On 2/7/2013 11:02 PM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

Tom Gardner wrote:

On 2/7/2013 1:18 PM, Wild_Bill wrote:
In a wire mill I worked in, air cylinders and reversing valves were used
for welding wire spooling.
This method resulted in fairly neat, flat layers.. although not as
precise as the close-wound method commonly used for rolls of solder (for
example).

Larger spools (2 ft to 5 ft dia) were traversed by other methods.

An AC motor which is capable of nearly instant reversing is the PSC
permanent split capacitor type, which are often used with gear reduction
boxes, and are capable of variable, regulated speed control when used
with the proper controllers.

Without a method of introducing a slight arc/bend in the steel wire (to
ensure that it clings to the spool) before it wraps on the spool, when
the wire tension is released, the wire will tend to jump off the spool
unwinding itself rapidly until all that's left is a continuous
backlashed mess.

Spooling steel wire properly is a balance of sustained arc/bend and
tension. Tension (or lack of it) is commonly maintained by a dancer,
which you're probably familiar with.


This is spring wire, off the spool it wants to straighten out.


Then you better hurry and rewind it all, while it's still winter! ;-)



You owe me one for that!