We manufacture and distribute several gauges of electrical wire. Any way around having to design a separate spooling system for each wire gauge?

Fig. 1

For each different material being spooled, the linear drive moving the wire guide back and forth, must travel a specific linear distance per one revolution of the shaft. This is the pitch of the system. Proper pitch adjustment ensures that material is laid onto the spool in evenly spaced rows.

To assure that a single spooling system accommodates as many different gauge materials as possible, the system must be designed around application requirements for winding the largest size material (see Figure 1). Additionally, planning around the largest spool (flange-to-flange width) is necessary to make certain the system will meet varying axial thrust requirements.

Designing around the largest diameter material - requiring the maximum linear actuator pitch setting -- ensures that there is enough "turn down" adjustment available to accommodate the winding of smaller gauge materials. Turning down the pitch on a linear actuator is much simpler and less expensive than, say, changing the motor speed or changing gears to properly wind smaller gauge materials.

Likewise, by designing around the requirements using the widest reel (flange-to-flange), when the linear drive reaches the reel flange, the angle (M) between the point of payoff and the material guide is at a maximum (see Figure 2). The resulting line tension imposes the maximum axial thrust requirement on the linear drive. Narrower reels may then be used on the same system without concern over exceeding axial thrust requirements. (Note: This is true only if distance B remains the same.)

Fig. 2

For details, see the article at http://www.amacoil.com/html/art_02.htm