DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TWISTING A FIRST AND SECOND INDIVIDUAL ELECTRICAL LINE TO OBTAIN A PAIR OF LINES

Abstract

A device (100) and a method for twisting a first and second individual power line to form a pair of lines are specified. The device (100) comprises a main twisting device (120) and a post-twist device (160) with a fixed post-twist module (170) and a post-twist module (180) that is movable along a linear guide direction. Each of the post-twist modules (170, 180) includes a transfer unit (172, 182) for supporting and holding one end of the twisted pair of lines (10), the transfer unit (172, 182) having a first line.A gripping device (174, 184) for the first individual line (11) and a second line gripper (175, 185) for the second individual line (12), with a relative distance between the first line gripping device and the second line gripping device, is typically a programmable variable. The distance (a3) ​​between the ends of the lines (11, 12) is a distance that is typically a programmable variable. At least one of the stationary post-twist module (170) and the portable post-twist module (180) is configured to perform post-twist on the respective pair of held lines (10).

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device for twisting a first and second single electrical conductor to form a conductor pair, and to a method for twisting a first and second single electrical conductor to form a conductor pair using a device described herein. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] In certain applications, two individual electrical conductors running side by side are twisted together in cable processing devices. After twisting, the conductors form a (twisted) conductor pair, which, for example, is then fed into connector housings in a subsequent step.

[0003] EP 1 032 095 B1 discloses a conventional cable processing device with a twisting machine. Two individual electrical conductors are simultaneously pulled in and terminated. Termination typically involves cutting the individual conductors to length, stripping them, and / or fitting them with contacts, grommets, etc., at least at one of their ends. After the leading conductor ends have been terminated, the individual conductors are pulled out; the trailing conductor ends are terminated; and then the conductors are transferred to the actual twisting device. This device has a stationary holding module that secures the trailing conductor ends during twisting, and a twisting head that moves in the direction of the cable, gripping the leading conductor ends and twisting them together. During twisting, the conductor pair shortens as a result of the individual conductors wrapping around each other.A tensile force is measured, and the twisting head is adjusted according to the measured tensile force, thus taking the shortening into account.

[0004] EP 3 012 841 A1 describes a device for feeding cable ends to a processing unit. Here, conductors are held close together and twisted. A single pair of gripper jaws holds both cable ends. PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED WITH THE REVELATION

[0005] The procedure known from EP 3 012 841 A1 makes it difficult to transfer tensile forces occurring during twisting to the individual conductors. The clamping force applied by the pair of gripper jaws to the individual conductors can only be increased to a limited extent to ensure a secure hold without damaging the individual conductors, for example by deforming them, which would result in a reduction of the quality of the conductor pair.

[0006] It is an object of the present disclosure to specify a device or method for twisting a first and second single electrical conductor to form a conductor pair, which ensures a high quality of the twisted conductor pair. SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a device for twisting is described einer first and second individual electrical conductors to a conductor pair according to claim 1.

[0008] According to one aspect, the device comprises a main twisting unit and a post-twisting unit with a stationary post-twisting module and a post-twisting module that is movable along a linear guide direction. Each of the post-twisting modules includes a transfer unit for picking up and holding one end of the twisted wire pair, wherein the transfer unit comprises a first wire gripper for the first single wire and a second wire gripper for the second single wire, the relative distance between the first wire gripper and the second wire gripper being variable according to a distance between the ends of the wires. At least one of the stationary post-twisting module and one of the movable post-twisting module is configured to post-twist the respective held wire pair.

[0009] "Post-twisting," "post-twisting device," etc., refer to aspects that, in the course of a complete twisting process for a wire pair, are temporally subordinate to a main twisting sub-process. A main twisting process occurs, for example, analogously to the twisting process described in EP 1 032 095 B1. Following the main twisting process, the individual wires in the wire pair are in an entangled state over a large part of the wire pair's length. However, the wire pair is further apart at the respective wire ends (typically both the leading and lagging wire ends).

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the transfer unit takes hold of one end of the twisted pair of wires. The first wire gripper of the transfer unit holds the first individual wire, and the second wire gripper holds the second individual wire. The distance between the first wire gripper and the second wire gripper is variable, corresponding to the distance between the ends of the individual wires. Typically, the distance between the first wire gripper and the second wire gripper is reduced, so that the distance between the ends of the individual wires also becomes correspondingly smaller.

