Systems and methods for forming conductive wire from low purity feedstock

Abstract

A wire forming system and method for producing electrically conductive wire from feedstock having lower purity than traditionally required for wire manufacturing. The system comprises a cold-drawing station, a rotary swaging station, and an annealing station configured to process wire rod feedstock comprising recycled conductive material having purity between 99% and 99.95%. A closed-loop control system integrates sensors for collecting process data and a model-based controller comprising a machine learning digital twin for dynamically adjusting operational parameters. The process generates elongated grain microstructures that minimize grain boundaries perpendicular to electron flow, thereby compensating for impurities in the feedstock. This enables production of wire having conductivity of at least 95% IACS and tensile strength of at least 200 MPa without requiring traditional smelting and refining steps to achieve higher purity levels, while maintaining performance comparable to wire produced from high-purity feedstock.

Description

Systems and Methods for Forming Conductive Wire from Low Purity FeedstockCOPYRIGHT NOTICE

[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The systems and methods disclosed herein relate to the manufacture of electrical wire.BACKGROUND

[0003] Existing wire forming techniques require high purity feedstock. The primary copper supply is expected to decline by 2028, while copper demand is expected to double by 2050. Europe, for instance, faces a net deficit between smelting capacities and copper needs.

[0004] Shredding and sorting players are now able to produce copper granulates with 99.9% purity using grade 2 copper; however, this level of purity is insufficient to achieve electrical conductivity with existing wire forming technologies. Continuous casting utilizing only these copper granulates may be used to form copper wire / rods; however, they must have larger diameters to reach necessary conductivity levels. These larger diameter rods are not feasible in many applications.

[0005] What is needed are systems and methods for forming conductive wire using low purity source materials.GENERAL DESCRIPTION

[0006] The systems and methods disclosed herein allow the electrical wire industry to maximize the use of recycled copper feedstock, for example, by reducing the high purity requirement that until now set the rules of the industry. Additionally, the systems and methods disclosed herein remove the traditional smelting step, which is both energy and cost intensive. Utilization of the systems and methods disclosed herein results in a reduction in the price of feedstock for wire manufacturing and secures copper supply.

[0007] The systems and methods disclosed herein include the use of sensors, predictive models, and machine learning to optimize the manufacturing process.

[0008] The primary competitive advantages of the systems and methods disclosed herein are twofold: first, providing the opportunity to secure copper feedstock supply;Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 1 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationand second, significantly lowering the price of feedstock, increasing the margin of the whole process. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways to realize one or more of the following advantages.

[0009] A wire forming system can be used to produce electrically conductive wire from low purity feedstock. The wire forming system can include a cold-drawing station. The wire forming system can include a rotary swaging station. The wire forming system can include an annealing station. The cold-drawing station can be configured to reduce a wire rod to a first diameter. The rotary swaging station can be configured to reduce the wire rod to a second diameter. The annealing station can be configured to subject the wire rod to a controlled heating and cooling process. The controlled heating and cooling process can induce recrystallization and / or grain elongation.

[0010] The wire forming system can include one or more sensors. The one or more sensors can be configured to collect process data. The process data can include wire diameter, wire diameter reduction ratios, feed rates, time, and / or temperature. The wire forming system can include a control system. The control system can be communicatively linked to the one or more sensors. The control system can receive the process data. The control system can output control signals. The control signals can adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming system.

[0011] The control system can include a model-based controller. The model-based controller can include a machine learning digital twin. The machine learning digital twin can be configured to virtually simulate a wire forming process. The machine learning digital twin can virtually simulate the wire forming process in real-time and / or near real-time. The machine learning digital twin can include predictors. The predictors can correspond to each of the rotary swaging station, the cold-drawing station, and / or the annealing station. The predictors can include grain size predictors. The predictors can include conductivity predictors. The predictors can include mechanical strength predictors. The machine learning digital twin can include physics-based machine learning algorithms.

[0012] The wire forming system can include an optimizer. The optimizer can be configured to receive the process data and / or the control signals. The optimizer can iteratively update a predictive model of the control system. The predictive model can be configured to dynamically adjust process parameters. The predictive model can match variations in impurity profiles and / or feedstock grain structure.

[0013] The one or more sensors can be positioned to characterize the wire rod before it enters the wire forming system. The one or more sensors can be positioned before and / or after each of the cold-drawing station, the rotary swaging station, and / or the annealing station. The one or more sensors can include a spectrometer configuredDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 2 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationto determine chemical composition. The one or more sensors can include a conductivity meter configured to determine conductivity. The one or more sensors can include a tensile test bench configured to determine mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, elongation at ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and / or Young's modulus. The one or more sensors can include a hardness bench configured to determine hardness.

[0014] The wire forming system can be configured to receive feedstock. The feedstock can include recycled copper granulates. The feedstock can have a purity of 99% to 99.95%. The feedstock can include copper, a copper alloy, and / or aluminum. The feedstock can include grade 2 copper. The feedstock can be derived from copper scrap such as e-waste and / or end-of-life cables.

[0015] The wire forming system can be configured to produce wire having a conductivity of at least 95% IACS. The wire forming system can be configured to produce wire having a conductivity of 98% to 102% IACS. The wire forming system can be configured to produce wire having a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa. The wire forming system can increase the conductivity of the wire rod by at least 2% IACS relative to a feedstock conductivity.

[0016] The wire forming system can include a continuous casting station. The continuous casting station can be configured to form wire rod from copper granulates. The wire rod can be formed prior to processing by the cold-drawing station. The wire rod can have a diameter of 15 mm or larger.

[0017] The annealing station can generate elongated grain microstructure. The annealing station can generate super-long grains. The super-long grains can minimize grain boundaries perpendicular to electron flow. The elongated grain microstructure can reduce electron scattering. The reduced electron scattering can overcome impurities in the wire. The wire can have reduced high angle grain boundaries compared to standard copper electrical wire.

[0018] A method to form electrically conductive wire from low purity feedstock can include cold-drawing a wire rod to reduce the wire rod to a first diameter. The method can include rotary swaging the wire rod to reduce the wire rod to a second diameter. The method can include annealing the wire rod by subjecting the wire rod to a controlled heating and cooling process. The controlled heating and cooling process can induce recrystallization. The controlled heating and cooling process can generate elongated grain microstructure.

[0019] The rotary swaging can be performed prior to the cold-drawing. The colddrawing can be performed prior to the rotary swaging. The method can include collecting process data from one or more sensors. The method can include adjusting an operational parameter based on the process data.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 3 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0020] The method can include processing the process data with a predictive model. The predictive model can output control signals. The control signals can adjust the operational parameter. The method can include iteratively updating the predictive model using an optimizer. The optimizer can receive the process data and / or the control signals.

[0021] The process data can include wire diameter. The process data can include wire diameter reduction ratios. The process data can include feed rates. The process data can include process time. The process data can include temperature. The process data can include characterization data. The characterization data can include resistivity, chemical composition, tensile strength, and / or hardness of a feedstock material.

[0022] The method can include shredding and / or sorting copper scrap to produce the feedstock. The copper scrap can be processed prior to continuous casting to form the wire rod.

[0023] A method to control a wire forming process can include collecting process data from one or more sensors. The method can include processing the process data with a predictive model. The predictive model can generate control signals. The control signals can be used to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming process. The method can include adjusting the operational parameter based on the control signals. The method can include iteratively updating the predictive model based on the process data and / or the control signals.

[0024] Processing the process data can include using a machine learning digital twin. The machine learning digital twin can virtually simulate the wire forming process.

[0025] The operational parameter can include reduction ratios associated with colddrawing and / or rotary swaging. The operational parameter can include annealing time. The operational parameter can include annealing temperature. At least two of the operational parameters can be adjusted in batches once per bobbin. The adjustment can provide near real-time control specific to a feedstock. The adjustments can be performed in real-time.

[0026] The process data can include characterization data obtained using a three-point bending test. The three-point bending test can estimate a multi-linear stressstrain curve from a load-deflection bending curve. The process data can include characterization data obtained using a material removal method. The material removal method can be used to estimate residual stress profiles based on measurement of radial displacement of the wire after removal of a layer of material.

[0027] An electrically conductive wire can be produced by the method. The wire can have a conductivity of at least 95% IACS. The wire can have a conductivity of 98% toDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 4 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application102% IACS. The wire can have a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa. The wire can be an enameled wire. The wire can be a wire rod. The wire can have a diameter ranging from 0.8 mm to 3 mm. The wire can have a diameter ranging from 3 mm to 10 mm. The wire can have a square profile with length and width from 0.8 mm to 3 mm.

[0028] The electrically conductive wire can be used as electrical wire, construction wire, busbars, rectangular wire, wire rods, aluminum wire and / or bars, and / or copper alloy wire. The electrically conductive wire can be used in magnet wire manufacturing. Magnet wires can be used in electric motors, wind turbines, power converters, and / or electronic devices.

[0029] An electronic computing device can be used to implement the control system and / or the model-based controller. The electronic computing device can include a processor. The electronic computing device can include memory. The memory can store instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, can cause the control system to perform the functions of the predictive model and / or the optimizer.

[0030] The machine learning digital twin can be trained using data sources including literature state of the art studies, experimental results, and / or simulations. Data can be gathered from measurements, sensors, logs, scraping, and / or retrieval augmented generation. Data wrangling can include large language model extraction, heuristics, physics embedding, cleaning, sanity checks, and / or feature engineering. Data mining can include correlation matrices, performance analysis of different alloys, Spearman correlation, and / or Pearson correlation.

[0031] Model training can include training automatized optimal artificial intelligence models with heuristic rules and / or partial labels. The system can be trained in less than 1 day. The system can provide an answer in less than 5 seconds. Evaluation metrics can include absolute and / or percentual error between predictions and ground truth values. Target parameters can include electrical conductivity, ultimate tensile strength, and / or grain size.

[0032] Testing temperatures can vary from 0°C to 200°C. Testing can be completed at room temperature.

[0033] Wires produced by the wire forming system can be recycled at end of life. The recycled wires can be reused to make new wires.

