WIKK STUAICIITKNINC AND AlULDINti FOR ]{ELAYS 803 



Initial efforts indicated that this procedure was practicable. However, 

 a new shipment of nickel silver wire revealed that, while not detectably 

 different from pre\'ioiis shipments, the new wire took a permanent set 

 on the 3()-inch reels therel)y making it unusable at tlie moUHiis piess. 

 I'rincipally because of the incipient possil)ility of straightened wire 

 accjuiring a set when not stored on flat siufaces, this reel approach was 

 abandoned. Another effort consisted of providing a multiplicity of 

 straight storage tubes, of either metallic or plastic material, into one end 

 of each of which an eight hour supply of a single strand of wire was 

 pushed by tlic wire straightening machine and from the other end of 

 which a molding press would withdraw its requirement of wire (Fig. 3). 

 This was found unworkable l)ecause often the wire straighteners were 

 unable to push the recjuired length of wire into the tubes due to the lead 

 end becoming snarled from twist in the wire. It was decided, finally, to 

 discard the idea of continuously straightening and storing wiic in favor 

 of placing multiple head machines adjacent to the molding presses and 

 operating them only as recjuired. This meant increasing the straightening 

 machine investment because intermittent operation of the straighteners 

 necessitated more wire straightening facilities. A compensating factor 

 was the elimination of investment in storage facilities. It was found that 

 interrupting the continuous operation of the straightening heads had no 

 detectable effect on the characteristics of the straightened wire. Accord- 

 ingly, multiple head automatic wire straighteners are now placed adjacent 

 to the molding press and operated at a speed slightly greater than the 

 wire consumption of the molding dies. Automatic control of the length 

 of a partial loop of wire extending from the wire straightener assures an 

 adequate supply of wire at the molding press. The ultimate length of 

 continuous .straightened wire available to the molding press by this 

 arrangement is governed only by the length of raw wii-e on the spool 

 and is sufficient for many operating shifts. 



ArTOMATIC MULTIPLE HEAD WIRE STRAIGHTENER 



Both 24- and 30-doui:)le head automatic wire straighteners have been 

 built by the Western Electric Company. The 24-d()uble head straight- 

 eners are used in making comV)s for the AF, AG and A.I type general 

 purpose wire spring relays and the 30-double head machines for the 286, 

 287 and 288 type multi-contact relays. In practice the phenol resin 

 molding operation is accomplished in four-cavity dies with the cavities 

 arranged symmetrically about the center of th(^ di(\ Thus two forward 

 cavities face the \nre straightener with the remaining two cavities in 

 tandem. When making the twelve wire single comb of general purpose 



