Fixed Knot Machine

The South Fence Machinery Fixed Knot machines have been developed from the company’s extensive experience of more than 85 years in the manufacture of wire fence products and wire fence manufacturing machinery.

This knot is used widely in the North American market and is known for its robust structure and versatility. It features a tightly wrapped t-shaped knot that eliminates any vertical or horizontal knot movement.

Due to the complexity of the knot tying process, there have been many machines designed around the same concept, however the core of the Fixed Knot machine remains largely unchanged for 115 years. This stands as a tribute to the original pioneers of the industry. South Fence Machinery continues this legacy, focusing our efforts on ensuring the knot tying process is reliable and consistent to produce a quality product ready to meet any market demand.

Learn more about the product and machine below, contact our team for quotes and further information.

Check out our new Take-up Optimisation Options, click here to learn more!

Knot Benefits

The utilisation of a longer knot-wire improves the surface contact area of the knot, reducing the chance of slippage.
Knot-wire is pre-tensioned during the wrapping process, resulting in improved crimp securing as the wire is drawn towards the knot’s centre.
Tidy tail finishing position remains in line with the helix of the wrap, reducing exposed sharp edges.

Fence Benefits

Alternating Line-wire tension crimp ensures balanced tensioning of the fence during straining as well as temperature and terrain variation.
Centre twist capable, allowing for a section of the fence to be hinged. This opens applications in the fence industry for predator and pest exclusion.
A variety of roll end conditions are available such as extended ends, marker beat, and pre- stripped ends. This eliminates unnecessary steps during the fence erection process, speeding up fencing time and reducing installer fatigue.
The fence wire’s tensile and wire gauge can be mixed and matched to suit market expectations.
Rolls can be manufactured with heights up to 10 ft (3 meters), creating a visually impressive and secure fence.

Our Fixed Knot fencing machines support all the features and functionality expected on any modern manufacturing machine:

The Human Machine Interface (HMI) screens facilitate easy setting and adjustment of the machine during operation as well as displaying real time manufacturing information and machine status.
The direct stay-wire feed system gives versatility of fence specifications and clear uninterrupted operator vision of the knotting boxes. Line-wires can be added or dropped off at the top or bottom of the fence to overcome the necessity of shifting the knotting boxes.

The servo-driven indexing crimping drum facilitates the effortless change of stay-wire spacing's at the push of a button, eliminating long down times during specification changes.

The finished fence is wound on to a variable torque roll wind up system that automatically adjusts throughout the manufacturing process to ensure a compact roll is produced for ease of handling and shipping.
The finished roll is automatically stripped from the mandrel by the stripping system to minimize employee handling and fatigue.

All machines are backed by South Fence Machinery’s comprehensive warranty and after sales support to ensure your peace of mind.

The Fixed Knot machine has a full complement of safety systems to ensure your operator's safety. A full and comprehensive risk assessment is conducted on all South Fence machines in line with international safety regulations and CE compliancy.

Machine Safety Features:

Monitored Light Curtains on both the front and rear of the machine
Monitored RFID Interlock switches on all removable guards and doors
Area Scanners to detect workers operating in hazardous zones
Siemens safety PLC to monitor all safety related control features
2mm punch panel guard system finished in a durable powder coat
Festo pneumatic safety valves and regulators
Comprehensive machine warning signage
Non-slip operator platforms with hand rails and kick boards
HMI operator fault banner system
Safe speed monitoring of all axes for machine set-up and fault finding
Acoustic insulation on machine guards to reduce machine noise

Compliance Standards:

ISO 12100:2010	General Principles for Design – Risk assessment and reduction
ISO 13857:2008	Safety Distance to prevent hazard zones being reached by upper and lower limbs
ISO 13855:2010	Positioning of safeguards with respect to the approach speed of parts of the human body
ISO 13850:2015	Emergency stop function – Principles of Design
ISO 13849-1:2015	Safety-related parts of control systems – General principles for design
ISO 13849-2:2012	Safety-related parts of control systems - Validation
EN 60204-1:2006 + A1:2009	Electrical equipment of machines – General requirements
EN 62061:2015	Safety of machinery - Functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems
AS 4024.1-2014	Safety of Machinery
AS 1657-2013	Fixed platforms, walkways, stairways and ladders – Design, construction and installation
AS 1554.3:2014	Structural steel welding – Welding of reinforcing steel

	FKM Specifications
Maximum Fence Height	3.0 meters (120")*
Maximum Number of Horizontal Wires	26 Line for a single fence 28 Line for a dual fence
Horizontal Wire Spacing	Minimum 3" (75mm) with 1/2" (13mm) increments
Vertical Wire Spacing	3", 6", 9", 12", 18", 24", 48" (75mm, 150mm, 225mm, 300mm, 450mm, 600mm, 1200mm)
Horizontal Wire Size	2.50mm (0.098")*
Vertical Wire Size	2.50mm (0.098")*
Knot Wire Size	2.24mm (0.088")*
Maximum Machine Speed	Up to 40 cycles per minute
Maximum Roll Length	500m (1640ft)*
Maximum Roll Diameter	800mm (31.5")*
Motion System	Controlled Siemens Servo Drives
Dual Feed System	To enable 2 rolls to be manufactured together (2.8 meters (110") usable width)
Safety Equipment Utilised	Fixed Guards CAT4 RFID Removable Guards CAT4 Light Curtains CAT3 Area Scanners
Centre Twist	Available on request
Automatic Label Inserters	Available on request
Take-up Optimisation Options	Available on request
Light Wire Gauge Tooling (2.00mm kit)	Available on request
Heavy Wire Gauge Tooling (3.15mm kit)	Available on request
Automatic Lubrication System	Automatic machine lubrication pump, additional lubrication options available on request
Approximate Floor Area Required	22m x 13m (72ft x 43ft)