[0034] The general description is provided to give a general introduction to the described subject matter as well as a synopsis of some of the technological improvements and / or advantages it provides. The general description and background are not intended to identify essential aspects of the described subject matter, nor should they be used to constrict or limit the scope of the claims. For example, the scope of the claims should not be limited based on whether the recited subject matterDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 5 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationincludes any or all aspects noted in the general description and / or addresses any of the issues noted in the background.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The preferred and other embodiments are described in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0036] Fig. 1 depicts an example of the recycled copper supply chain.

[0037] Fig. 2 depicts an exemplary process for manufacturing wire and examples of some of the parameters that may be tracked with sensors, in some embodiments.

[0038] Fig. 3 depicts a comparison of the structure of a standard copper wire against a wire generated using the systems and methods disclosed herein.

[0039] Fig. 4 depicts an exemplary process for manufacturing wire.

[0040] Fig. 5 depicts an embodiment wherein a model-based controller and sensors are incorporated into a wire-forming process.

[0041] Fig. 6 depicts another embodiment of Fig. 5.

[0042] Fig. 7 depicts an embodiment of the machine learning digital twin.

[0043] Fig. 8 is a block diagram depicting machine learning optimization of the systems and methods disclosed herein.

[0044] Figs. 9 and 10 depict an embodiment of a machine learning training strategy.

[0045] Fig. 11 depicts possible characterization parameters and associated testing methods.

[0046] Fig. 12 is a graph depicting conductivity improvements achieved in lab testing.

[0047] Fig. 13 is a graph depicting tensile strength improvements achieved in lab testing.

[0048] Fig. 14 shows one embodiment of an electronic computing device that can be used in the receipt and analysis of sensor data.

[0049] Fig. 15 shows various embodiments of the devices that can be included as part of the electronic computing device in Fig. 14.

[0050] Fig. 16 shows various embodiments of the electronic computing device in Fig.14 communicatively linked to one or more additional electronic computing devices by way of a network.DETAIEED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0051] Before any embodiments of the present disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the systems and methods disclosed herein are not limited inDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 6 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationtheir application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The systems and methods disclosed herein are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. It should be noted that there are many different and alternative configurations, devices, and technologies to which the disclosed embodiments may be applied. The full scope of the embodiments is not limited to the examples that are described below.

[0052] In the following examples of the illustrated embodiments, references are made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which the systems, methods, processes, and / or apparatuses disclosed herein may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and that structural and functional changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0053] Disclosed herein are systems and methods for forming conductive wire using low purity source materials. In some embodiments, one or more plastic deformation step(s) are added to the known in the art conductive wire-forming process generating an optimized microstructure for enhancing conductivity. In some embodiments, the systems and methods disclosed herein are capable of using lower purity feedstock than existing methods due to the dynamic adjustment of wire forming parameters based on characterization and a machine learning model-based controller. Feedstock may comprise copper, copper alloys, aluminum, or any conductive material having appropriate characteristics for use as electrically conductive wire.

[0054] Electrically conductive wire generated using the systems and methods disclosed herein may be utilized as electrical wire, construction wires, busbars, rectangular wires, wire rods, aluminum wires and bars, and copper alloy wires, among others. In some embodiments, an anticipated application of wires generated using the systems and methods disclosed herein is magnet wire manufacturing.Magnet wires are used in electric motors, wind turbines, power converters, and electronic devices, as examples.

[0055] Fig. 1 depicts an example of the upstream process in the recycled copper supply chain. As depicted, copper scrap (e.g., grade 2, e-waste, or end-of-life cables, in some embodiments) is shredded and sorted 25 resulting in copper granulates with 99.3% to 99.95% purity, 99.5% in some embodiments. This level of purity is insufficient to achieve electrical conductivity with existing wire-forming technologies without smelting or refining. The copper granulates may then be processed using continuous casting 30 to result in wire rods (15 mm or larger, in some embodiments). Increasing the amount of copper, i.e., the diameter of the wire, is not an adequate solution for increased conductivity in many applications.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 7 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent ApplicationGrain Optimization

[0056] The systems and methods disclosed herein aim, in some embodiments, to optimize the size and shape of the grains of the wire to obtain what is called “superlong grains,” which minimize the number of grain boundaries perpendicular to the electron stream. This increased electron flow overcomes the impurities within the low purity (scrap) feedstock, resulting in the production of standardized > 99% IACS conductivity wires, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, conductivity is 95% or greater. In some embodiments, conductivity may range from 95% to 102% for some copper alloys. In some embodiments, conductivity may range from 98% to 102% for some recycled copper.

[0057] In some embodiments, grain elongation is driven by a deformation, heating, and cooling process. Figure 2 depicts an exemplary process for manufacturing wire and examples of some of the parameters that may be tracked with one or more sensors 139, in some embodiments. In the depicted embodiment, the wire enters the wire forming process 1 with coarse grain microstructure resulting from continuous casting methods 30. After a rotary swaging 80 deformation step, the grains are finer, more elongated, and compact. Rotary swaging 80 is not used in traditional wire forming processes. In the depicted embodiment, after cold-drawing 70, the grain size is ultrafine, submicron, and homogenous across the radius of the wire. Finally, during annealing 90, a heating and slow cooling process, in the depicted embodiment, recrystallization occurs resulting in “super-long” grains. In some embodiments, the wire rod enters the wire-forming process 1 at 15 mm and the wire-forming process 1 yields 90-100% conductivity wire with greater than 200MPa tensile strength.

[0058] Figure 3 depicts grain optimization between an example copper electrical wire and a copper electrical wire manufactured using the systems and methods disclosed herein. In the depicted embodiment, the electrical wire manufactured using the systems and methods disclosed herein has reduced high angle grain boundaries and therefore reduced electron scattering which overcomes impurities in the wire.

[0059] Fig. 4 depicts an example of the wire forming process 1 including some examples of parameters that may be measured using one or more sensors 139. For instance, the reduction ratios, rl and r2, in the cold-drawing 70 and rotary swaging 80 processes may be monitored with one or more sensors 139 and time, tl, and temperature, T, may be measured and monitored with one or more sensors 139 in the annealing 90 process. Other parameters not depicted, such as feed rates, may be monitored with the one or more sensors 139.Sensing and Control

[0060] In some embodiments, a control system is integrated into the manufacturing process. Figs. 5 and 6 depict embodiments of a wire-forming process 1 with integratedDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 8 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationcontrol system. The control system manages data received from one or more sources to dynamically adjust the manufacturing process to produce the desired characteristics in the resulting wire product. In some embodiments, the control system is model-based 98. In some embodiments, the control system integrates a closed-loop system with the wire-forming process 1. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 5, the sensors 139 are used to characterize the wire rod as it enters the wireforming process 1, or before it enters the wire-forming process 1, to inform the modelbased controller 98. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 6, the sensors 139 additionally provide information before and after each step of the process to adjust the process parameters more dynamically.

[0061] A closed-loop control system incorporates two key elements that are not present in the traditional open-loop wire-forming process:• Sensors 139 provide the controller 101 with comprehensive information about the feedstock. In the depicted embodiment, the feedstock is 99.5% copper wire rod with 95% IACS conductivity.a. Conventional characterization data (Fig. 11), comprising one or more of resistivity, chemical composition, tensile strength, hardness, and any other data about the structure, composition, properties, and defects of a given material in order to understand how it behaves during formation and throughout its lifespan.• The model-based controller 98 is designed to identify the most efficient set of wire-forming parameters for at least one of rotary swaging 80, cold-drawing 70, and annealing 90.a. The controller 101 assesses a wide range of inputs and identifies those that yield optimal results.b. A machine learning digital twin model 99 is able to reproduce the actual wire forming process 1 in near real-time or real-time, in some embodiments, thus providing an estimation of the output associated with the input parameters tested by the controller 101. The model-based controller 98 can dynamically adjust process parameters to match variations in impurity profiles and feedstock grain structure.

[0062] In some embodiments, the one or more sensors 139 rely on existing characterization methods (tensile testing, chemical composition testing, conductivity testing), as well as other characterization methods such as 3 point bending test and material removal method. The 3-point bending test characterization method comprises estimating a multi-linear stress-strain curve from a load-deflection bending curve due to an empirical model, material removal method may be used to characterize the removal of material and comprises estimating a residual stressDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 9 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationprofile based on the measurement of the radial displacement of the wire after the removal of a layer of material.

[0063] Fig. 7 depicts an embodiment of the machine learning digital twin 99. The digital twin 99 comprises nine predictors, which are divided into the following categories: grain size, conductivity, and mechanical strength predictors for each step of the process: swaging 80, cold-drawing 70, and annealing 90. In some embodiments, all predictors rely on machine learning (ML) algorithms, which are physics-based.

[0064] In some embodiments, the grain size predictors are feeding the other predictors with features. Consequently, they do not produce outputs for the digital twin 99 itself, but rather for the conductivity and strength predictors, which provide the target outputs for the wire forming process 1. In some embodiments, parameters are adjusted in batches once per bobbin, providing near real-time control specific to the feedstock. In some embodiments, adjustments are performed in real-time.

[0065] Fig. 8 is an exemplary block diagram depicting sensors 139, optimizer 50, predictive model 60, and the wire forming process 1. The sensors 139 are used to gather important parameters and data from the process 1. In the depicted embodiment, sensor 139 data is sent through the optimizer 50 and predictive modeling 60. Updates are regularly made to the model 60 and used to optimize the wire forming process 1.

[0066] Figs. 9 and 10 depict an embodiment of machine learning training strategy. In the depicted embodiment, data sources comprise literature state of the art studies, experimental results, and simulators. Data may be gathered from one or more of measurements, sensors, logs, scraping, and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and centralized into one dataset, in some embodiments. Data wrangling comprises large language model (LLM) extraction, heuristics, physics embedding, cleaning, sanity checks, and feature engineering, in some embodiments. In the iterative process of data mining, patterns and correlations are discovered and assessed using statistics and materials engineering knowledge to guide which variable(s) matter most in model training. Data mining comprises correlation matrices, performance of different alloys, Spearman correlation, and Pearson correlation.

