TAK Enterprises, Inc. (www.takenterprises.com) has unveiled a product specifically designed to feed thin strip and fine wire materials for integration or as a stand-alone unit within existing process systems. In dealing with fine wire in the 004in – 030in diameter range, pull-through feeding can be sometimes challenging. Common solutions largely involve utilizing a roll feed with custom radii ground or “V” grooves into the feed roll OD’s to match the wire diameter. However, it can also be difficult to determine the effective configuration from a cost and practical viewpoint.

The Dual Belt Tractor Feed, which is sometimes referred to as Caterpuller, is integrated with most strip processing and fine wire operations and offers benefits and features making it ideal for pull-feeding applications. The material can be guided between two pressure pads, one below and one above the cog belts. Pressure on the cog belts can be applied through an adjustable jack screw. The belts are made from plastic materials that are soft enough to flow in the wire diameter and are not very hard to avoid damage. The force is spread out across the surface area to minimize the effect when the material is being pulled, at the same time providing ample grip. Depending on the specific application, variable speed, constant speed, controllers and stepper or servo motors can be utilized to drive the Dual Belt Tractor Feed input shaft.