Apparatus for cutting and separating ribbon wire

Claim 1

A cutting and separating apparatus comprising: a supporting structure; first and second rotors having first and second peripheral surfaces, respectively; means for mounting said first and second rotors on said supporting structure for rotation relative thereto about first and second rotational axes, respectively, with regions of the first and second peripheral surfaces generally confronting each other; each of said peripheral surfaces having circumferentially extending ribs and grooves with the ribs of the first and second peripheral surfaces being generally aligned with the grooves of the second and first peripheral surfaces, respectively; at least two of said ribs on one of said rotors being at least partially interrupted at different circumferential locations on said one rotor; said first rotor having end grooves adjacent the opposite ends of the first rotor and at least one intermediate groove located axially intermediate said end grooves; and a cutting element mounted in said intermediate groove of said first rotor.

Claim 2

An apparatus for cutting and separating ribbon wire wherein the ribbon wire includes a plurality of wires held together in generally parallel relationship by a severable body, said apparatus comprising: first and second rotors having first and second peripheral surfaces, respectively; means for mounting said first and second rotors on said supporting structure for rotation relative thereto about first and second spaced rotational axes, respectively, with regions of said first and second peripheral surfaces being closely adjacent, the ribbon wire being insertable between said rotors at said regions; means for drivingly connecting said rotors so that said rotors rotate at the same angular velocity; each of said first and second peripheral surfaces having circumferentially extending ribs and grooves with the ribs of the first and second peripheral surfaces being aligned with the grooves of the second and first peripheral surfaces, respectively, to thereby define a plurality of rib and groove pairs, each aligned rib and grOove pair being adapted to cooperate with an adjacent rib and groove pair to sever said severable body to thereby separate one of said wires from an adjacent wire; at least some of said ribs being effectively discontinuous so that the associated wires are separated during only a portion of a revolution of the rotor carrying such ribs; a plurality of cutting elements mounted on at least one of said peripheral surfaces in a position to sever a plurality of the wires at preselected locations, at least some of said cutting elements are in said grooves; and said first rotor including a core and a sleeve and means for removably mounting the sleeve on the core, said sleeve having said peripheral surface of said first rotor thereon.