Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for continuously feeding a generally tubular workpiece into a drawing unit of a continuous drawing machine without disadvantageously reducing the processing speed of the drawing machine. A workpiece having a reduced outer diameter drawing point is fed through a drawing ring by a pair of vertically stacked driving rollers until the drawing point extends beyond the drawing ring. The drawing point is then grabbed by a gripper and drawn through a drawing ring--its movement through the drawing ring still assisted by the driving rollers --to form a reduced diameter starting portion of the workpiece. In so doing, the workpiece is pulled along a drawing axis and in a drawing direction toward a drawing unit that defines a clamping length. Once the reduced diameter starting portion is formed, the gripper is swiveled away from the drawing axis and the drawing ring holder and drawing ring are caused to moved toward the drawing unit still aided by the drive rollers. The reduced diameter starting portion is then fed into the drawing unit, where the drawing unit then replaces the driving rollers and gripper as the means by which the workpiece is drawn through the drawing ring.

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First Claim