[0011] The ends of the individual wires, now spaced closer together, are then twisted together again. After the twisting process is complete, the twisted ends of the wires in the twisted pair will have a smaller gap, assuming high quality.

[0012] Typically, the distance between the first and second cable grippers is programmably variable. Programmable variation includes, for example, adjusting the distance between the first and second cable grippers according to a predefined or specifiable cable configuration (specifying a distance for a first crossing position, twist length, etc.) and / or according to a cable characteristic (cross-section, insulation thickness, etc.).

[0013] In embodiments, the first wire gripper and / or the second wire gripper is / are configured to fix the respective held individual wire. Alternatively, at least one of the stationary re-twisting module and one of the portable re-twisting module comprise a fixing device configured to fix the respective held individual wire. Fixing, as used herein, comprises holding for the purpose of preparing and / or carrying out the re-twisting process.

[0014] In embodiments, at least one stationary re-twisting module and one portable re-twisting module comprise a re-twisting head. Each re-twisting head holds the two individual conductors of the twisted conductor pair and performs a predetermined or predefinable, typically programmable, number of turns for re-twisting.

[0015] In certain embodiments, at least one of the re-twisting heads is movable in the direction of travel of the wire pair, thus applying a tensile force to the wire pair. Applying this tensile force ensures that wire parameters, such as the lay length, are maintained even for the re-twisted wire section at the wire end. The at least one of the re-twisting heads can be designed to be force-controlled in order to apply a predetermined or predetermined tensile force to the wire pair.

[0016] In some embodiments, the movable post-twisting module is designed as a carriage that is mounted on a linear guide of the device and is guided along the linear guide in the linear direction. A design as a linearly guided carriage allows for a particularly simple and effective construction. The carriage can be moved by means of a toothed belt drive, which further simplifies the construction.

[0017] In certain embodiments, the movable post-twisting module further comprises a drive for moving each held end of the wires in the direction of the wire. The drive is typically designed as a spindle drive.

[0018] In embodiments, the transfer unit further comprises a horizontal drive and a vertical drive, wherein the horizontal drive and the vertical drive are configured to move at least one of the first and second cable grippers vertically and horizontally in a plane perpendicular to the cable axis. For example, the horizontal drive is a horizontal spindle drive. For example, the vertical drive is a vertical spindle drive.

[0019] According to a further aspect, claim 10 specifies a method for twisting a first and second individual electrical conductor to form a conductor pair using a device described herein. The method comprises twisting the individual electrical conductors with the main twisting module to obtain a twisted conductor pair; moving the conductor grippers of the transfer module to a position corresponding to an associated individual conductor of the twisted conductor pair; transferring the individual conductors to their respective associated conductor grippers; reducing the distance between the conductor grippers; moving the twisted conductor pair to a post-twisting position; transferring the twisted conductor pair to the post-twisting heads of the post-twisting modules; and post-twisting the twisted conductor pair.

[0020] This method automates a re-twisting process with a reduced distance between the individual wires at the ends of the wire pair. For example, the distance between the individual wires at one or both ends of the wire pair can be specified via a user interface. It is also conceivable to specify the distance of the first crossing position of the individual wires at the respective end from the wire end. The first crossing position of the individual wires is the position, starting from the respective end under consideration, at which the wires first touch or cross each other to form the twisted state.

[0021] In some embodiments, the twisted wire pair is secured by one of the wire grippers or by a fixing gripper during re-twisting. This ensures particularly simple and reliable re-twisting.

[0022] In some embodiments, before the twisted wire pair is moved to the re-twisting position, the movable re-twisting module is moved towards the stationary re-twisting module. This releases the tension on the wire pair before it is moved. Releasing the tension on the wire pair reduces the risk of the individual wires coming loose from the wire grippers or shifting their position.