[0067] In some embodiments, model training comprises training automatized optimal artificial intelligence (Al) models with heuristic rules and partial labels. The system, in some embodiments, can be trained in less than 1 day and provide an answer in less than 5 seconds. The evaluation metrics are comprises of the absolute and percentage error between predictions and ground truth values, in some embodiments. Target parameters comprise critical outputs such as electrical conductivity, ultimate tensile strength, and grain size.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 10 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0068] Fig. 11 depicts possible characterization parameters and associated testing methods. A spectrometer may be utilized to determine chemical composition; a conductivity-meter may be utilized to determine conductivity at one or more temperature(s); a tensile test bench maybe utilized to determine one or more of ultimate tensile strength (UTS), elongation at UTS, yield strength, and Young’s modulus; and a hardness bench may be utilized to determine hardness, in the depicted embodiment. Testing temperatures can vary from 0°C to 200°C, in some embodiments. In some embodiments, testing is completed at room temperature. Other tests and methods may be utilized to determine one or more other characteristics of the feed materials and resulting products.Experimental Results

[0069] The following examples are provided to further illustrate the disclosed subject matter. They should not be used to constrict or limit the scope of the claims in any way.

[0070] Experimental results have yielded the ability to decouple the inverse correlation between conductivity and tensile strength. Figs. 12 and 13 are graphs depicting some of those results. The systems and methods disclosed herein are capable of increasing conductivity in grade 2 copper wire by at least 2%. The systems and methods disclosed herein are capable of increasing tensile strength in grade 2 copper wire by at least 19%.

[0071] Tables 1 and 2 show some of the experimental results achieved so far.Table 1Table 2Dkt. No.: 025852.001W01 Page 11 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0072] Table 1 shows the errors of 6 machine learning predictors, measured on experimental data and scientific literature. Table 2 shows the results of the wire manufacturing process, from wire rod (15 mm diameter) to wire (1.2 mm diameter), while varying some process parameters. It shows a repeated increase in both conductivity and tensile strength.

[0073] The conductivity enhancement process enables the production of both finished and semi-finished copper products, with performance comparable to Cu-ETP and a significantly lower environmental footprint due to use of recycled feedstock and lower CO2generation compared to standard purification and forming methods.

[0074] Wires produced by the systems and methods disclosed herein may be recycled at end of life and reused to make new wires; however, some impurities will be diluted in the matrix, and at each step, it will be slightly more complicated toDkt. No.: 025852.001W01 Page 12 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationremove impurities only using shredding and sorting. Once in ten lifecycles, the wires will therefore have to be smelted to remove impurities, in some embodiments. In practice the lifetime of a wire is 10-15 years. This means that the wires produced using the systems and methods disclosed herein have an estimated minimum lifespan of 100 years without need for smelting or refining.

[0075] The systems and methods disclosed herein are capable of producing enameled wires, wires, and wire rods with >99% IACS conductivity and >200 MPa yield strength. Enameled wires are finished products while wires and wire rods may undergo further treatment / processing. In some embodiments, enameled wire and wire products may range from 0.8 mm to 3 mm in diameter. In some embodiments, wire rod products may range from 3 mm to 10 mm in diameter. In some embodiments, wire products may have a square profile with length and width from 0.8 mm to 3 mm.Illustrative Embodiments

[0076] The following is a description of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. Each embodiment can include one or more of the various features, characteristics, or advantages of the disclosed subject matter. The embodiments are intended to illustrate a few aspects of the disclosed subject matter and should not be considered a comprehensive or exhaustive description of all possible embodiments.

[0077] Pl. A wire forming system (1) used to produce electrically conductive wire from low purity feedstock, the system comprising: a cold-drawing station (70) configured to reduce a wire rod to a first diameter; a rotary swaging station (80) configured to reduce the wire rod to a second diameter; and an annealing station (90) configured to subject the wire rod to a controlled heating and cooling process to induce recrystallization and grain elongation.

[0078] P2. The wire forming system according to Pl comprising a sensor (139) configured to collect process data including wire diameter, wire diameter reduction ratios, feed rates, time, and / or temperature.

[0079] P3. The wire forming system according to P2 comprising a control system (98, 101) communicatively linked to the sensor (139) to receive the process data and output control signals to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming system.

[0080] P4. The wire forming system according to P3 wherein the control system comprises a model-based controller (98) including a machine learning digital twin (99) configured to virtually simulate a wire forming process in real-time or near real-time.

[0081] P5. The wire forming system according to P4 wherein the machine learning digital twin (99) comprises predictors corresponding to each of the rotary swaging station (80), the cold-drawing station (70), and the annealing station (90), theDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 13 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationpredictors including grain size predictors, conductivity predictors, and / or mechanical strength predictors.

[0082] P6. The wire forming system according to any one of P3 to P4 comprising an optimizer (50) configured to receive the process data and the control signals to iteratively update a predictive model (60) of the control system.

[0083] P7. The wire forming system according to any one of P2 to P6 wherein the sensor (139) is positioned to characterize the wire rod before it enters the wire forming system (1), and / or before and after each of the cold-drawing station (70), the rotary swaging station (80), and the annealing station (90).

[0084] P8. The wire forming system according to any one of P2 to P7 wherein the sensor (139) comprises a spectrometer configured to determine chemical composition, a conductivity meter configured to determine conductivity, a tensile test bench configured to determine mechanical properties, and / or a hardness bench.

[0085] P9. The wire forming system according to any one of Pl to P8 wherein the system is configured to receive a feedstock comprising recycled copper granulates having a purity of 99% to 99.95%.

[0086] P10. The wire forming system according to any one of Pl to P9 wherein the feedstock comprises copper, a copper alloy, and / or aluminum.

[0087] Pll. The wire forming system according to any one of Pl to P10 wherein the system is configured to produce wire having a conductivity of at least 95% IACS.

[0088] P12. The wire forming system according to Pll wherein the system is configured to produce wire having a conductivity of 98% to 102% IACS.

[0089] P13. The wire forming system according to any one of Pl to P12 wherein the system is configured to produce wire having a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa.

[0090] P14. The wire forming system according to any one of Pl to P13 comprising a continuous casting station (30) configured to form wire rod from copper granulates prior to processing by the cold-drawing station (70).

[0091] P15. A control system (98, 101) used with a wire forming process (1), the control system comprising: a sensor (139) configured to collect process data from a cold-drawing station (70), a rotary swaging station (80), and / or an annealing station (90); a predictive model (60) configured to receive the process data and output control signals to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming process; and an optimizer (50) configured to receive the process data and the control signals to iteratively update the predictive model.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 14 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0092] P16. The control system according to P15 wherein the predictive model comprises a machine learning digital twin (99) configured to virtually simulate the wire forming process.

[0093] P17. The control system according to any one of P15 to P16 wherein the process data comprises characterization data including resistivity, chemical composition, tensile strength, and / or hardness of a feedstock material.

[0094] P18. The control system according to any one of P15 to P17 wherein the predictive model is configured to dynamically adjust process parameters to match variations in impurity profiles and feedstock grain structure.

[0095] P19. The control system according to any one of P15 to P18 comprising an electronic computing device (101) comprising a processor (103) and memory (105), wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control system to perform the functions of the predictive model and the optimizer.

[0096] P20. A method to form electrically conductive wire from low purity feedstock, the method comprising: cold-drawing (70) a wire rod to reduce the wire rod to a first diameter; rotary swaging (80) the wire rod to reduce the wire rod to a second diameter; and annealing (90) the wire rod by subjecting the wire rod to a controlled heating and cooling process to induce recrystallization and generate elongated grain microstructure.

[0097] P21. The method according to P20 wherein the rotary swaging (80) is performed prior to the cold-drawing (70).

[0098] P22. The method according to any one of P20 to P21 comprising collecting process data from a sensor (139) and adjusting an operational parameter of the method based on the process data.

[0099] P23. The method according to P22 comprising processing the process data with a predictive model (60) to output control signals that adjust the operational parameter.

[0100] P24. The method according to P23 comprising iteratively updating the predictive model using an optimizer (50) that receives the process data and the control signals.

[0101] P25. The method according to any one of P22 to P24 wherein the process data comprises wire diameter, wire diameter reduction ratios, feed rates, process time, and / or temperature.

[0102] P26. The method according to any one of P20 to P25 wherein the low purity feedstock has a purity of 99% to 99.95%.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 15 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0103] P27. The method according to any one of P20 to P26 wherein the feedstock comprises recycled copper granulates.

[0104] P28. The method according to any one of P20 to P27 comprising shredding and sorting copper scrap to produce the feedstock prior to continuous casting (30) to form the wire rod.

[0105] P29. The method according to any one of P20 to P28 wherein the annealing (90) generates super-long grains that minimize grain boundaries perpendicular to electron flow.

[0106] P30. The method according to any one of P20 to P29 wherein the method produces wire having a conductivity of at least 95% IACS.

[0107] P31. The method according to P30 wherein the method produces wire having a conductivity of 98% to 102% IACS.

[0108] P32. The method according to any one of P20 to P31 wherein the method produces wire having a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa.

[0109] P33. The method according to any one of P20 to P32 wherein the method increases the conductivity of the wire rod by at least 2% IACS relative to a feedstock conductivity.

[0110] P34. A method to control a wire forming process (1), the method comprising: collecting process data from a sensor (139); processing the process data with a predictive model (60) to generate control signals used to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming process; adjusting the operational parameter based on the control signals; and iteratively updating the predictive model based on the process data and the control signals.

[0111] P35. The method according to P34 wherein processing the process data comprises using a machine learning digital twin (99) to virtually simulate the wire forming process.

[0112] P36. The method according to P35 wherein the machine learning digital twin (99) comprises physics-based machine learning algorithms.

[0113] P37. The method according to any one of P34 to P36 wherein the operational parameter comprises reduction ratios associated with cold-drawing (70) and rotary swaging (80), annealing time, and / or annealing temperature.

[0114] P38. The method according to any one of P34 to P37 comprising adjusting at least two of the operational parameters in batches once per bobbin to provide near real-time control specific to a feedstock.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 16 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0115] P39. The method according to any one of P34 to P38 wherein the process data comprises characterization data obtained using a three-point bending test and / or a material removal method used to estimate residual stress profiles.

