A cable management system and method of use are provided in which brake actuation which controls a cable payout rate may be dependent on cable tension. A control system may be provided for adjusting cable tension and braking force.

Unwinding systems and methods are provided for unwinding a fiber from a bobbin. The unwinding system can include an axle defining a first axis extending an axial direction, a bobbin rotatably mounted around the axle, a pulley positioned to receive the fiber from the bobbin, wherein the pulley is rotatable around a second axis, and a sensor positioned between the bobbin and the pulley. The bobbin is moveable along the axial direction, and wherein the fiber extends tangentially from a surface of the bobbin.

A capstan includes a lift motor, a flexible lifting member, and a tether assembly. The lift motor is operatively connected to a shaft. The flexible lifting member includes a first end and a second end. The first end is connected to the shaft. The flexible lifting member connects a lift assembly to the lift motor via the shaft. The tether assembly includes a switch arranged between a portion of the flexible lifting member and a portion of the capstan. The second end is connected to the tether assembly. The switch acts as a safety in case of a broken flexible lifting member and allows for an automated unloading cycle.

Systems and methods are provided for feeding thread at a knitting machine. One embodiment is a thread feeding device which includes a spool that supplies thread to a knitting device through a thread path and a motor that drives the spool. The device and further includes a mobile guide in the thread path that changes position due to changes in thread tension as the knitting device draws thread through the mobile guide. The thread feeding device also includes a sensor that measures a change in position of the mobile guide, and a controller that determines an amount of tension applied to the thread by the knitting device based on the change in position, and adjusts a speed of a motor that drives the spool based on the amount of tension.

A method for winding can include positioning a multi-sided object on a winding component in a first position. The method can include dereeling a wire from a dereeler and winding onto the multi-sided object in the first position. The method can include rotating the winding component to position the multi-sided object in a second position without removing the multi-sided object from the winding component. The method can include dereeling the wire from the dereeler and winding onto the multi-sided object in the second position.

A dynamic tension control system is described herein for driving linear material off a roll in a controlled manner. The dynamic tension control system may include a frame, a shaft for holding a roll of linear material, a motor for driving the shaft, and a dancer tensioning control system for controlling the motor. The dancer tensioning control system may include an actuator assembly through which the linear material passes and a proximity sensor for detecting whether the actuator assembly is proximate to the proximity sensor. When the linear material is pulled from the roll, tension is created in the linear material, which lifts the actuator assembly away from the proximity sensor. The dynamic tension control system may be configured to command, based on detecting that the actuator assembly is not proximate to the proximity sensor, the motor to drive the shaft to unwind linear material from the roll.

A dynamic tension control system is described herein for driving linear material off a roll in a controlled manner. The dynamic tension control system may include a frame, a shaft for holding a roll of linear material, a motor for driving the shaft, and a dancer tensioning control system for controlling the motor. The dancer tensioning control system may include an actuator assembly through which the linear material passes and a proximity sensor for detecting whether the actuator assembly is proximate to the proximity sensor. When the linear material is pulled from the roll, tension is created in the linear material, which lifts the actuator assembly away from the proximity sensor. The dynamic tension control system may be configured to command, based on detecting that the actuator assembly is not proximate to the proximity sensor, the motor to drive the shaft to unwind linear material from the roll.

Systems and methods are provided for feeding thread at a knitting machine. One embodiment is a thread feeding device which includes a spool that supplies thread to a knitting device through a thread path and a motor that drives the spool. The device and further includes a mobile guide in the thread path that changes position due to changes in thread tension as the knitting device draws thread through the mobile guide. The thread feeding device also includes a sensor that measures a change in position of the mobile guide, and a controller that determines an amount of tension applied to the thread by the knitting device based on the change in position, and adjusts a speed of a motor that drives the spool based on the amount of tension.

Systems and methods for winding wire are disclosed. A system includes a wire take-up unit and a wire tensioning unit. The take-up unit includes a rotating mandrel and a wire directing device, the wire directing device arranged to cause the wire to be wound in a figure-eight configuration on the rotating mandrel to form a coil having many layers of wire. The wire tensioning unit applies tension to said wire as it is wound, and applies a first amount of tension to a predetermined amount of wire constituting at least a first two layers of the coil, and a second amount of tension to the wire beyond the predetermined amount. In one embodiment, the wire tensioning unit includes digital self-relieving air regulator pneumatically coupled to and controlling a pressure in said pressurized chamber of a pre-lubricating cylinder that is coupled to the wire being wound.

Provided are a filament winding method and a filament winding apparatus, in which, when a new bobbin is mounted on a bobbin rotation driving device, the control device is programmed to rotate the bobbin and oscillate a dancer while maintaining a state where a distal end of filament unwound through the dancer is fixed further beyond the dancer and the filament is stretched. The control device is programmed to obtain a bobbin diameter of the bobbin mounted on the bobbin rotation driving device based on a length of the dancer, an oscillation angle of the dancer, and a rotation angle of the bobbin.