming portion of the wire immediately next to the portion directly acted on by the looping arm to prevent bowing of the wire during the looping operation.

GEORGE K. GAUME-R.

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