Need help making rings with manual wire bending

[BitHead2K]

I have a low volume application for making machine cut rings. The wire is 14 gauge. These rings should finished closed, with a minimal closing gap. The ring is 3/8" ID.
My question is: given a small coil of wire that is wound to the proper ID, how do I make a die to produce further coils?
My concept is to take a solid block of steel and somehow make a mould out of it that I would then force feed the wire into. As the wire protrudes from the end of the block, I would machine cut the ring and push it off the die.
BTW, low volume means more than I care to cut by hand with bolt cutters, but not enough to justify CNC machining.
Thanks for any help!

 

[EnglishMuffin]

It sounds as if you are effectively talking about making springs and slicing them up. In which case it would probably be quicker and simpler to have a spring manufacturer make them for you, and then you could make a very simple fixture to enable you to hold them for slicing. If your die idea worked, I would have thought the best way to make it would be to machine it out of tool steel with a two piece construction, using thread cutting techniques, followed by hardening. You will almost certainly get some spring back however you make the coils, so you need to allow for that in sizing the die. (You get spring back with coil winding too).

 

[EdDanzer]

Can you use a spiral lock ring? These are a stock off shelf item. There are some manufactures of round lock rings. Check Thomas Register

http://www.thomasregister.com/Home.aspx?src=ov

for manufactures, someone may stock some sizes. Otherwise look for a spring and cut segments out and flatten.

 

[dvd]

Tightly wind the 14 ga wire around a smaller than 3/8" diameter rod (to account for springback) to form the "spring" with all coils touching. You could chuck the rod in your drill press and coil the wire at low speed in no time at all. Next put this into a machinist's vise and use a very thin slitting blade and cut a pass from one end to the other and form hundreds of rings. If your vise is in good condition you should be able to clamp each individual ring so that they won't move during the slitting saw operation.

 

[BitHead2K]

Thank you for your help, but I guess my request was not clear. The coils are already made the way dvd suggests (GMTA).
The question is really how to cut the coil, and as an extension, flatten the ring in the process. Right now I am doing that part manually.

 

[EdDanzer]

It would be helpful to state a quantity per batch and an annual usage to give more detailed help.

 

[CataulpaForge1]

Bithead,
Hi, I'm a blacksmith, this how I would do it: I would take the 14ga. and find the I.D. Next, I would find(or make) a PIN out of a scrap piece of solid round stock the same O.D. or just snug. Then, compress the "spring-as-it-were" (ie; coil). measure that and cut the solid round stock the SAME LENGTH as the coil. This serves two purposes: 1). It keeps the little "c"'s of wire from flying and 2). It allows you to cut though the coil cleanly by cutting into the backing material(pin). I would put this,(coil-on-pin), in a vise and then cut it with a portable band-saw. The blade gives the you the gap. ***** "CAUTION NEEDS TO BE USED WHILE DOING THIS, THIS IS DONE ON EDGE OF JAW OF THE VISE" *****

GOOD LUCK
CAT