Abstract: When a stator start wire is held outwardly away from a stator pole piece as a stator coil is being wound, the segment of wire, termed the first end turn herein, extending from the outwardly-placed start wire across the front end face of a stator being wound may interfere with the proper formation of the coil. Such interference is reduced or eliminated by extending the first end turn over a movable slack wire forming blade. When the slack wire forming blade is initially engaged with the first end turn, it pivots with the front placing blade to move the start wire away from the pole piece and increase the length of the first end turn. After the coil is partially wound, the slack wire forming blade is moved away from engagement with the first end turn so that the first end turn becomes slack and, therefore, does not interfere with the completion of the winding or the coil.

Abstract: A wound stator for a permanent magnet electric machine has an array of coils on the outer rim of a generally cylindrical stator body. The stator coils are wound directly on the stator body by providing the stator body with a plurality of mutually circumferentially-spaced, coil-retaining and forming members around which the ends of the stator coils are coursed so that the coil sides project in a direction parallel to the center axis of the stator. Wire connections are formed between coils of a phase, and wire loops are formed between the last wound coil of one phase and the first wound coil of a subsequently wound phase. Mechanisms are provided for clamping the stator start wires and for temporarily retaining the wire loops.

Abstract: Finish leads of coils wound onto stator cores without terminal boards are automatically secured before the stator is removed from the winding apparatus. Tooling is provided that is moved into position adjacent the stator at a lead tuck station to cooperate with a robot end effector to tuck the finish leads between their respective coils and the portion of the stator core adjacent thereto. Because the finish leads are so tucked, the coils do not have a tendency to despool when removed from the winding apparatus, which permits the use of an automated load/unload mechanism.

Abstract: An armature manufacturing line includes one or more manufacturing cells, each having a winder facing a fuser and a rotatable armature transfer apparatus that transfers unwound armatures to the winder and wound armature from the winder directly to the fuser. An elevator at the fuser moves wound and fused armatures from the fuser to a conveyor. Different embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Stator coil lead wires are coursed along complex, circuitous paths on the end of a stator core and trimmed at a precise predetermined distance from the stator core. Improved end effector wire-guiding tooling member are provided in place of conventional gripper jaws to permit the lead wires to be coursed along complex, circuitous paths. In addition, an improved lead pull assembly, improved temporary wire clamps, and a wire former assembly are provided.

Abstract: A stator coil lead wire is extended over the end turns of coil from which the lead wire is extended and inserted into a terminal member adjacent the opposite side of the same coil. A tooling assembly is provided having a coil shield which prevents the lead wire from becoming disengaged from the coil end turn and moving toward the center of the stator core. Additionally, a wire guide finger is provided which is movable toward and away from the stator core for enabling the lead wire to be inserted between closely spaced terminal members.

Abstract: Pivotal jaws of wire clamps that temporarily grip stator coil lead wires are spring biased to clamp stator coil lead wires thereto when the lead wires are inserted into the clamps at a winding station, and are biased by respective air actuators to ensure release of the lead wires at a coil lead terminating station.

Abstract: In the manufacture of certain stators for dynamoelectric devices, proper spacing between oppositely-facing winding forms of a winding form assembly is determined by the length of a pair of connector rods extending from one winding form to the other. A winding form assembly can be quickly and easily adjusted for use in the manufacture of stators having various stack heights by removal and replacement of the winding form connector rods with connector rods of an appropriate length. The connector rods are locked to one of the winding forms when the connector rods are in a first rotary position and are removable when the connector rods are in a second rotary position. A simple tool can be used to rotate the connector rods between the first rotary position and the second rotary position.

Abstract: A tamping assembly is provided at a stator winding station that includes a tamping member and an air actuator which drives the tamping member toward and away from a temporary wire clamp. The temporary wire clamp has a movable jaw which is forced open to receive a stator coil lead wire by engagement of the tamping member therewith. Extended and retracted positions of the tamping member are determined by proximity detectors that detect the corresponding extended and retracted positions of a guide rod connected to and movable with the tamping member. Plural tamping assemblies are provided, one for each temporary wire clamp. The tamping assemblies are used in conjunction with lead pull assemblies which locate segments of stator coil lead wires in positions to be inserted into the temporary clamps when forced open by the tamping members.