[0116] P40. An electrically conductive wire produced by the method according to any one of P20 to P33 wherein the wire has a conductivity of at least 95% IACS and a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa.Electronic Computing Device

[0117] Fig. 14 shows one embodiment of an electronic computing device 101 (alternatively referred to as an electronic controller, programmable logic controller, electronic control system, or electronic computing system) that can be used as a digital decision support platform for optimizing industrial production parameters, particularly for heat treatment and material transformation processes. Through the execution of predictive models based on machine learning, the system virtually simulates the behavior of the physical process, allowing the evaluation of the impact of different combinations of operational parameters on the final material properties.

[0118] This is a specific and practical application aimed at replacing the knowledge generated by extensive physical tests, generating directly actionable operational recommendations in an industrial context. The machine learning models are pretrained, using GPU(s), in some embodiments, and subsequently deployed in virtual execution environments, which may or may not employ GPUs, and can be applied to both processors and PCs, according to computational and operational needs, in order to achieve the generation and evaluation of industrial scenarios. In this way, the device acts as an oriented digital twin, in some embodiments.

[0119] Fig. 15 shows exemplary subcomponents that can be included as part of the electronic computing device 101.

[0120] The electronic computing device 101 includes one or more processors 103 (alternatively referred to as a digital processing unit or microprocessor) and memory 105 communicatively linked to each other by way of a system bus 107. In some embodiments, the electronic computing device 101 can also include one or more other interfaces and / or devices communicatively linked to the system bus 107.

[0121] For example, one or more storage devices 109 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 byway of one or more storage interfaces 111. One or more display devices 113 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 by way of one or more graphics interfaces 115. One or more input devices 117 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 by way of one or more input interfaces 119. One or more output devices 121 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 byway of one or more output interfaces 123. One or more communication devicesDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 17 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application125 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 by way of one or more communication interfaces 127.

[0122] It should be appreciated that the electronic computing device 101 can have a variety of configurations. For example, in some embodiments, the various components of the electronic computing device 101 can be positioned near each other in one or more housings and on a single circuit board or multiple circuit boards communicatively linked together, or the like. In other embodiments, the various components of the electronic computing device 101 can be located remotely. For example, the one or more input devices 117 and / or the one or more output devices 121 can be located remotely or at a distance from the one or more processors 103 and / or the memory 105.Processor

[0123] Each of the one or more processors 103 is an electric circuit such as an integrated circuit that executes program instructions. The processor 103 can perform operations such as arithmetic operations, logic operations, controlling operations, and input / output (I / O) operations specified by the program instructions. In some embodiments, the processor 103 includes a control unit (CU), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and / or a memory unit (alternatively referred to as cache memory).

[0124] The control unit can direct the operation of the processor 103 and / or instruct the memory 105, arithmetic logic unit, and output devices 121 how to respond to instructions in the program. It can also direct the flow of data or information between the processor 103 and other components of the electronic computing device 101. It can also control the operation of other components by providing timing and control signals.

[0125] The arithmetic logic unit is an electric circuit in the processor 103 that performs integer arithmetic and bitwise logic operations. The arithmetic logic unit receives input in the form of data or information to be operated on and code describing the operation to be performed. The arithmetic logic unit provides the result of the performed operation as output. In some configurations, the arithmetic logic unit can also include status inputs and / or outputs that convey information about a previous operation or the current operation between the arithmetic logic unit and external status registers.

[0126] It should be appreciated that the processor 103 can have any suitable configuration. For example, the processor 103 can range from a simple processor specially built or configured to execute one or more programs for a specific application or device to a complex central processing unit configured to be used in a wide variety of ways and an equally wide variety of applications.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 18 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0127] Examples of processors 103 can range from simple controllers to complex computing units. For instance, the processor 103 can be a microcontroller (MCU), a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU) implementing an instruction-set architecture such as ARM, RISC-V, or x86, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a more complex system-on-a-chip (SoC) that integrates multiple subsystems (e.g., memory, peripherals, and I / O) onto a single die or chiplet fabric. The processor 103 can be single-core or multi-core and can include specialized co-processors such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural / Al processing unit (NPU), a cryptographic or security engine, a video-encode / decode accelerator, or any combination thereof.Memory

[0128] The memory 105 (alternatively referred to as primary memory, main memory, or a computer-readable medium) is a semiconductor device or system used to store information for immediate use by the processor 103. The memory 105 is generally directly accessible to the processor 103. The processor 103 can read and execute program instructions stored in the memory 105 as well as store data and / or other information in the memory 105 that is actively being operated on. The memory 105 is generally more expensive and operates at higher speeds compared to the storage device 109. The memory 105 can be volatile such as random-access memory (RAM) or non-volatile such as read-only memory (ROM).

[0129] Exemplary memory technologies include static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM such as DDR4 or DDR5, low-power DRAM such as EPDDR4 / EPDDR5, and emerging non-volatile memories such as magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (ReRAM), or phase-change RAM (PCRAM). In some embodiments, particularly in microcontrollers or SoCs, the memory 105 can be integrated directly with the processor 103 on the same semiconductor die, including types such as SRAM or embedded flash memory.System Bus

[0130] The system bus 107 broadly refers to the communication system through which information is transferred between the processor 103, the memory 105, and / or other components such as peripherals that can be considered part of the electronic computing device 101. The system bus 107 can include a physical system of connectors, conductive pathways, optical pathways, wires, or the like through which information travels.

[0131] The system bus 107 can have a variety of physical configurations. In some embodiments, the system bus can be configured as a backbone connecting the processor 103, the memory 105, and / or the various devices and / or interfaces as shown in the figure. In other embodiments, the system bus 107 can be configured asDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 19 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationseparate buses that communicatively link one or more components together. For example, the system bus 107 can include a bus communicatively linking the processor 103, the memory 105, and / or a circuit board (the bus can alternatively be referred to as the front-side bus, memory bus, local bus, or host bus). The system bus 107 can include multiple additional I / O buses communicatively linking the various other devices and / or interfaces to the processor 103.

[0132] It should be appreciated that information shared between the components of the electronic computing device 101 can include program instructions, data, signals such as control signals, commands, bits, symbols, or the like. The information can be represented using a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, in some embodiments, the information can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields, or the like.

[0133] The system bus 107 can also be used for other purposes besides sharing information. For example, the system bus 107 can be used to supply power from the power source 129 to the various devices and / or interfaces connected to the system bus 107. Likewise, the system bus 107 can include address lines which match those of the processor 103. This allows information to be sent to or from specific memory locations in the memory 105. The system bus 107 can also provide a system clock signal to synchronize the various devices and / or interfaces with the rest of the system.

[0134] The system bus 107 can use a variety of architectures and protocols depending on the application. For example, in a high-performance computing system, the system bus 107 can implement high-speed peripheral interconnects such as PCI Express (PCIe), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Compute Express Link (CXL), or Thunderbolt. In simpler electronic controllers or within a system-on-a-chip (SoC), the bus architecture can include a network-on-chip (NoC) implementing on-chip communication standards like the advanced microcontroller bus architecture (AMBA, e.g., AXI or CHI) interconnects such as the inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus, serial peripheral interface (SPI), universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART), or proprietary chiplet interconnects (e.g., Infinity Fabric). For connecting storage devices, architectures can include serial ATA (SATA), universal flash storage (UFS), or NVM express (NVMe) over a PCIe or CXL bus. Interfaces such as HBM, GDDR, or LPDDR5 can be used for high-bandwidth memory subsystems. Protocols such as CAN bus, Modbus, DNP, BACnet, ControlNet, or EtherNet / IP can be used for industrial applications. In some embodiments, the system bus 107 can incorporate wireless or optical interconnects for distributed systems.Program Instructions

[0135] The instructions stored in the electronic computing device 101 can include software algorithms and / or application programs. It should be appreciated that theDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 20 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationsoftware algorithms can be expressed in the form of methods or processes performed in part or entirely by the electronic computing device 101 or as instructions stored in a computer-readable medium such as the memory 105 and / or the storage device 109. Likewise, the software algorithms are shown in the flowcharts and described in the methods and / or processes.

[0136] It should be appreciated that instructions can take the form of entirely software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, or the like), entirely hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. If implemented in software executed by the processor 103, the information can be stored on or transmitted over a computer-readable medium such as the memory 105 and / or the storage device 109. In some embodiments, the instructions can be contained in any tangible medium of expression having program code embodied in the medium. In some embodiments, the instructions can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, which can be text-based or graphical languages.

[0137] It should also be appreciated that the flowcharts, block diagrams, methods, and / or processes describe algorithms and / or symbolic representations of information operations. The algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their work most effectively to others skilled in the art. These operations, while described functionally or logically, are understood to be implemented by software and / or hardware that can be readily and easily created from the functional or logical descriptions of the algorithms.

[0138] For example, the instructions can include an algorithm for making a decision — e.g., determining whether a parameter satisfies one or more conditions and performing various operations based upon the parameter satisfying the one or more conditions. This can be represented in the instructions with a conditional statement or conditional expression written in a programming language. An example of such a conditional statement or expression is shown below. It should be appreciated that the syntax for the conditional statement or expression will vary depending on the chosen programming language.if conditionlsatisfied thenperform operation 1elseif condition2satisfied thenperform operation 2elseif condition3satisfied thenperform operation 3elseperform operation 4;end if;Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 21 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0139] The instructions can be used to perform a variety of operations. For example, the instructions can be used to control the receipt and processing of data from the input devices 117. The instructions can also be used to control hardware such as any of the output devices 121.

[0140] In some embodiments, the instructions can include firmware 131, which can be a basic input / output system (BIOS), a more modern unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), or a bootloader. The instructions can further include a hypervisor or virtual-machine monitor, an operating system 133, one or more application programs 135, program data 137, and the like. In simpler embodiments, such as an embedded controller, the instructions can include solely firmware that directly controls the hardware without a separate operating system. In some embodiments, the firmware supports secure boot and over-the-air (OTA) updates to maintain system integrity.

