One huge problem I've had is feeding flat wire into machines. For years,
I've used a feeder design that used spring-loaded pinch rollers on 1-way
clutches cycled back and forth with an air cylinder. The variances in the
wire's hardness, oiliness, surface finish, etc. would cause havoc. And,
just the mass of the rollers would cause over-feed. We coped.

The new design uses no moving parts other than the cylinder and linear
bearing car. The wire is controlled by a pinch roller that is just a
standard 1/2" round carbide insert. The roller rides in a angled pocket
with a small spring to coax it into the lower end of the pocket and pinch
the wire against a hard block. If you pull on the wire in one direction,
the roller jams the wire tight against the block. Pull in the other
direction and the roller releases the wire and it moves easily. This
replaces the 1-way clutches. The trick is the angle! Too little and the
roller stays jammed tight, too much and the roller lets the wire slip.

The first prototype used 8 degrees in the pocket, it stayed jammed
sometimes. The next try was 20 degrees with the intention of finding the
far end where the wire constantly slipped. But, to our delight, 20 degrees
just happened to be perfect. We went one whole day without a single wire
problem and logged a15% increase in average productivity. I know that one
day is too small of a test but it is a great start. (one step closer to
retirement!)

We are currently building a new machine that will incorporate a bunch of new
ideas designed to eliminate or reduce the various problems. I think we can
improve an average 30% down-time to less than 10%. I have another wire
feeder design that is just coming up on the machining schedule. It's based
on an entirely different idea using gears pinching the wire. We also made
the machine reset automatically, added warning lights for the operator to
know if the machine is ready, reset, blocks clamped, etc. We also added a
VFD and tachometer to fine-tune the speed, beefed-up weak subsystems and
made a bunch of ergonomic changes. (another step closer to retirement!)

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:45:30 -0400, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:

One huge problem I've had is feeding flat wire into machines.
snip
==========
Congratulations on your successful improvements.

Thanks for keeping the group in the loop.

It is good to see that American iniative and inventiveness are
not dead, just squashed in too many huge organizations.


Unka' George [George McDuffee]
-------------------------------------------
He that will not apply new remedies,
must expect new evils:
for Time is the greatest innovator: and
if Time, of course, alter things to the worse,
and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better,
what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman.
Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).

Congratulations! The joy of making something finally work keeps me going
more than the paycheck. Course, it IS nice to be able to pay all your bills.

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line. One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk quietly to
each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most, but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than necessary.

Karl

"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
anews.com...
Congratulations! The joy of making something finally work keeps me going
more than the paycheck. Course, it IS nice to be able to pay all your
bills.

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line. One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk quietly
to each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most, but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than
necessary.

Karl



All 12 of my wooden block brush machines used to have an impeller on the
drill quill spinning at 10k. We replaced all of them with external
evacuators that are dead quiet. We dropped the sound level 100db! Huge
difference!

On Aug 30, 1:06 pm, "Tom Gardner" wrote:
"Karl Townsend" wrote in message

anews.com...

Congratulations! The joy of making something finally work keeps me going
more than the paycheck. Course, it IS nice to be able to pay all your
bills.

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line. One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk quietly
to each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most, but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than
necessary.

Karl

All 12 of my wooden block brush machines used to have an impeller on the
drill quill spinning at 10k. We replaced all of them with external
evacuators that are dead quiet. We dropped the sound level 100db! Huge
difference!


Tom,

Clever!!!

That 20 degree angle is measured from the surface of the wire or from
the normal to the wire???

This might be overkill but have you ever looked at flat stock feeders
for punch presses? These are now all pneumatic and can be adjusted to
very accurate and repetitive feed lengths. Perhaps a review of same
may inspire a brain storm!

Congrats,

Wolfgang

Tom Gardner wrote:
One huge problem I've had is feeding flat wire into machines. For years,
I've used a feeder design that used spring-loaded pinch rollers on 1-way
clutches cycled back and forth with an air cylinder. The variances in the
wire's hardness, oiliness, surface finish, etc. would cause havoc. And,
just the mass of the rollers would cause over-feed. We coped.

The new design uses no moving parts other than the cylinder and linear
bearing car. The wire is controlled by a pinch roller that is just a
standard 1/2" round carbide insert. The roller rides in a angled pocket
with a small spring to coax it into the lower end of the pocket and pinch
the wire against a hard block. If you pull on the wire in one direction,
the roller jams the wire tight against the block. Pull in the other
direction and the roller releases the wire and it moves easily. This
replaces the 1-way clutches. The trick is the angle! Too little and the
roller stays jammed tight, too much and the roller lets the wire slip.

