The invention relates to a reel (10) for winding or unwinding strip-shaped material, in particular a metal strip or the like, and to a method for tensioning a coil (12), the reel comprising a frame (13), at least one reel head (14) for disposing the coil for winding or unwinding material (11), a drive arrangement (15) having at least one electric motor (16) and a shaft (20) which connects the electric motor to the reel head, the electric motor being formed comprising a stator (17) and a rotor (18) and being disposed on the frame, the electric motor being a torque motor or a synchronous motor, the shaft directly connecting the rotor to the reel head, the rotor being mounted on the stator so as to be axially displaceable relative to the stator.

A system for controlling multiple wire feed motors for use in a welding-type system including a push motor controlled to operate at a target wire feed speed and a pull motor disposed in a welding torch controlled to apply a target torque to the fed welding wire. Such a system eliminates shaving and bird nesting of welding wire.

The invention relates to a method for winding a metal strip (1) into a reel with a winding mandrel (2), to which the metal strip (1) is routed through a pair consisting of a first and a second driver roller (5, 6), at least one of which is driven. The method is characterized in that a difference between the strip speed (V.sub.B) of the metal strip (1) and the speed) (v5, v6) of the driver rollers is adjusted on the basis of measuring, from measurable process variables, the strip speed and the speed (v5, v6) of at least one of the driver rollers (5, 6).

An apparatus (100) for making a coil (B) comprises a feed unit (2) configured to feed at least one strip-shaped article (N) and a winding unit (1). The winding unit includes a plurality of winding heads (10) and a movement device for moving (3) said winding heads (10) configured to displace said winding heads (10) along a working path (P). Each winding head (10) is configured to wind said strip-shaped article (N) so as to make said coil (B) during a displacement, carried out by said movement device (3), of the winding head (10) along an operative segment (P1) of the working path (P).

An apparatus (1) for winding-up a metal strip (2) into a coil (3), includes a clamping pair (22) formed of a deflection roller (23) and a pressure roller (24) and located in front of the coil (3) in a material flow direction (10) so that the strip (2) is retained under tensional stress with respect to the coil (3) and is so bendable that the strip (2), which is provided with a corresponding pre-bend, is firmly wound into a coil (3). The apparatus further includes a first bending roller (35) pressable against the deflection roller (23), and arranged in front of the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), and a further roller (36) adjustable relative to the deflection roller (23) and arranged behind the clamping pair (22) in the material flow direction (10), with the pressure roller (24) and both bending rollers (35, 36) being so displaceable relative to the deflection roller (23) that an end region (45) of the strip (2) is additionally curved to form the pre-bend dependent on an end diameter (48) of the coil (3).

A metal wire feeder device including a body presenting a wire braking member, one or more pulleys driven by respective motors about which the wire is wound, the wire before reaching a processing machine passing through a compensator member and a tension sensor, an electronic control unit able to continuously measure the tension value and make it uniform at a predetermined value by acting on a first regulator loop operating on the motors and a second regulator loop operating on the compensator member. The electronic control unit operates automatically in making the tension uniform at the predetermined value, on the basis of the fed wire quantity or of the wire feed velocity.

An apparatus (100) for making a coil (B) comprises a feed unit (2) configured to feed at least one strip-shaped article (N) and a winding unit (1). The feed unit (2) comprises a movable portion (20) that includes an outlet section (22) through which said strip-shaped article (N) passes through. The winding unit includes a plurality of winding heads (10) and a movement device for moving (3) said winding heads (10) configured to displace said winding heads (10) along a working path (P). The winding heads (10) and said movable portion (20) are both movable.