[0141] In some embodiments, the instructions and / or program data 137 can include or be generated from a trained machine learning model, such as a neural network, decision tree, or support vector machine. Such models can be configured to process input data and generate outputs for controlling the device or making decisions.

[0142] In some embodiments, the instructions are used to control the execution of a data-driven computational optimization flow, in which operational process parameters are systematically generated and selected. The result of this combination and sequential prediction of the variables of the material production processes involved, through machine learning models trained to predict final material properties, applies previously defined technical and operational constraints, calculating cost and / or efficiency metrics and, based on these results, identifies sets of production parameters recommended for use in the actual physical process; thus controlling the process.Storage Device

[0143] Each of the one or more storage devices 109 (alternatively referred to as secondary memory, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium) is a device or system used to store information that is not needed for immediate use by the processor 103. The storage device 109 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 by way of a storage interface 111. The storage device 109 is generally not directly accessible to the processor 103. The storage device 109 is generally less expensive and operates at lower speeds compared to the memory 105. The storage device 109 is also generally non-volatile and used to permanently store the information.

[0144] The storage device 109 can take a variety of physical forms and use a variety of storage technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the storage device 109 can be in the form of a hard disk storage device, solid-state storage device, opticalDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 22 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationstorage device, or the like. The storage device 109 can use a variety of storage technologies. For example, storage can be based on semiconductor memory such as flash memory, which is used in solid-state drives (SSDs), embedded MultiMediaCards (eMMC), secure digital (SD) cards and variants (microSD, UHS-II), or USB flash drives. Other technologies include magnetic disks (e.g., hard disk drives), optical discs (e.g., CD, DVD, or Blu-ray), or, for archival purposes, magnetic tape. In some embodiments, the storage device 109 can include or interface with remote or cloud-based storage accessible via a network.Display Device

[0145] Each of the one or more display devices 113 (alternatively referred to as a human-machine interface (HMI) or screen) is a device that visually conveys text, graphics, video, and / or other information. In some embodiments, the information shown on the display device 113 exists electronically and is displayed for a temporary period of time. It should be appreciated that the display device 113 can operate as an output device and / or input device (e.g., touchscreen display or the like).

[0146] The display device 113 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 byway of one or more graphics interfaces 115. In some embodiments, the graphics interface 115 can be used to generate a feed of output images to the display device 113. In some embodiments, the graphics interface 115 can be a separate component such as a dedicated graphics card or chip or can be an integrated component that is part of or a subset of the processor 103.

[0147] It should be appreciated that the display device 113 can include a variety of physical structures and / or display technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the display device 113 can be a screen integrated into a specific application or technology, a separate screen such as a monitor, or the like. The display device 113 can also be a liquid crystal display, a light emitting diode display, a plasma display, a quantum dot display, or the like.Input Devices

[0148] Each of the one or more input devices 117 is a physical component that provides information to the processor 103 and / or the memory 105. The input device 117 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 by way of one or more input interfaces 119. The input device 117 can be any suitable type and can provide any of a variety of information. For example, the input device 117 can be a digital and / or analog device and can provide information in a digital or analog format. Also, the input device 117 can be used to provide user input for controlling the electronic computing device 101 or operational input for controlling aspects of a specific application.

[0149] The input device 117 can include one or more sensors 139 and / or one or more other miscellaneous input devices 141. It should be appreciated that the inputDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 23 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationdevice 117 is not limited to only providing information. In some embodiments, the input device 117 can also receive information. Such devices can be considered both an input device 117 and an output device 121.

[0150] The miscellaneous input device 141 can include a variety of devices or components. In some embodiments, the miscellaneous input devices 141 can include switches such as limit switches, level switches, vacuum switches, pressure switches, or the like, as well as buttons including pushbuttons or the like. In some embodiments, the miscellaneous input devices 141 include user interface components such as a pointing device, for example a mouse, text input devices, for example a keyboard, a touch screen, or the like.Sensors

[0151] Each of the one or more sensors 139 can be used to provide information about a wide variety of measured parameters. In general terms, the sensor 139 is used to measure or detect information about its environment and send the information to the processor 103 and / or the memory 105. In some embodiments, the sensor 139 can operate as a transducer and generate an electrical signal as a function of the measured parameter. The electrical signal is communicated to the processor 103 and / or the memory 105 where it can be used for a variety of purposes.

[0152] The sensor 139 can be a digital sensor and / or an analog sensor. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 139 provides digital information to the processor 103 and / or the memory 105. In other embodiments, the sensor 139 provides analog information to the processor 103 and / or the memory 105. Also, in some embodiments, the information can be converted from one type to the other — e.g., from digital to analog or from analog to digital.

[0153] The sensor 139 can measure the parameter directly (i.e., direct measurement) or indirectly (i.e., indirect measurement). A direct measurement sensor directly measures the parameter itself. An indirect measurement sensor measures a secondary parameter that can be translated into the parameter of interest.

[0154] The sensor 139 can communicate information to the processor 103 and / or the memory 105 in a variety of ways and / or using a variety of protocols. In some embodiments, the sensor 139 can be a protocol-based sensor that uses a protocol to communicate with the processor 103 and / or the memory 105, or it can be a nonprotocol-based sensor that does not use a protocol to communicate with the processor 103 and / or the memory 105. A protocol-based sensor communicates with the processor 103 by sending a data stream by way of a communication protocol. In some embodiments, the protocol-based sensor includes a separate processor that is part of the sensor and used to communicate using the protocol.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 24 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0155] It should be appreciated that the information provided by the sensor 139 can be used in a variety of ways by the processor 103. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 103 can compare the information to a setpoint. In some embodiments, analog information is amplified before being compared to the setpoint.

[0156] In some embodiments, the sensor 139 can be used to measure one or more parameters. For example, the sensors 139 can be used to measure at least one of wire radius at one or more points in the process, tensile strength, feed rate, temperature(s), conductivity, and other physical and chemical properties of the feed material and the wire at any one or more points in the process. In some embodiments, the sensors 139 can include micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based sensors. For example, the sensors 139 can include an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which can comprise an accelerometer for detecting linear acceleration and a gyroscope for detecting angular velocity. Other examples include magnetometers for detecting magnetic fields, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers for determining geographic location, and biometric sensors such as fingerprint readers or heart rate monitors. The sensors 139 can also include environmental sensors (e.g., humidity, barometric pressure, gas, smoke, or air-quality), proximity or time-of-flight (ToF) sensors, capacitive touch or force sensors, lidar or radar units for three-dimensional mapping, and biosensors such as ECG, SpO2, or EEG electrodes.Temperature Sensors

[0157] In some embodiments, the sensor 139 is a temperature sensor used to measure the temperature of the dies in the swaging machine, dies in the cold-drawing machine, and the temperature of the wire or material feed at any one or more points in the process. Temperature is the physical quantity expressing the thermal energy present in matter. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor acts as a transducer and generates an electrical signal as a function of the measured temperature.

[0158] The temperature sensor can be a contact type temperature sensor or a noncontact type temperature sensor. Contact type temperature sensors are positioned in physical contact with the material and rely primarily on conduction to detect changes in its temperature. Non-contact type temperature sensors are not positioned in physical contact with the material and rely primarily on convection and / or radiation to detect changes in its temperature.

[0159] The temperature sensor can be any of a variety of types of temperature sensors. For example, suitable temperature sensors include thermocouples (type K, J, T, E, N, S, R, or the like), resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermistors, bimetallic strips, semiconductor temperature sensors, thermometers, vibrating wire temperature sensors, infrared temperature sensors, or the like.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 25 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent ApplicationPressure Sensors

[0160] In some embodiments, the sensor 139 is a pressure sensor used to measure the pressure of fluids such as the pressure of the cooling fluid, in some embodiments. Pressure is an expression of the force required to stop the fluid from expanding and is expressed in force per unit area. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor acts as a transducer and generates an electrical signal as a function of the measured pressure.

[0161] The pressure sensor can be configured to measure a variety of pressures. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor is an absolute pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure relative to a vacuum. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor is a gauge pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure relative to ambient atmospheric pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor is a differential pressure sensor configured to measure the difference between two pressures. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor is a sealed pressure sensor configured to measure the pressure relative to some fixed pressure other than ambient atmospheric pressure.

[0162] The pressure sensor can use a variety of pressure sensing technologies. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor can use force collecting pressure sensing technology. These types of electronic pressure sensors use a force collector such as a diaphragm, piston, bourdon tube, bellows, or the like, to measure strain or deflection due to applied force over an area. Examples of suitable force collector pressure sensors include piezoresistive strain gauge pressure sensors, capacitive pressure sensors, electromagnetic pressure sensors, piezoelectric pressure sensors, straingauge pressure sensors, optical pressure sensors, potentiometric pressure sensors, force balancing pressure sensors, or the like. In some embodiments, the pressure sensor can use other properties such as density to infer pressure of a fluid.Position Sensors

[0163] In some embodiments, the sensor 139 is a position sensor configured to measure the position of the wire as it goes through the process. The position sensor can be used to determine the absolute position or location of the component or the relative position or displacement of the component in terms of linear travel, rotational angle, or three-dimensional space. In some embodiments, the position sensor acts as a transducer and generates an electrical signal as a function of the measured position.

[0164] The position sensor can be a contact type position sensor or a non-contact type position sensor. Contact type position sensors are positioned in physical contact with the component to detect changes in its position. Non-contact type position sensors can detect changes in the position of the component without being in physical contact with it.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 26 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0165] The position sensor can be any of a variety of types of position sensors and can be used to measure a variety of positions or movements including linear, rotary, and / or angular positions or movements. For example, suitable position sensors include potentiometric position sensors, inductive position sensors such as a linear variable differential transformer or a rotary variable differential transformer, eddy current-based position sensors, capacitive position sensors, magnetostrictive position sensors, hall effect-based magnetic position sensors, fiber optic position sensors, optical position sensors, ultrasonic position sensors, or the like.Light Sensors

[0166] In some embodiments, the sensor 139 is a light sensor. The light sensor can be used to determine the presence and / or intensity of light by measuring the radiant energy that exists in a certain range of frequencies, which typically include the infrared, visible, and / or ultraviolet light spectrum. In some embodiments, the light sensor acts as a transducer and generates an electrical signal as a function of the measured radiant energy.

