Braiding mechanism - forming braided sheath around a flexible support has drive for moving packages of braiding material around support

摘要

A support plate having pref. a central aperture through which a flexible support (e.g. tube, cord, cable etc) passes carries a circular array of pref. discs around the central aperture, the drive discs being driven so that adjacent drive discs rotate in opposite directions. The drive discs have pref. four equispaced peripheral indentations in which are carried the spindles of packages of braiding material and as the drive discs rotate the packages are passed from one disc to another so that they follow a serpentine path and so that the braiding material (e.g. metal filament, yarn) wound of the packages through pref. an associated eyelet, are formed in a braided sheath around the flexible support. A control mechanism is provided pref. to rotate each package as it passes from one drive disc to another so that pref. the point (i.e. the eyelet) at which the braiding material passes from the package is maintained on a straight line passing through the centre of the package spindle and the point at which braiding takes place. A better control over the braiding operation is provided.