Method of and an apparatus for producing wire

Abstract

A method of and an apparatus for rolling a rod as a starting material and producing a wire of 5 mm or smaller diameter, the method and apparatus using a continuous rolling mill comprising a plurality of round-grooved four-roll stands arranged in tandem, wherein the grooved four-roll is displaced between adjacent rolling stands by 45 degrees relative to each other around the pass line and the center-to-center distance between adjacent rolling stands measured in the pass line direction is not greater than 50 times the diameter of the rod. The front end portion of the rod is fed at slow speed into the continuous rolling mill, the front end portion being guided by a front pipe to the center of the round groove, and the front end portion is wound on a coiler. After that, the rotation speed of the grooved rolls in each rolling stand is so set as to prevent slack in the rod passing through the continuous rolling mill, and the rod is rolled at high speed, without causing the rod to touch the leading pipe, to produce a wire. Each of the rolling stands that constitute the continuous rolling mill is movable in a direction perpendicular to the pass line, each rolling stand being moved for connection to or disconnection from the driving source.