Bar and wire processing machine

Claim 1

A STOCK PROCESSING MACHINE COMPRISING A SERIES OF ROLL STANDS HAVING POWER-DRIVEN ROLLS IN THE NIP OF WHICH ELONGATED STOCK IS ADAPTED TO BE LINEALLY FED, THE ROLLS OF SUCCESSIVE STANDS BEING FORMED WITH PERIPHERAL GROOVES OPERATIVE, IN THE CASE OF ROUND STOCK, FIRST TO SQUEEZE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE STOCK TO REDUCE CROSS-SECTION AREA OF GENERALLY OVAL SHAPE AND THEN TO SQUEEZE THE OVAL STOCK ACROSS THE MAJOR AXIS THEREBY EFFECTING FURTHER REDUCTION IN THE CROSS-SECTION AREA AND RESTORING IT TO SUBSTANTIALLY ROUND SHAPE; AN EXTRUSION DIE ADJACENT TO SAID SERIES OF ROLL STANDS THROUGH WHICH THE STOCK IS FORCED ENDWISE BY SAID ROLLS AND THEREBY FURTHER REDUCED IN CROSS SECTION AREA; CATERPILLAR FEED MEANS FOLLOWING SAID DIE OPERATIVE, WHEN ENERGIZED, TO PULL THE TAIL END OF THE STOCK THROUGH SAID DIE; AND CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO APPROACH OF THE TAIL END OF THE STOCK TOWARD SAID DIE EFFECTIVE TO ENERGIZE SAID DRAW MEANS AS AFORESAID SO AS TO FRICTIONALLY GRIP THE REDUCED STOCK WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO DRAW THE TAIL END OF THE STOCK THROUGH SAID DIE.