[0167] The light sensor can include a variety of different light sensing technologies. In some embodiments, the light sensor generates electricity when illuminated.Examples of such light sensors include photovoltaic light sensors and photo -emissive light sensors. In some embodiments, the light sensor changes its electrical properties when illuminated. Examples of such light sensors include photoresistor light sensors and photoconductor light sensors.Image Sensors

[0168] In some embodiments, the sensor 139 is an image sensor configured to monitor the process and the results of the process. In general, an image sensor is a device that detects and conveys information used to make an image. The image sensor converts the variable attenuation of radiation waves (infrared, visible, and / or ultraviolet spectrum radiation as well as other frequencies) into signals that convey the information.

[0169] The image sensor can be any of a variety of types of image sensors. For example, suitable image sensors include electronic image sensors such as a charge-coupled device (CCD), active-pixel sensor (CMOS sensor), or the like. The image sensor can be part of a camera or other imaging device.Output Devices

[0170] Each of the one or more output devices 121 is a physical component that receives information from the processor 103 and / or the memory 105. The output device 121 can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 byway of one or more output interfaces 123. The output device 121 can be any suitable type and canDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 27 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationreceive any of a variety of information. For example, the output device 121 can be a digital and / or analog device and can receive information in a digital and / or analog format. Also, the output device 121 can be used to provide information to the user or perform various operations related to the specific application.

[0171] The output device 121 can include one or more actuators 143 and / or one or more other miscellaneous output devices 145. It should be appreciated that the output device 121 is not limited to only receiving information. In some embodiments, the output device 121 can also send information. Such devices can be considered both an output device 121 and an input device 117.

[0172] The miscellaneous output devices 145 can include a variety of devices or components. In some embodiments, the miscellaneous output devices 145 can include audio output devices such as speakers as well as other output devices.Actuators

[0173] Each of the one or more actuators 143 can be used to activate movement or an operation. In general terms, the actuator 143 is used to activate something in response to an instruction or control signal sent from the processor 103. In some embodiments, the actuator 143 can act as a transducer by receiving an electrical signal and transforming it into the desired movement or operation.

[0174] The information received by the actuator 143 can take a variety of forms and use a number of technologies. For example, the information can be in the form of an electric voltage or current, pneumatic or hydraulic fluid pressure, binary data, or the like. The information can be provided as digital and / or analog format. For example, in some embodiments, the actuator 143 receives digital information from the processor 103 or other component(s) in the electronic computing device 101. In other embodiments, the actuator 143 receives analog information from the processor 103 or other component(s) in the electronic computing device 101. Also, in some embodiments, the information received by the actuator 143 can be converted from one type to the other — e.g., from digital to analog or from analog to digital.

[0175] The actuator 143 can use a variety of energy sources to operate. For example, the actuator 143 can operate using electrical energy, hydraulic energy, pneumatic energy, thermal energy, magnetic energy, or the like. Likewise, the actuator 143 can be an electric actuator, hydraulic actuator, pneumatic actuator, thermal actuator, magnetic actuator, or the like. The actuator 143 can also be used to produce a variety of movements. For example, the actuator 143 can be used to produce linear movement and / or rotary movement.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 28 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent ApplicationMotors

[0176] In some embodiments, the actuator 143 can include an electric motor. In general, the electric motor is a device that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. In some embodiments, the mechanical energy produced by the electric motor is in the form of the rotation of a shaft. The mechanical energy can be used directly or converted into other mechanical movement using levers, gears, ratchets, cams, or the like. The motor can be a DC motor or an AC motor.Relays

[0177] In some embodiments, the actuator 143 can include a relay. In general, a relay is an electrically operated switch. In some embodiments, the relay includes one or more input terminals to receive information or control signals and one or more operating contact terminals electrically linked to a separate electrical device.

[0178] In some embodiments, the relays can include electromechanical relays having contacts that mechanically open and close. For example, the relay can include an electromagnet that opens and closes the contacts. In other embodiments, the relays can include solid state relays that use semiconductor properties to control the on or off state of the relay without any moving parts. Solid state relays can include thyristors and transistors to switch currents up to a hundred amps or more.Communication Devices

[0179] Each of the communication devices 125 is a physical component that allows the electronic computing device 101 to communicate with other devices, components, and / or networks. The communication device can be communicatively linked to the system bus 107 by way of one or more communication interfaces 127. The communication device 125 can include one or more wired communication devices 147 and / or one or more wireless communication devices 149.

[0180] It should be appreciated that the communication device 125 can be any suitable physical device. For example, in some embodiments, the communication device 125 is a network interface controller used to connect the electronic computing device 101 to a larger network such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or the Internet.

[0181] It should also be appreciated that the communication device 125 can use a variety of communication protocols. For example, in some embodiments, the wired communication device 147 can use communication protocols such as Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485, USB, industrial real-time Ethernet variants such as EtherCAT or timesensitive networking (TSN) or the like. Also, in some embodiments, the wireless communication devices 149 can use communication protocols such as Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.11ax, Wi-Fi 6, 802.11be Wi-Fi 7, or Wi-Fi HaLow 802.11ah), Bluetooth (includingDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 29 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent ApplicationBluetooth Low Energy), Zigbee or 802.15.4, Thread and Matter (loT frameworks), Near Field Communication (NFC), EoRa or Sigfox for long-range low-power links, or cellular standards like ETE, NB-IoT, 5G, or C-V2X.

[0182] In some embodiments, the communication devices 125 allow distributed computing, allowing the electronic computing device 101 to offload processing to remote servers or edge devices via cloud services. This can include protocols for Internet of Things (loT) integration, such as MQTT or CoAP, facilitating real-time data exchange in networked applications.Power Source

[0183] The power source 129 can be used to supply electric power to the electronic computing device 101. The power source 129 can provide any suitable type of power including AC power, DC power, or the like. The power source 129 can also comprise power-over-ethernet (PoE) injectors, wireless charging coils (e.g., Qi or magnetic-resonant), or supercapacitor banks that supply short-term peak current. The power source 129 can obtain power from any suitable source including an AC power source (standard wall outlet), DC power source (a transformer plugged into a wall outlet), battery, generator, solar panels, or energy-harvesting mechanisms such as kinetic or thermal harvesters.

[0184] In some embodiments, the power source 129 includes a power supply that converts electric current from a source to a desired voltage, current, and / or frequency to power the electronic computing device 101. In some embodiments, the power supply can convert AC power ranging from 110-240 VAC to DC power ranging from 6-60 VDC and can support low-power modes for energy-efficient operation in embedded systems.

[0185] In some embodiments, the electronic computing device 101 includes a dedicated power management unit (PMU), which can be a separate chip or integrated into the processor 103. The PMU can manage power rails, battery charging, and transitions between various power states, such as active, idle, sleep, or deep-sleep modes, to optimize power consumption. This allows for energy-efficient operation, particularly in battery-powered or energy-harvesting applications.Circuit Board

[0186] The electronic computing device 101 can include one or more circuit boards (alternatively referred to as logic boards) to which one or more of the components can be coupled. For example, the processor 103, the memory 105, the storage device 109, the display device 113, the input device 117, the output device 121, the communication device 125, and / or the power source 129 can be coupled to one or more circuit boards. In some embodiments, the processor 103, the memory 105, and / or the storage device 109 can be coupled to one circuit board.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 30 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0187] In some embodiments, the circuit board can contain a series of conductive tracks, pads, and / or other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminate laminated onto and / or between sheet layers of nonconductive substrate. The conductive features can be part of the system bus 107 communicatively linking the various components of the electronic computing device 101. In some embodiments, the circuit board can be a printed circuit board. In some embodiments, the circuit board can be a motherboard.Multiple Electronic Computing Devices Communicatively Linked

[0188] Referring to Fig. 16, the electronic computing device 101 can be communicatively linked to and / or controlled by one or more additional electronic computing devices 151. For example, the additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can be used to send data to or receive data from the electronic computing device 101. The additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can also be used to control or operate the electronic computing device 101. For example, the additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can be used to control the electronic computing device 101 to perform any of the methods, processes, or other operations described above.

[0189] The additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can be the same as or similar to the electronic computing device 101. The additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can also be a different device than the electronic computing device 101 even though it can have any of the components and / or features described in connection with the electronic computing device 101. The additional electronic computing device 151 can be a mobile electronic computing device, a personal electronic computing device, a wearable electronic computing device, a general-purpose electronic computing device, a special-purpose electronic computing device (e.g., designed for a specific purpose, application, or field of applications), an industrial electronic computing device, or the like.

[0190] By way of example, the additional electronic computing device 151 can be a mobile electronic computing device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet computer, handheld personal computer, or the like. The additional electronic computing device 151 can also be a personal electronic computing device such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, or workstation. The additional electronic computing device 151 can also be a wearable electronic computing device such as a smartwatch, smartband, smartglasses, or the like. The additional electronic computing device 151 can also be an industrial electronic computing device such as a programmable logic controller, system on a module, or the like.

[0191] The electronic computing device 101 can be communicatively linked with the additional electronic computing device(s) 151 using any suitable wired or wireless communication protocol. For example, the electronic computing devices 101, 151 canDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 31 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationcommunicate using one or more of the following wired communication protocols: ethernet, HDMI, SATA, CAN, RS-232, RS-485, UART, USART, USB, or the like. The electronic computing devices 101, 151 can communicate using one or more of the following wireless communication protocols: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, Z-wave, GSM / GPRS, CDMA, NFC, RFID, 6E0WPAN, or the like.

[0192] The additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can be connected directly to the electronic computing device 101 without connecting to any intermediate electronic computing devices, or the additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can be connected to the electronic computing device 101 by way of one or more intermediate electronic computing devices — e.g., a network 153. Likewise, the additional electronic computing device(s) 151 can be positioned adjacent to or nearby the electronic computing device 101 (e.g., same room, line of sight, etc.), or it can be positioned remotely relative to the electronic computing device 101 (e.g., different rooms, out of sight, different continents, etc.).