[0023] In embodiments, a tensile force is exerted on the twisted wire pair before and during the twisting process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The embodiments of the disclosure are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a twisted pair of wires to clarify the terms used herein; Fig. 2 another twisted pair of wires to clarify the terms used herein; Fig. 3 another twisted pair of wires to clarify the terms used herein; Fig. 4 a top view of a device for twisting a first and second single electrical conductor without a re-twisting device, to illustrate the aspects disclosed herein; Fig. 5 a top view of part of a device for twisting a first and second single electrical conductor, with a re-twisting device; Fig. 6 a part of the device 100 in a view from a low angle; Fig. 7 in perspective view the movable post-twisting module from a first direction; Fig. 8 in perspective view the movable post-twisting module from a second direction; Fig. 9 in perspective view the stationary post-twisting module 170 from a first direction, Fig. 10 in perspective view the stationary post-twisting module 170 from a second direction, Fig. 11 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 12 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 13 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 14 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 15 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 16 Enlarged sections from the views according to Fig. 13-15 ; Fig. 17 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 18 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 19 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein; Fig. 20 a combined view of a device described herein during the execution of a method described herein. DESCRIPTION OF EXECUTION FORMS

[0025] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a twisted pair of conductors 10 consisting of a first single conductor 11 and a second single conductor 12. One end 16 of the conductor pair 10 is defined as the leading end, which is guided in a device 100 described later for twisting. The other end 17 of the conductor pair is defined as the lagging end.

[0026] At the trailing end 17, a first contact 13 and a second contact 14 are attached to the conductors 11 and 12, respectively. A section between the ends 16 and 17 is twisted, meaning the conductors 11 and 12 interlock. Starting from the leading end 16, the conductors 11 and 12 first overlap or cross each other at a first crossing point P2. Similarly, starting from the trailing end 17, the conductors 11 and 12 first overlap or cross each other at a first crossing point P1.

[0027] For clarification, a section of the conductor pair 10 is shown in Fig. 2 shown again. The untwisted ends of the individual conductors 11, 12 at the trailing conductor end have a length a1. The distance between two identical crossings or overlaps of the conductors 11, 12 in the twisted area is specified as the lay length a2.

[0028] The distance a3 is defined in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conductor pair 10, in which the distances a1, a2 are defined. The distance a3 specifies the distance between the individual conductors 11, 12 at their respective ends. Fig. 2 at the lagging end 17. A corresponding distance a3, which is equal to or different from the distance a3 at the lagging end, is also defined at the leading end 16.

[0029] Fig. 3 shows the sub-area of ​​performance pair 10 from Fig. 2 In Fig. 3 is the distance a3 between the individual lines 11, 12 compared to Fig. 2 reduced.

[0030] In Fig. 4 For illustrative purposes, a device 100 for twisting the individual electrical conductors 11, 12 without a re-twisting device is shown.

[0031] In Fig. 4 The leading end 16 of the individual conductors 11, 12 is guided into a processing region 101, from where they can be guided further along a guide rail 105 along a machine axis. Processing modules 103, 104, 105, 106 can perform manipulations on the conductors 11, 12 in the processing region 101.

[0032] The leading ends of the individual conductors 11, 12 are stripped by a cutting head 102 and fed successively to processing modules 103, 104 on one side by a first swiveling unit 107. Here, for example, a grommet and a contact can be mounted at the conductor end.

[0033] The first swivel unit 107 then brings the pair of cables 10 back towards the machine axis. There, its individual cables 11, 12 are guided through it until they can be gripped by a pull-out carriage 109. Depending on the desired cable length, the individual cables 11, 12 are pulled out from the pull-out carriage 109 along the guide rail 105 in the defined linear guide direction.

[0034] The individual conductors 11, 12 are then gripped by a second swivel unit 108 and cut and stripped by the cutting head 102. The trailing conductor ends are fed by the second swivel unit 108 to the processing modules 105, 106 on the other side and fully assembled, i.e., each fitted with a ferrule and a contact.

[0035] A transfer module 111 takes the trailing end 17 of the individual wires 11, 12, brings them to a smaller distance, and, after a pivoting movement, transfers them to a holding module 110. A receiving module 112 transfers the leading end 16 of the individual wires 11, 12 to a twisting head 120. The twisting head 120 is installed in the device 100 according to Fig. 4 rotated, while simultaneously being moved towards the holding module 110 by means of traction force control. The twisting head 120 forms a main twisting device with which, for example, the in Fig. 2 The pair of conductors shown is available, which has a comparatively large distance a3 between the individual conductors 11, 12 at the respective ends 16 and 17.