The first prototype used 8 degrees in the pocket, it stayed jammed
sometimes. The next try was 20 degrees with the intention of finding the
far end where the wire constantly slipped. But, to our delight, 20 degrees
just happened to be perfect. We went one whole day without a single wire
problem and logged a15% increase in average productivity. I know that one
day is too small of a test but it is a great start. (one step closer to
retirement!)

We are currently building a new machine that will incorporate a bunch of new
ideas designed to eliminate or reduce the various problems. I think we can
improve an average 30% down-time to less than 10%. I have another wire
feeder design that is just coming up on the machining schedule. It's based
on an entirely different idea using gears pinching the wire. We also made
the machine reset automatically, added warning lights for the operator to
know if the machine is ready, reset, blocks clamped, etc. We also added a
VFD and tachometer to fine-tune the speed, beefed-up weak subsystems and
made a bunch of ergonomic changes. (another step closer to retirement!)



Another good application of a great old idea. If you can find a new
application that someone hasn't though of yet for it you might be able
to make a million. The spindle lock on my Starrett micrometer uses the
same principle and IIRC a guy made a lot of money by using it in a
fencing fastener such as for cattle fencing.

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008, "Tom Gardner" wrote:
"Karl Townsend" wrote...

Congratulations! The joy of making something finally work keeps me going
more than the paycheck. Course, it IS nice to be able to pay all your
bills.

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line. One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk quietly
to each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most, but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than
necessary.

All 12 of my wooden block brush machines used to have an impeller on the
drill quill spinning at 10k. We replaced all of them with external
evacuators that are dead quiet. We dropped the sound level 100db! Huge
difference!

This is why you ALWAYS question people stuck in a "That's the way
we've always done it!" loop. Just because your grandfather figured
out one way to do something that works does NOT mean there aren't
several better ways to do it.

-- Bruce --

"Karl Townsend" wrote:

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line. One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk quietly to
each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most, but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than necessary.


Will all the noise you are eliminating be replaced by the employees ghetto blasters?

Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:30:44 -0700, Bruce L. Bergman

SNIP


This is why you ALWAYS question people stuck in a "That's the way
we've always done it!" loop. Just because your grandfather figured
out one way to do something that works does NOT mean there aren't
several better ways to do it.

-- Bruce --


Hey Bruce,

But just as relevant is that just because you are young or new does
not automatically mean that the old and ancient ways are not correct
or viable.

Over the years I recall going through about 8 new young "managers"
right out of college or new to the business who thought many of our
old ways were outdated. I fought their lack of knowledge for the
first few times, and then relented when I realized they needed to find
out for themselves, and that trashing their spirits on day one wasn't
a good thing.

Take care.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.

wrote in message
...
On Aug 30, 1:06 pm, "Tom Gardner" wrote:
"Karl Townsend" wrote in message

anews.com...

Congratulations! The joy of making something finally work keeps me
going
more than the paycheck. Course, it IS nice to be able to pay all your
bills.

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line.
One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk
quietly
to each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most,
but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than
necessary.

Karl

All 12 of my wooden block brush machines used to have an impeller on the
drill quill spinning at 10k. We replaced all of them with external
evacuators that are dead quiet. We dropped the sound level 100db! Huge
difference!


Tom,

Clever!!!

That 20 degree angle is measured from the surface of the wire or from
the normal to the wire???

This might be overkill but have you ever looked at flat stock feeders
for punch presses? These are now all pneumatic and can be adjusted to
very accurate and repetitive feed lengths. Perhaps a review of same
may inspire a brain storm!

Congrats,

Wolfgang

Funny you say that, I contacted the blokes at Rapidair and sent them
samples. They do that sort of thing and are known in our industry for
feeding coil stock into strip brush machines. The engineers there pondered
my application for a week and then I got the call that after much coffee and
danish, they were going to bail. They didn't like the idea of feeding 3
wires at a time.

Will all the noise you are eliminating be replaced by the employees ghetto
blasters?

I let the camel's nose in the tent on this ONCE. By the end of the season we
had customers complaining about loud noisy music. Now, I put the radio on
WCCO, local news/talk, nobody wants that too loud.

Karl

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:37:02 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Wes
quickly quoth:

"Karl Townsend" wrote:

My "task of this year" has been noise reduction on the packing line. One
more trouble area left. When I'm done, we should be able to talk quietly to
each other while we work. Maybe don't seem like a big deal to most, but
working in the noise all day just wears you down a bit more than necessary.


Will all the noise you are eliminating be replaced by the employees ghetto blasters?

Nah. Lezbo Muzak.

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:12:49 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Karl Townsend" quickly quoth:

Will all the noise you are eliminating be replaced by the employees ghetto
blasters?

I let the camel's nose in the tent on this ONCE. By the end of the season we
had customers complaining about loud noisy music. Now, I put the radio on
WCCO, local news/talk, nobody wants that too loud.

Oops, I thought Tawm had posted that message. Sorry, Karl. wink

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides