Apparatus and methods for making terminated wire segments

Abstract

A wire feed mechanism alternately feeds a pair of parallel wire strands A and B through spaced-apart turret jaws on a rotatable turret, through a cutter-stripper head, through a wire gathering device and through spaced-apart conveyor clamps in a conveyor. When a desired length of first wire strand A is fed, a first conveyor clamp closes on strand A and the cutter-stripper head severes a wire segment 12A from strand A and strips the newly-severed ends of strand A and wire segment 12A. The turret then rotates 90.degree. in one direction to present the stripped end of strand A to a first terminating machine which attaches a terminal thereto. While termination of strand A occurs, a desired length of the other strand B is fed through the cutter-stripper head and wire gathering device and through a second conveyor clamp, whereupon the latter clamp closes on strand B and the cutter-stripper head severs a wire segment 12B from strand B and strips the severed ends of strand B and wire segment 12B. The turret then pivots 90.degree. in the opposite direction to present the stripped end of strands B to a second terminating machine which attaches a terminal thereto. The conveyor moves both wire segments 12A and 12B to a location where a wire lifter mechanism lifts wire segment 12A from the first conveyor clamp, where the conveyor moves wire segment 12B in the second conveyor clamp below wire segment 12A, and where a third terminating machine which attaches a single common terminal to the stripped ends of both sements 12A and 12B to provide a wire harness.