[0036] In Fig. 5 Is the device 100 made of Fig. 4 The diagram is shown in part, with an additional post-twisting device 160 provided. The post-twisting device 160 comprises a stationary post-twisting module 170 and a movable post-twisting module 180. The movable post-twisting module 180 is movable along a linear guide separately provided on the guide rail 105, which defines the linear guide direction for the movable post-twisting module 180. The linear guide direction is parallel to the direction of movement of the twisting head 120 or the extension slide 109.

[0037] Fig. 6 shows part of device 100 in a view from a low angle. Fig. 6 The holding module 110 and the twisting head 120 are shown as examples. Instead of the holding module 110, it is also conceivable to provide an additional twisting head alongside the twisting head 120.

[0038] The stationary re-twisting module 170 has a re-twisting head 173 and a transfer unit 172. Similarly, the portable re-twisting module 180 has a re-twisting head 183 and a transfer unit 182. In the Fig. 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the stationary re-twisting module 170 also has a fixing gripper 171. The portable re-twisting module 180 can accordingly have a fixing gripper (not shown).

[0039] The transfer units 172 and 182 are configured to take over the twisted wire pair 10, which has been twisted by the twisting head 120, and transfer it to the respective re-twisting head 173 or 183. The fixing grippers 171 and 181, if provided, hold the wire pair 10 during the re-twisting process.

[0040] The movable post-twisting module 180 is designed as a carriage that can be moved on the linear guide 105 by a toothed belt drive (not shown). This allows different end positions of the twisting head 120 to be reached, depending on the cable to be twisted.

[0041] Fig. 7 The perspective view shows the movable post-twisting module 180 from a first direction, Fig. 8 It shows from a second direction. The re-twisting head 183 can be moved by a twisting motor 188 via a toothed belt drive. Additionally, the re-twisting head 183 can be moved in the cable direction via a first spindle drive 189. The transfer unit 182 carries a first cable gripper 184 and a second cable gripper 185, which serve to grip the ends of the individual cables 11, 12, which are located at a wide distance a3 from each other. One of the cable grippers 183, 185 is attached to a linear axis, which allows the distance between the two cable grippers to be programmably changed. The linear axis can be designed as a servo axis.

[0042] The transfer unit 182 has a horizontal spindle drive 186b and a vertical spindle drive 186a. The cable grippers 184, 185 can thus be moved vertically and horizontally in a plane at right angles to the cable axis. Besides the spindle drives with associated servo motors and guides, other options are conceivable for executing these movements, such as pistonless pneumatic cylinders.

[0043] Fig. 9 The perspective view shows the stationary post-twisting module 170 from a first direction, Fig. 10 It shows from a second direction. The stationary re-twisting module 170 comprises the re-twisting head 173 and the transfer unit 172. This module does not need to be moved; therefore, these components are not connected to each other and are individually attached to the machine frame. The re-twisting head 173 is constructed similarly to the re-twisting head 183 and can be moved in the direction of the twisted wire pair 10 by means of a pneumatic cylinder. The transfer unit 172 has a first wire gripper 174 and a second wire gripper 175, the distance between which can be changed by a linear axis 177.

[0044] The wire pair 10 can be fixed during re-twisting by a wire gripper 174, 175 or by the separately provided fixing gripper 171.

[0045] The transfer unit 172 has three axes of movement: A horizontal toothed belt drive 178 and a first vertical spindle drive 176a move the cable grippers 174, 175 and the fixing gripper 171 together in one plane perpendicular to the axis of the cable pair 10. A horizontal spindle drive 176b moves the cable grippers 174, 175 alone parallel to the axis of the cable pair 10.

[0046] The Fig. 11 bis 19 Figures 100 each show the device at different times during the execution of a procedure described herein. The parts (a) of the Fig. 11 bis 15 , 17 bis 20 The respective upper sections show a view with a direction from a twisting axis V to a post-twisting axis; the parts (b) of the Fig. 11 bis 15 , 17 bis 20 The respective lower sections show a view from below. It goes without saying that the in Fig. 11 bis 20 The exemplary procedure described can be adapted if only one of the leading end 16 and lagging end 17 is to be re-twisted by not bringing the conductor ends together and re-twisting at the corresponding end.

[0047] In Fig. 11 The initial situation is shown. Components not labelled with reference numerals in the following figures correspond to those in Fig. 11 .

[0048] In Fig. 11 A pre-assembled pair of conductors 10, twisted with the twisting head 120, consisting of a first single electrical conductor 11 and a second single electrical conductor 12, is held in the holding module 110. The distance a3 between the first single electrical conductor 11 and the second single electrical conductor 12 is comparatively large. The conductor grippers 184, 185 of the portable re-twisting module 180 and the conductor grippers 174, 175 of the stationary re-twisting module 170 are in a waiting position above and between the twisting axis V and the re-twisting axis N.

[0049] In the Fig. 12 In the first step shown, the two pairs of cable grippers 174, 175; 184, 185 are moved horizontally until they are positioned over the respective cable ends. The cable grippers 174, 175; 184, 185 can be moved to their respective positions sequentially or simultaneously in the direction of the cable.

[0050] In the Fig. 13 In the next step shown, the cable gripper pairs 174, 175; 184, 185 are lowered and are then located at the level of the twisting axis V.

[0051] In the Fig. 14 In the step shown, the distance between cable gripper 174 and cable gripper 175, and between cable gripper 184 and cable gripper 185, is reduced, and the cable gripper pair 184, 185 is shifted slightly horizontally to grip the two cable ends 11, 12. The cable is then transferred to the cable grippers 184, 185 and 174, 175, respectively, by closing the two cable gripper pairs 174, 175; 184, 185 and subsequently opening the cable grippers of the twisting head and the holding module 110.

[0052] As in Fig. 15 As shown, after the transfer, the conductor ends 11 and 12 are brought to the desired distance for re-twisting. For this purpose, the distance between the respective conductor grippers 174 to 175 and 184 to 185 is further reduced by a further movement of the respective linear axes.

[0053] Fig. 16 Figures (a)-(c) show a close-up of the conductor grippers 184, 185 of the portable re-twisting module 180, where (a) is a close-up from Fig. 13 represents, (b) an enlargement from Fig. 14 represents and (c) an enlargement from Fig. 15 The cable grippers 184 and 185 are located in Fig. 16 in (a)-(c) each in different positions.

[0054] Fig. 17 displays the Fig. 15 subsequent step. In Fig. 17 The wire pair 10 is released by moving the movable re-twisting module 180 towards the stationary re-twisting module 170. Releasing the wire pair 10 reduces the risk of the wire ends slipping out of or being displaced within the wire grippers 174, 175; 184, 185 when the wire pair 10 is subsequently moved.

[0055] The two transfer units 172, 182 then move the cable pair 10 to the re-twisting axis N, first performing a vertical movement at the stationary re-twisting module 170 so that it moves out of the area of ​​the open holding module 110. The two re-twisting heads 173, 183 are in an angular position that allows the cable pair 10 to be inserted into the open cable grippers 174, 175; 184, 185 of the re-twisting heads 173, 183 without collision.

[0056] Fig. 18 This shows the final position of the two transfer units. From this point on, the twisting head and the holding module are no longer shown in the figures.

[0057] Next, the wire pair 10 is prepared for re-twisting. For this purpose, the wire pair 10 is straightened again and gripped by the re-twisting heads 173, 183. Then the wire grippers 174, 175; 184, 185 are opened.

[0058] Before re-twisting, both ends of the wire pair 10 are fixed. In the stationary re-twisting module 170, this is done by the fixing gripper 171. After a horizontal position correction of the transfer unit 172, the fixing gripper 171 closes, thereby gripping the wire pair 10. In the mobile re-twisting module 180, the fixing is achieved by one of the two wire grippers 184, 185, which is correctly positioned by a horizontal movement of the transfer unit 182 in order to clamp the entire wire pair 10 when it closes.

[0059] Fig. 19 Figure 1 shows the situation immediately before re-twisting. The conductor ends of the stretched conductor pair 10 are held in the two re-twisting heads 173, 183, and the conductor pair 10 is fixed with the fixing gripper 171 and a conductor gripper 184, 185.

[0060] If necessary, a tensile force can be applied to the lines 11, 12 to be twisted.

[0061] The actual re-twisting is carried out by rotating the re-twisting heads 173, 183. For example, a (not shown) machine control is provided, which calculates a number of revolutions for the re-twisting heads 173, 183 from the known process parameters (strike length, guide outer diameter, etc.) and controls them accordingly.

[0062] Fig. 20 The device shows the finished pair of wires 10 with the two twisted cable ends 16, 17.

[0063] The clamp can be released and the wire pair 10 dropped after opening the re-twisting heads 173, 183, provided that the re-twisting heads 173, 183 are first brought into the correct angular position. It is also conceivable to first open the re-twisting heads 173, 183 and move the cable through the transfer units 172, 182 before laying it down.

Claims

1. An apparatus (100) for twisting a first and a second single electrical wire (11, 12) to form a cable pair (10), wherein the device (100) comprises a main twisting device (120) and a retwisting device (160) with a stationary retwisting module (170) and a retwisting module (180) that is movable along a linear guide direction, wherein each of the retwisting modules (170, 180) comprises a transfer unit (172, 182) for transferring and holding an end of the twisted cable pair (10), wherein the transfer unit (172, 182) comprises a first wire gripper (174, 184) for the first single electrical wire (11) and a second wire gripper (175, 185) for the second single electrical wire (12), wherein a relative distance between the first wire gripper and the second wire gripper can be changed, typically changed programmably, according to a distance (a3) between the ends of the wires (11, 12), wherein at least one of the stationary retwisting module (170) and the movable retwisting module (180) is configured for retwisting of the respective held cable pair (10).

2. The apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the first wire gripper (174, 184) and / or the second wire gripper (175, 185) is configured to fix the respective held single electrical wire (11, 12).

3. The apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein at least one of the stationary retwisting module (170) and the movable retwisting module (180) comprises a fixing device, typically a fixing gripper device (171, 181) which is configured to fix the respective held single electrical wire (11, 12).

4. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the stationary retwisting module (170) and the movable retwisting module (180) comprises a retwisting head (173, 183), wherein each retwisting head (173, 183) holds both single electrical wires (11, 12) of the twisted cable pair (10) and performs a predefined or predefinable, typically programmable number of revolutions for the retwisting.

5. The apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein at least one of the retwisting heads (173, 183) is movable in the extension direction of the cable pair (10), typically movable under feedback-controlled force, so that a tensile force is exerted on the cable pair.

6. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movable retwisting module (180) is embodied as a carriage which is provided on a linear guide (105) of the device and movable along the linear guide (105) in guided manner in the linear guide direction.

7. The apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein the carriage is movable by means of a toothed belt drive.

8. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movable retwisting module (180) further comprises a drive unit, typically a spindle drive, for moving a respective held end of the wires (11, 12) in the direction of the wire.

9. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer unit (171, 181) further comprises a horizontal drive unit, typically a horizontal spindle drive, and a vertical drive unit, typically a vertical spindle drive, wherein the horizontal drive unit and the vertical drive unit are configured in such manner that they move at least one of the first and second wire grippers vertically and horizontally in a plane aligned at right angles to the cable axis.

10. Method for twisting a first and a second single electrical wire (11, 12) to form a cable pair (10) using an apparatus (100) according to any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the method comprises the following: twisting the single electrical wires (11, 12) with the main twisting module (120) to obtain a twisted cable pair (10); moving the wire grippers (174, 175; 184, 185) of the transfer module (172, 182) to a position corresponding to an associated single electrical wire (11, 12) of the twisted cable pair (10); transferring the single electrical wires (11, 12) to the respectively associated wire grippers (174, 175; 184, 185); reducing the distance between the wire grippers (174, 175; 184, 185); bringing the twisted cable pair (10) to a retwisting position; transferring the twisted cable pair to the retwisting heads (173, 183) of the retwisting modules (170, 180); performing retwisting of the twisted cable pair (10).

11. Method according to Claim 10, wherein during the retwisting the twisted cable pair (10) is fixed by one of the wire grippers (174, 175; 184, 185) or by a fixing gripper (171, 181) .

12. Method according to Claim 10 or 11, further comprising: before bringing the twisted cable pair (10) to the retwisting position: moving the movable retwisting module (180) towards the stationary retwisting module (170).

13. Method according to any one of Claims 10 to 12 further comprising: before the retwisting of the twisted cable pair (10) and during the retwisting: exerting a tensile force on the cable pair (10) that is to be twisted.