Apparatus for packaging strand

Claim 1

Apparatus for packaging strand comprising: a rotatable collector upon which strand is collected as a wound package; means for rotating the collector; a movably mounted support means movable toward and away from the circumferential surface of the package; a strand guide for engaging strand along its path to the package; means mounting said strand guide on said support means for resilient contact of the strand guide with the circumferential surface of the package at the region of strand entry thereon during formation of the package; means on said support means for reciprocating the strand guide mounting means axially of the collector; said mounting means including an elongated spring mounted at one end with said means for reciprocating the mounting means, the strand guide being mounted at the free end of the spring, the elongated spring being disposed so that it is bent along its lengthwise dimension during movement of the guide away from the axis of the collector by the circumferential surface during package formation; means for controllably moving the movable support means away from the axis of the collector during package formation, such means including an electric motor and a switch in the circuit supplying electric energy to the motor, the switch being fixed at a location on the support means adjacent the path of reciprocation of the strand guide; and means to actuate the switch when in selected spaced apart relationship thereto including a magnetic member mounted on the elongated spring at its free end for movement with the strand guide and a stationary magnetic member on said support means each at opposite sides of the switch, movement of the movable magnetic member during reciprocation of the strand guide intermittently bringing the movable magnetic member into sufficiently close relationship with the stationary magnetic member to actuate the switch to energize the motor for positioning the movable support means, the intermittent energizing of the motor moving the support means successively through small increment distances to maintain the strand guide in substantially the same relative position at the circumferential surface of the package throughout package formation.