[0193] In one example, the additional electronic computing device 151 can be a mobile electronic computing device capable of running applications obtained from an app source (e.g., an app store) including an application designed to communicate with and / or control the electronic computing device 101. In another example, the additional electronic computing device 151 can be a personal electronic computing device such as a laptop computer capable of running software designed to communicate with and / or control the electronic computing device 101. It should be appreciated that there are numerous other ways the additional electronic computing device 151 can connect to, communicate with, and / or control the electronic computing device 101. Network Computing

[0194] One or more of the electronic computing devices 101, 151 can be part of or communicatively linked to a network 153 of computing devices having a variety of topologies. The network 153 can include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a personal area network (PAN), or a combination thereof, including the Internet. The network 153 can support various topologies. For example, the devices can be arranged in a star topology, where multiple electronic computing devices 151 connect to a central device 101 (or a server). Alternatively, they can be arranged in a mesh topology, where devices can communicate directly with multiple other devices, providing redundant communication paths. Other topologies, such as bus, ring, or hybrid configurations can also be used. The program instructions can be implemented by a single electronic computing device or by multiple electronic computing devices in a distributed fashion over the network 153.

[0195] Communication between devices can leverage various architectures and protocols. The protocols can be conceptualized as a stack of layers, such as in theDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 32 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationopen systems interconnection (OSI) model or the TCP / IP model, where each layer provides services to the layer above it. These protocols establish rules for data formatting, addressing, transmission, routing, and reception.

[0196] For example, communication can utilize protocols from various layers, including but not limited to: (a) application layer protocols for device-specific services, such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP / HTTPS), file transfer protocol (FTP / SFTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), domain name system (DNS), and protocols for the Internet of things (loT) like MQTT and CoAP; (b) transport layer protocols for end-to-end data transmission, such as transmission control protocol (TCP) for reliable, connection-oriented communication and user datagram protocol (UDP) for low-latency, connectionless communication; (c) network layer protocols for addressing and routing packets across the network, most commonly the Internet protocol (IP); and (d) link and physical layer protocols for communication on the local network segment, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, industrial Ethernet variants (e.g., EtherCAT, PROFINET, TSN), controller area network (CAN bus), Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.11ax / be), Bluetooth (including BLE), cellular standards (e.g., 4G LTE, 5G), and low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocols like Zigbee, Thread, LoRa, and cellular loT standards (e.g., NB-IoT, LTE-M).

[0197] Network management protocols, such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), can be used to monitor network health and diagnose problems. Network security can be provided by protocols such as Transport Layer Security (TLS / SSL) and Secure Shell (SSH), which provide for data encryption and secure authentication.

[0198] This layered approach allows electronic computing devices 101, 151 with different hardware and software to communicate effectively and reliably over the network 153.General Terminology and Interpretative Conventions

[0199] The articles “the,” “a,” and “an” shall be interpreted as referring to both singular and plural forms. Additionally, unless preceded by the word “either” or similar language indicating exclusivity, the term “or” should be interpreted inclusively (for example, “x or y” refers to one or both x and y).

[0200] The term “and / or” shall be interpreted inclusively; for example, “x and / or y” refers to either x, y, or both. When “and / or” or “or” is used to connect three or more items, the phrase shall be interpreted to encompass any individual item, all items collectively, or any combination of the items.

[0201] The phrase “based on” shall be interpreted to mean an open set of conditions unless it is explicitly limited (for example, based on only a given condition). ForDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 33 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationinstance, if a step is described as being based on a particular condition, it may depend on both the stated condition and additional unstated conditions.

[0202] The term “can,” when used as an auxiliary verb, indicates that the described subject matter optionally has the feature, aspect, ability, capacity, or the like, but it is not required in any given instance.

[0203] The terms "have," "having," "contain," "containing," "include," "including," and "characterized by" shall be construed as synonymous with "comprise" and "comprising" — that is, these terms are inclusive or open-ended and do not preclude additional, unrecited subject matter. The use of these terms shall also be interpreted as providing disclosure and support for narrower alternative embodiments in which these terms are substituted with "consisting of," "consisting of the recited subject matter plus impurities and / or trace amounts of other materials," or "consisting essentially of."

[0204] It shall be understood that features described in separate embodiments can be combined as a single embodiment. Similarly, features described together in a single embodiment can be implemented separately or in various subcombinations across multiple embodiments. Additionally, although certain features maybe initially presented or claimed as part of specific combinations, it is possible to remove one or more features from a claimed combination so that the claim pertains to a subcombination or a variation thereof.

[0205] Numerous aspects or features are described as optional, often indicated by terms such as "can" or similar expressions. This document does not detail every possible combination or permutation arising from selecting among these optional elements. Nevertheless, all such combinations and permutations are considered expressly disclosed herein. For instance, an item described with three optional aspects may be embodied in seven distinct configurations: any single aspect, any pair of aspects, or all three aspects incorporated together.

[0206] The methods described in this document shall not be interpreted to require steps to be performed in a particular order unless explicitly indicated or if it is impossible to do otherwise. The methods should be understood to provide support or basis for the steps to be carried out in any sequence.

[0207] The configurations presented in this document are provided as examples and do not encompass all possible implementations within the scope of the claims. The term “example” is used to indicate an instance or illustration, without implying that it is preferred or superior to other possibilities.

[0208] Unless otherwise indicated, all numerical values or expressions regarding dimensions, physical characteristics, or similar parameters in the specification (excluding the claims) shall be interpreted as qualified by the term “approximately.”Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 34 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent ApplicationAdditionally, if there is an absence of functional, qualitative, or other interpretative guidelines, each numerical value identified as "approximately" within the specification and claims shall be interpreted based on the stated number of significant digits and / or standard rounding conventions, without limiting the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the claims.

[0209] All disclosed ranges shall be interpreted as encompassing, and providing support for, claims that specify any subranges or individual values contained within each stated range. For instance, if a range is described as 1 to 10, it is intended to include and support claims directed to all subranges and individual values falling between, and including, the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10. This includes all subranges commencing at a value of 1 or higher and concluding at a value of 10 or lower (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to 3.56), as well as any individual values from 1 to 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994). The values in the range may be recited independently, as a minimum value (e.g., at least 5.8), or as a maximum value (e.g., no more than 9.9994).

[0210] All disclosed numerical values shall be interpreted as variable within a range of 0-100% in either direction. This interpretation provides support for claims referencing these values, whether stated individually or as a minimum or maximum (e.g., at least <value> or no more than <value>), as well as any ranges or subranges that can be derived from such values. For instance, a specified value of 8 should be considered as extending from 0-16 (reflecting 100% variability in both directions) and supports claims referring to the entire range (e.g., 0-16), any subrange within this interval (e.g., 2-12.5), or any individual value within the range (e.g., 15.2), including its use as a minimum value (e.g., at least 4.3) or a maximum value (e.g., no more than 12.4).

[0211] The terms in the claims shall be interpreted according to their ordinary and customary meanings, as established by relevant entries in widely recognized general or technical dictionaries and by commonly accepted meanings within the pertinent field. The interpretation should reflect the broadest meaning derived from any single source or from a combination of these sources (e.g., by synthesizing multiple dictionary definitions to arrive at the most comprehensive understanding), except under the following circumstances: (a) if a term is employed in a manner that extends beyond its ordinary usage, it should be accorded its customary meaning along with the broader meaning or (b) if a term is expressly defined within the document by language such as “as used in this document <term> shall mean,” “this term means,” “this term is defined as,” or “for the purposes of this disclosure this term shall mean.” References to specific examples, use of “i.e.,” or use of the word “invention” are not intended to invoke exception (b) or to otherwise narrow the scope of the claim terms. Except where exception (b) applies, nothing in this document should be construed as a disclaimer or limitation of claim scope.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 35 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

[0212] The limitations in the claims shall not be interpreted as invoking 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the claim specifically includes the terms “means for” or “step for.”

[0213] Unless otherwise specified or clearly indicated by the context, terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” and “displaying” refer to actions and operations performed by an electronic computing device that includes a processor and memory.

[0214] The subject matter recited in the claims is not coextensive with and should not be interpreted as coextensive with any embodiment, feature, or combination of features described or illustrated in this document. This is the case even if only one version of a feature or combination is depicted and discussed.Joining or Fastening Terminology and Interpretative Conventions

[0215] The term “coupled” means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining can be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining can be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate member being attached to one another. Such joining can be permanent in nature or alternatively can be removable or releasable in nature.

[0216] The term “coupled” includes joining that is permanent in nature or releasable and / or removable in nature. Permanent joining refers to joining the components together in a manner that is not capable of being reversed or returned to the original condition. Releasable joining refers to joining the components together in a manner that is capable of being reversed or returned to the original condition.

[0217] Releasable joining can be further categorized based on the difficulty of releasing the components and / or whether the components are released as part of their ordinary operation and / or use. Quickly releasable joining (i.e., quick-release) refers to joining that can be released without the use of tools. Readily or easily releasable joining refers to joining that can be readily, easily, and / or promptly released with little or no difficulty or effort. Some joining can qualify as both quickly releasable joining and readily or easily releasable joining. Other joining can qualify as one of these types of joining but not the other. For example, one type of joining can be readily or easily releasable but also require the use of a tool.

[0218] Non-quickly releasable joining (i.e., non-quick-release) refers to joining that can only be released with the use of tools. Difficult or hard to release joining refers to joining that is difficult, hard, or arduous to release and / or requires substantial effort to release. Some joining can qualify as both non-quickly releasable joining and difficult or hard to release joining. Other joining can qualify as one of these types of joining butDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 36 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationnot the other. For example, one type of joining can require the use of a tool but may not be difficult or hard to release.

[0219] The joining can be released or intended to be released as part of the ordinary operation and / or use of the components or only in extraordinary situations and / or circumstances. In the latter case, the joining can be intended to remain joined for a long, indefinite period until the extraordinary circumstances arise.

[0220] It should be appreciated that the components can be joined together using any type of fastening method and / or fastener. The fastening method refers to the way the components are joined. A fastener is generally a separate component used in a mechanical fastening method to mechanically join the components together. A list of examples of fastening methods and / or fasteners is given below. The list is divided according to whether the fastening method and / or fastener is generally permanent, readily released, or difficult to release. A general reference to fastening or fasteners without specifying a particular fastening method(s) or fastener(s) should be interpreted as including any type of fastening method and / or fastener.

