What is a linear feed drive used for?

A linear feed drive precisely pulls and controls wire, tubing, or flat strip through a processing line, ensuring consistent feed length and speed for downstream operations like cutting, straightening, forming, and stamping.

What is the difference between tractor style, LD, and HD feed drives?

Tractor style (dual-belt) feed drives use molded cog belts to gently pull pliable or surface-sensitive materials without marking them. LD precision style feed drives use synchronized servo motors and geared feed rolls for very fine, high-repeatability applications. HD roll style feed drives use two, four, or six feed rolls to pull larger, stiffer materials at higher force.

Which feed drive style offers the best repeatability?

The LD Precision Style offers the tightest feed length repeatability, at ±.003" (0.075mm), making it well suited for precise medical and electronic component applications.

What size wire can Novo Precision feed drives handle?

Across the three styles, Novo Precision feed drives handle wire from .004" up to .375" in diameter, with the LD style handling the finest wire and the HD style handling the largest.

Can Novo feed drives process strip and shaped materials, not just round wire?

Yes. All three feed drive styles can process flat strip and shaped cross-sections in addition to round wire, within each style's specific size range.

What materials are best suited to a tractor style (dual-belt) feed drive?

Tractor style feed drives are ideal for pliable or brittle materials that can be damaged by hard feed rolls, including plastic tubing, thin strip, thin-walled metal tubing, ceramic, and glass.

Do Novo feed drives require pneumatic air to operate?

It depends on the style and options selected. The tractor style requires no air if jack-screw equipped; if pneumatically equipped, it requires 80 psi clean, dry air. The LD style requires 80 psi clean, dry air. The HD style requires no air if manual-clamp equipped, or 80 psi if air-clamp equipped.

Can these feed drives be integrated into a full cut-to-length system?

Yes. Any of the three feed drive styles can be combined with a Novo wire straightener, cutter head, and wire/strip payoff to form a complete turnkey cut-to-length system.

How fast can a Novo Precision feed drive run?

Maximum feed rates vary by style: up to 160 FPM (53 MPM) for the tractor style, up to 500 FPM (160 MPM) for the LD precision style, and up to 200 FPM (66 MPM) for the HD roll style.

Is a single-axis version of the LD feed drive available?

Yes, a single drive axis configuration is available, though it will not match the dual-axis feed accuracy and repeatability specifications listed for the standard two-servo LD configuration.

Who should consider a Novo Precision feed drive: OEMs or system integrators?

Both. Feed drives are available as standalone hardware for end users with the internal expertise to build or enhance their own production line, and for system integrators building custom systems who need accurate, ready-to-integrate linear material handling components.

Linear Feed Drives

Overview

Every wire, tube, or strip processing line depends on one thing above all else: getting material to move the exact same distance, at the exact same speed, every single cycle. A straightener can remove all the cast and helix in the world, but if the feed drive pulling that material is inconsistent, downstream cutting, forming, and stamping operations inherit that inconsistency as scrap.

Novo Precision's line of feed drives solves this by matching the drive mechanism to the material. Thin, brittle, or easily marked materials need a different grip than heavy-gauge wire, and a feed drive built for .375" stock will crush or distort a .006" wire long before it ever reaches a cutter. That's why Novo offers three distinct feed drive styles — tractor style, Light Duty (LD) precision style, and Heavy Duty (HD) roll style — rather than a single one-size-fits-all unit.

These feed drives can be sold as standalone components for customers building or retrofitting their own systems, or integrated with a Novo wire straightener, cutter head, and payoff into a complete turnkey cut-to-length system. Control packages ranging from constant-speed motors to fully synchronized servo axes let each drive be matched to the repeatability and throughput a given application demands.

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Product Information
Product Videos
Specifications
FAQs

Three Options, Many Applications

Novo Precision offers three types of feed drives—tractor style, heavy duty (HD) roll style, and light duty (LD) precision style. Together with a number of control and software package options, these feed drives give us the ability to resolve many application necessities with just the right combination of components.

Novo offers these packages to end users who have the internal resources and ability to combine standard hardware items to build a machine or enhance an existing production line. They are also available to system integrators who may be fabricating a special system but do not have the level of expertise to build components to accurately move and control linear materials.

Feed Drive Styles

Tractor Style—Precision Catapuller

Also called a dual-belt feed drive, this is an ideal device to feed and control pliable or brittle linear materials such as plastic tubing, thin strip, thin-walled metal tubing, ceramic and glass. Feed speeds are variable with length repeatability usually +/- 0.015” (0.37 mm). Applications include feeding narrow strip through annealing ovens, stamping stations, and wire straightening and cut to length lines.

The Novo Precision Dual Belt Tractor Feed/Precision Catapuller can be integrated with most fine wire and strip processing operations, and offers features and benefits that make it an excellent choice for pull-feeding applications.

The material is guided between two pressure pads, one above and one below the cog belts. Pressure on the belts is applied through an adjustable jack screw or pneumatic cylinder. The cog belts are molded from a plastic material soft enough to flow around the wire diameter or narrow strip, but not so hard as to damage or distort it. The force is spread out over a large surface area so it has only minimal effect on the material being pulled, yet provides ample grip. The need to grind feed roll tooling and guides for each specific wire diameter and strip thickness is eliminated due to the nature of the belt material. Depending upon the specific application, constant speed, variable speed, stepper or servo motor and controllers can be utilized to drive the feeder.

