For various reasons, wires and other rope-like items are wound on drum-like reels as a last operation of the production process. The purpose may be to provide protection for the wire during transport and storage and to facilitate unwinding of the wire at the site of use. Reelers for this purpose come in many varieties, capacities and in degrees of automation ranging from manual to fully automatic operation.

In the case of machines for automatic operation, it has proven difficult to find a simple and reliable solution to the problem of fastening the first wire end portion to the drum-like reel. A known method is to lead the wire end in through a slot or an orifice in the drum wall, where it may also be fastened by a clip. This solution calls for complex

reeling equipment, and possibly also a consumption of attaching clips. Moreover, the stacking and packing of the ready-wound drum-like reels is made more difficult by the wire ends protruding from the reels.

The invention aims to remedy the negative aspects of winding equipment such as appears from the description above.

The aim is achieved according to the invention by a mechanical swivelling first arm with rigidly mounted gripping means of a design that is known per se, gripping the wire end portion at a predetermined distance from the wire end, as a first operation in a sequence. An adhesive tape feeder, which is also of a design that is known per se and is connected to a second swivelling arm, is then carried up to the cylindrical middle section of a reel, on the opposite side of the reel, the adhesive on the adhesive tape fixing the adhesive tape to the middle section of the rotating reel. The first swivelling arm with gripping means then leads the wire end portion up to the rotating reel, where the wire end portion is caught between the reel and the wound-on adhesive tape. The glue of the adhesive tape attaches to the wire end portion, and the wire is pulled onto the reel. The gripping means are then released, and the adhesive tape is cut, whereupon wire of a desired length is wound onto the reel.

The adhesive tape-feeder and the gripping means return to their respective inactive initial positions.

In a further development of the invention, the adhesive tape feeder is rotatably connected to its swivelling arm, and thereby designed to be moved tangentially relative to the reel during the fastening of the adhesive tape to the reel.

The following describes the method along with a non-limiting example of a preferred embodiment of a device for carrying out the method. The device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,, in which: Figure 1 shows schematically a perspective view of the most important components entering into the device; Figure 2 shows schematically the components of figure 1 in the initial position; Figure 3 shows schematically the components of figure 1 during the first stage of the method; Figure 4 shows a schematic and partially sectional view of the components of figure 1 during the second stage of the method; Figure 5 shows a schematic and partially sectional view of the components of figure 1 during the third stage of the method; Figure 6 shows a schematic and partially sectional view of the components of figure 1 during the fourth stage of the method; and Figure 7 shows a schematic and partially sectional view of the components of figure 1 during the last stage of the method.

In the drawings, reference number 1 denotes a drum-like reel.

The reel 1, which comprises a cylindrical tube-like central part la and two side members lb, lc, is supported in a machine frame 9 and run by a drive device 10. A gripping means 2 is fixed to a first swivelling arm 3 hinged to the machine frame 9 by its lower end portion 4. An adhesive tape feeder 5 is fastened to a second swivelling arm 6 hinged to said machine frame 9 by its lower end portion 7. All said components 1 to 7 are of a type that is known per se. The gripping means 2, the swivelling arms 3,6 and the adhesive tape feeder 5 are all pneumatically operated via an suitable control programme. In figure 1, reference number 11 denotes a pneumatic cylinder that is connected to the frame 9 and operates the arm 3.

A wire 8 to be wound on the drum 1 is placed in a predetermined position relative to the gripping means 2. At the first stage of the method, see figure 3, the gripping means 2 grips the wire 8 as the gripping parts of the gripping means 2 are moved towards each other pneumatically.

The reel 1 is put into operation around its own longitudinal axis. At the second stage, see figure 4, the adhesive tape feeder 5 is brought to a stop against the tube-like part la of the reel 1, and an adhesive tape 5a located in the adhesive tape feeder 5 has its adhesive side pressed to the tube-like part la of a roller 5b belonging in the adhesive tape feeder 5. At a third stage, see figure 5, the free end portion of the wire 8 is guided to engagement between the adhesive tape 5a and the tube-like reel part la by the holder 2 and the arm 3. By the wire 8 being glued to the adhesive tape 5a, which at this stage is glued to the rotating reel 1, the wire 8 is pulled onto the reel 1. At the fourth stage,

see figure 6, the gripping means 2 is opened, and a cutting device 5c connected to the adhesive tape feeder 5 has cut the adhesive tape. The wire 8 is then pulled further onto the rotating reel 1. During the last stage of the method, see figure 7, the gripping means 2 and the adhesive tape feeder 5 are carried back to their respective inactive initial positions by their respective swivelling arms 3,6.

The method according to the invention solves the problem of fastening the free wire end portion to a drum-like reel in a simple and reliable manner.