electric core cutter

I could really use some help on this project. I need to make an electric core cutter for cutting 3/16" lead wire. I have been cutting this stuff manually with a hand cutter. On a 25 lbs spool of wire that's over 3,000 cuts! So I would like to automate the process a little.

I have no idea how to go about this but any help would be greatly appreciated.

What I need is a realtively small electric motor that has a high torquing capability. What I want to rotate is a tri-blade which has or will have three arms and will have blades that look like hooks at the end. This blade will rotate at a very slow speed. The lead wire will be inserted through an opening or orfice sized slightly larger than the wire. The tri-blade will rotate, catch the wire and cut it. Ideally it would be nice to be able to vary the speed. I don't know anything about electric motors and what capacity I need here. If it's best to run it through a gear box I'm prepared to do that.

The motor will be mounted behind a flat steel plate that has the hole or orfice on it that the wire will go through, from the same side as the motor. On the other side of the plate will be the cutting blade the blade will be attached to the motor or go through a gear box. The shaft from the motor or gear box will also go through the same flat plate. The blade will rotate against the flat plate or is in the same plane. On the opposite side of the blade it will be fixed to a vertical piece to steady it.

Where I need help is the size and brands of electric motors that could do this and an appropriate gear box... I really would like to be able to control the speed which should be very slow.

Hope I've outlined this enough that someone knowledgeable can give me some ideas...

 

[itsmoked]

Look for small gear drive motors. I have seen black ones with a knob on the top that adjusts the speed. You need like 30 RPM I would imagine. Maybe someone knows the name of the company that makes them.

You might also consider an electric drill. Very tough, more than enough power, compact, hundreds of dollars cheaper. Can be battery powered or vehicle powered. Variable speed.

 

[ccjersey]

What about a wire feeder from a MIG welder to fed the wire off the spool through the cutter. The speed is variable with a control and it has lots of power. The only thing you need to change would be the feed rolls. If you are meaning lead (Pb) wire, mild steel rolls should last a long long time. The usual rolls for steel welding wire are very hard steel and hard to modify.

The cutter needs to have the cutting edge beveled back sharply so the blade doesn't block the forward progress of the wire as it is cutting. It will cause the feed rolls to slip or possibly buckle the wire if the cutter has a wide edge. I would try a large diameter cutter wheel with a small number of cutters so the cutters can move at a greater velocity past the wire feed.

Jim

 

[Farkel]

Suggest a closed loop vector drive, where you could control the cut to length, and the speed, plus torque.

 

I will have a look at the MIG feeding idea... never thought of that...

also the suggestion of a closed vector drive? Would you be kind enough to elaborate a little on this. I'm not familiar with this type of technology... is there something I can search on that would help... I'll try searching "closed loop vecotr drive".

another recommendation was that I consider a single phase motor about 1/3 horsepower... I don't need speed if anything I'll probably have to have a gear box or something to really slow it down... I need torquing power.

The lead wire is indeed pure lead wire. Although it's flexible to a degree it's still 3/16 of an inch thick...


thanks