Novo Precision offers two standard control packages that can be utilized to exercise the unit to perform controlled wire or strip feeding or with the incorporation of a Novo cutter head, wire straightener, and wire/strip payoff can function as a turnkey cut to length system.

Light Duty (LD) Precision Style

The four-wheel LD Precision Style Feed Unit is a precise, high-speed unit using two synchronized servo motors and a pair of feed rolls, used for materials up to .100” in diameter (2.5 mm), with speeds up to 300 fpm (100 MPM) and length repeatability to +/- .003” (0.075 mm).

This feed drive was developed for those very precise medical and electronic component and sub-assembly applications where the materials can be very thin or small in diameter. Applications with wire that is under .025" (0.62 mm) in diameter are easily accommodated with this style drive. Novo Precision has many wire and strip processing devices that typically work with materials .004" in diameter/thickness and smaller.

The LD Precision Style Feed Unit can be integrated with most fine wire and strip processing operations, and offers features and benefits that make it an excellent choice for applications that require a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. The material is guided between two pairs of synchronously geared feed rolls, with adjustable gripping pressure applied through pneumatic cylinders.

The feed rolls are ground to suit the specific material cross section, and can accept up to three individual wire grooves. The Four Roll Feed Box is well-suited for high-speed feed applications, and when equipped with the appropriate drive and controls, is an excellent choice for demanding multi-directional feed and speed requirements.

When servo-drive configured, dual axis are employed to insure accuracy and repeatability. Depending upon the specific application, constant speed, variable speed, stepper or servo motors and controllers can be utilized to drive the feeder. A single drive axis configuration is also available but will not match the product specifications listed on the Specifications page for this product.

Novo Precision offers two standard control packages that can be utilized to exercise the unit to perform controlled wire or strip feeding or with the incorporation of a TAK cutter head, wire straightener, and wire/strip payoff can function as a turnkey cut to length system.

Heavy Duty (HD) Roll Style

Available in two, four, and six feed roll configurations, this style is good for larger and stiffer materials up to 0.375” (9.4 mm) in size. Feed speeds are variable with length repeatability usually in the +/- 0.020” (0.5 mm) range. Applications include feeding wire rack assembly stations, rod bending or forming stations, and wire straightening and cut to length systems.

To prevent distortion or damage to fine wire or strip, material is gripped between two opposing belts and pulled using servo, stepper or constand speed motor.

Additional Videos

Dual Belt Tractor Feed

Tractor Feed Processing 3 Wires

Dual Belt Tractor on .187" W x .010" T strip

Dual Belt Tractor Feed-Newest

FAQs

What is a linear feed drive used for?

A linear feed drive precisely pulls and controls wire, tubing, or flat strip through a processing line, ensuring consistent feed length and speed for downstream operations like cutting, straightening, forming, and stamping.
What is the difference between tractor style, LD, and HD feed drives?

Tractor style (dual-belt) feed drives use molded cog belts to gently pull pliable or surface-sensitive materials without marking them. LD precision style feed drives use synchronized servo motors and geared feed rolls for very fine, high-repeatability applications. HD roll style feed drives use two, four, or six feed rolls to pull larger, stiffer materials at higher force.
Which feed drive style offers the best repeatability?

The LD Precision Style offers the tightest feed length repeatability, at ±.003" (0.075mm), making it well suited for precise medical and electronic component applications.
What size wire can Novo Precision feed drives handle?

Across the three styles, Novo Precision feed drives handle wire from .004" up to .375" in diameter, with the LD style handling the finest wire and the HD style handling the largest.
Can Novo feed drives process strip and shaped materials, not just round wire?

Yes. All three feed drive styles can process flat strip and shaped cross-sections in addition to round wire, within each style's specific size range.
What materials are best suited to a tractor style (dual-belt) feed drive?

Tractor style feed drives are ideal for pliable or brittle materials that can be damaged by hard feed rolls, including plastic tubing, thin strip, thin-walled metal tubing, ceramic, and glass.
Do Novo feed drives require pneumatic air to operate?

It depends on the style and options selected. The tractor style requires no air if jack-screw equipped; if pneumatically equipped, it requires 80 psi clean, dry air. The LD style requires 80 psi clean, dry air. The HD style requires no air if manual-clamp equipped, or 80 psi if air-clamp equipped.
Can these feed drives be integrated into a full cut-to-length system?

Yes. Any of the three feed drive styles can be combined with a Novo wire straightener, cutter head, and wire/strip payoff to form a complete turnkey cut-to-length system.
What drive and control options are available?

Depending on the application, feed drives can be configured with constant speed, variable speed, stepper, or servo motors and controllers. The LD style is standard with two synchronized servo motors for dual-axis accuracy.
How fast can a Novo Precision feed drive run?

Maximum feed rates vary by style: up to 160 FPM (53 MPM) for the tractor style, up to 500 FPM (160 MPM) for the LD precision style, and up to 200 FPM (66 MPM) for the HD roll style.
Is a single-axis version of the LD feed drive available?

Yes, a single drive axis configuration is available, though it will not match the dual-axis feed accuracy and repeatability specifications listed for the standard two-servo LD configuration.
Who should consider a Novo Precision feed drive: OEMs or system integrators?

Both. Feed drives are available as standalone hardware for end users with the internal expertise to build or enhance their own production line, and for system integrators building custom systems who need accurate, ready-to-integrate linear material handling components.