[0221] Examples of permanent fastening methods include welding, soldering, brazing, crimping, riveting, stapling, stitching, some types of nailing, some types of adhering, and some types of cementing. Examples of permanent fasteners include some types of nails, some types of dowel pins, most types of rivets, most types of staples, stitches, most types of structural ties, and toggle bolts.

[0222] Examples of readily releasable fastening methods include clamping, pinning, clipping, latching, clasping, buttoning, zipping, buckling, and tying. Examples of readily releasable fasteners include snap fasteners, retainer rings, circlips, split pins, linchpins, R-pins, clevis fasteners, cotter pins, latches, hook and loop fasteners (VELCRO), hook and eye fasteners, push pins, clips, clasps, clamps, zip ties, zippers, buttons, buckles, and / or confirmat fasteners.

[0223] Examples of difficult to release fastening methods include bolting, screwing, most types of threaded fastening, and some types of nailing. Examples of difficult to release fasteners include bolts, screws, most types of threaded fasteners, some types of nails, some types of dowel pins, a few types of rivets, a few types of structural ties.

[0224] It should be appreciated that the fastening methods and fasteners are categorized above based on their most common configurations and / or applications. The fastening methods and fasteners can fall into other categories or multiple categories depending on their specific configurations and / or applications. For example, rope, string, wire, cable, chain, or the like can be permanent, readily releasable, or difficult to release depending on the application.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 37 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent ApplicationDrawing Related Terminology and Interpretative Conventions

[0225] Reference numbers in the drawings and corresponding description refer to identical or similar elements although such numbers can be referenced in the context of different embodiments.

[0226] The drawings are intended to illustrate embodiments that are both drawn to scale and / or not drawn to scale. This means the drawings can be interpreted, for example, as showing: (a) everything drawn to scale, (b) nothing drawn to scale, or (c) one or more features drawn to scale and one or more features not drawn to scale. Accordingly, the drawings can serve to provide support to recite the sizes, proportions, and / or other dimensions of any of the illustrated features either alone or relative to each other. Furthermore, all such sizes, proportions, and / or other dimensions are to be understood as being variable from 0-100% in either direction and thus provide support for claims that recite such values or any ranges or subranges that can be formed by such values.

[0227] Spatial or directional terms, such as “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” or the like, relate to the subject matter as it is shown in the drawings and / or how it is commonly oriented during manufacture, use, or the like. However, it is to be understood that the described subject matter can assume various alternative orientations and, accordingly, such terms are not to be considered as limiting.Composition Related Terminology and Interpretative Conventions

[0228] Values expressed as a percentage, parts of, or a ratio are by weight unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0229] The description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose shall be understood as disclosing that a single member of the group or class or a mixture of any two or more members of the group or class are equally suitable or preferred.

[0230] The description of constituents in chemical terms refers to the constituents: (a) at the time of addition to any combination specified in the description (e.g., the formal or analytical concentration of a salt that dissociates in solution) and / or (b) generated in situ by chemical reactions with other constituents. The description of the constituents does not preclude other chemical interactions among the constituents of a mixture once mixed unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0231] The description of materials in ionic form additionally implies the presence of sufficient counter ions to produce electrical neutrality for the composition.Incorporation by Reference

[0232] The entire content of each document listed below is incorporated by reference into this document (the documents below are collectively referred to as theDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 38 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application“incorporated documents”). If the same term is used in both this document and one or more of the incorporated documents, then it should be interpreted to have the broadest meaning imparted by any one or combination of these sources unless the term has been explicitly defined to have a different meaning in this document. If there is an inconsistency between any incorporated document and this document, then this document shall govern. The incorporated subject matter should not be used to limit or narrow the scope of the explicitly recited or depicted subject matter.Benefit / priority patent documents incorporated by reference:- U.S. Prov. App. No. 63 / 756,105, titled “Systems and Methods for Forming Conductive Wire from Low Purity Feedstock,” filed on 8 Feb 2025.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 39 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A wire forming system (1) used to produce electrically conductive wire from low purity feedstock, the system comprising:a cold-drawing station (70) configured to reduce a wire rod to a first diameter; a rotary swaging station (80) configured to reduce the wire rod to a second diameter; andan annealing station (90) configured to subject the wire rod to a controlled heating and cooling process to induce recrystallization and grain elongation.

2. The wire forming system according to claim 1 comprising a sensor (139) configured to collect process data including wire diameter, wire diameter reduction ratios, feed rates, time, and / or temperature.

3. The wire forming system according to claim 2 comprising a control system (98, 101) communicatively linked to the sensor (139) to receive the process data and output control signals to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming system.

4. The wire forming system according to claim 3 wherein the control system comprises a model-based controller (98) including a machine learning digital twin (99) configured to virtually simulate a wire forming process in real-time or near real-time.

5. The wire forming system according to claim 4 wherein the machine learning digital twin (99) comprises predictors corresponding to each of the rotary swaging station (80), the cold-drawing station (70), and the annealing station (90), the predictors including grain size predictors, conductivity predictors, and / or mechanical strength predictors.

6. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 3 to 4 comprising an optimizer (50) configured to receive the process data and the control signals to iteratively update a predictive model (60) of the control system.

7. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the sensor (139) is positioned to characterize the wire rod before it enters the wire forming system (1), and / or before and after each of the cold-drawing station (70), the rotary swaging station (80), and the annealing station (90).

8. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein the sensor (139) comprises a spectrometer configured to determine chemical composition, a conductivity meter configured to determine conductivity, a tensile test bench configured to determine mechanical properties, and / or a hardness bench.

9. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the system is configured to receive a feedstock comprising recycled copper granulates having a purity of 99% to 99.95%.Dkt. No.: 025852.001W01 Page 40 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application10. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the feedstock comprises copper, a copper alloy, and / or aluminum.

11. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 wherein the system is configured to produce wire having a conductivity of at least 95% IACS.

12. The wire forming system according to claim 11 wherein the system is configured to produce wire having a conductivity of 98% to 102% IACS.

13. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein the system is configured to produce wire having a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa.

14. The wire forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 13 comprising a continuous casting station (30) configured to form wire rod from copper granulates prior to processing by the cold-drawing station (70).

15. A control system (98, 101) used with a wire forming process (1), the control system comprising:a sensor (139) configured to collect process data from a cold-drawing station (70), a rotary swaging station (80), and / or an annealing station (90);a predictive model (60) configured to receive the process data and output control signals to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming process; and an optimizer (50) configured to receive the process data and the control signals to iteratively update the predictive model.

16. The control system according to claim 15 wherein the predictive model comprises a machine learning digital twin (99) configured to virtually simulate the wire forming process.

17. The control system according to any one of claims 15 to 16 wherein the process data comprises characterization data including resistivity, chemical composition, tensile strength, and / or hardness of a feedstock material.

18. The control system according to any one of claims 15 to 17 wherein the predictive model is configured to dynamically adjust process parameters to match variations in impurity profiles and feedstock grain structure.

19. The control system according to any one of claims 15 to 18 comprising an electronic computing device (101) comprising a processor (103) and memory (105), wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control system to perform the functions of the predictive model and the optimizer.

20. A method to form electrically conductive wire from low purity feedstock, the method comprising:cold-drawing (70) a wire rod to reduce the wire rod to a first diameter;rotary swaging (80) the wire rod to reduce the wire rod to a second diameter; andDkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 41 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Applicationannealing (90) the wire rod by subjecting the wire rod to a controlled heating and cooling process to induce recrystallization and generate elongated grain microstructure.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the rotary swaging (80) is performed prior to the cold-drawing (70).

22. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 21 comprising collecting process data from a sensor (139) and adjusting an operational parameter of the method based on the process data.

23. The method according to claim 22 comprising processing the process data with a predictive model (60) to output control signals that adjust the operational parameter.

24. The method according to claim 23 comprising iteratively updating the predictive model using an optimizer (50) that receives the process data and the control signals.

25. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 24 wherein the process data comprises wire diameter, wire diameter reduction ratios, feed rates, process time, and / or temperature.

26. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 25 wherein the low purity feedstock has a purity of 99% to 99.95%.

27. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 26 wherein the feedstock comprises recycled copper granulates.

28. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 27 comprising shredding and sorting copper scrap to produce the feedstock prior to continuous casting (30) to form the wire rod.

29. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 28 wherein the annealing (90) generates super-long grains that minimize grain boundaries perpendicular to electron flow.

30. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 29 wherein the method produces wire having a conductivity of at least 95% IACS.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the method produces wire having a conductivity of 98% to 102% IACS.

32. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 31 wherein the method produces wire having a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa.

33. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 32 wherein the method increases the conductivity of the wire rod by at least 2% IACS relative to a feedstock conductivity.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 42 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application34. A method to control a wire forming process (1), the method comprising: collecting process data from a sensor (139);processing the process data with a predictive model (60) to generate control signals used to adjust an operational parameter of the wire forming process; adjusting the operational parameter based on the control signals; and iteratively updating the predictive model based on the process data and the control signals.

35. The method according to claim 34 wherein processing the process data comprises using a machine learning digital twin (99) to virtually simulate the wire forming process.

36. The method according to claim 35 wherein the machine learning digital twin (99) comprises physics-based machine learning algorithms.

37. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 36 wherein the operational parameter comprises reduction ratios associated with cold-drawing (70) and rotary swaging (80), annealing time, and / or annealing temperature.

38. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 37 comprising adjusting at least two of the operational parameters in batches once per bobbin to provide near real-time control specific to a feedstock.

39. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 38 wherein the process data comprises characterization data obtained using a three-point bending test and / or a material removal method used to estimate residual stress profiles.

40. An electrically conductive wire produced by the method according to any one of claims 20 to 33 wherein the wire has a conductivity of at least 95% IACS and a tensile strength of at least 200 MPa.Dkt. No.: 025852. OOlWOl Page 43 of 44 2026-02-06 PCT Patent Application

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