Abstract: A stator support assembly for use during the manufacture of electric motor stator assemblies includes a pallet, a rotatable stator support nest mounted on the pallet, and a lock arrangement that resists rotation of the nest from plural, locked, rotary orientations. The nest has generally horizontal, upwardly-facing, stator core supporting surfaces and generally vertical stator core confining wall portions. Accordingly, a stator assembly being manufactured is supported in a substantially fixed position or orientation as required when a stator assembly is being transferred from one workstation to the next but can be manually rotated from one locked position to the next for the convenience of a human operator when manual operations on the stator assembly are performed. Lock arrangements that may be used comprise recesses and one or more cooperating spring-biased detents or, alternatively, holes and a spring-biased shot pin.

Abstract: Stator coils having lead wires inserted into temporary wire clamps at a winding station are electrically tested before the coil lead wires are removed from the temporary clamps. The clamps each include a jaw formed with a wire-engaging surface which scrapes the insulting coating off from a lead wire as it is inserted therein. The clamps are mounted on an electrically insulating support and are electrically connected to terminal members which are engageable by electrical test terminal members.

Abstract: A stator winding machine has a turret plate mounted for rotation about a vertical axis with stator clamp mechanisms mounted at spaced locations around its periphery for clamping stators to the turret plate with the axes of the stators coplanar with the axis of reciprocation and oscillation of the winding shuttle used to wind coils on the stators. The turret plate is repeatedly indexed in one direction about its vertical center axis to repeatedly sequentially move each of the stator clamp mechanism to a load/unload station, an optional idle station, a winding station, a coil lead terminating station, and then back to the load/unload station. Parts of the machine are quickly replaceable and other parts are programmably adjustable to accommodate different stator configurations.

Abstract: An armature shaft having a cam body extending from one end thereof is inserted into a shaft-receiving transfer block of an armature lamination and shaft assembly machine so that the cam body has a desired angular orientation relative to the axis of rotation of the armature shaft. A stack of laminations with which the shaft is assembled is rotationally oriented using a rotatable support for the lamination stack and a pair of proximity detectors which sense the position of missing portions of one or more of the laminations.

Abstract: A wound stator for a permanent magnet electric machine has an array of coils on the outer rim of a generally cylindrical stator body. The stator coils are wound directly on the stator body by providing the stator body with a plurality of mutually circumferentially-spaced, coil-retaining and forming members around which the ends of the stator coils are coursed so that the coil sides project in a direction parallel to the center axis of the stator. Wire connections are formed between coils of a phase, and wire loops are formed between the last wound coil of one phase and the first wound coil of a subsequently wound phase. Mechanisms are provided for clamping the stator start wires and for temporarily retaining the wire loops.

Abstract: To reduce manufacturing cycle times, after a stator core is transferred by a transfer carriage along a track from a winding station to a coil lead terminating station at which lead wires extending from the coils to temporary wire clamps on the transfer carriage are connected by an industrial robot to terminal members on the stator core, the stator core is clamped to the track and the transfer carriage returned to the winding station immediately after the last lead wire to be removed from a temporary wire clamp is removed so that the transfer carriage returns to the winding station while the last lead wire is being connected to terminal member on the stator core.

Abstract: A stator winding machine has a turret plate mounted for rotation about a vertical axis with stator clamp mechanisms mounted at spaced locations around its periphery for clamping stators to the turret plate with the axes of the stators coplanar with the axis of reciprocation and oscillation of the winding shuttle used to wind coils on the stators. The turret plate is repeatedly indexed in one direction about its vertical center axis to repeatedly sequentially move each of the stator clamp mechanism to a load/unload station, an optional idle station, a winding station, a coil lead terminating station, and then back to the load/unload station. Parts of the machine are quickly replaceable and other parts are programmably adjustable to accommodate different stator configurations.

Abstract: An armature shaft having a cam body extending from one end thereof is inserted into a shaft-receiving transfer block of an armature lamination and shaft assembly machine so that the cam body has a desired angular orientation relative to the axis of rotation of the armature shaft. A stack of laminations with which the shaft is assembled is also angularly oriented.

Abstract: An armature shaft having a cam body extending from one end thereof is inserted into a shaft-receiving transfer block of an armature lamination and shaft assembly machine so that the cam body has a desired angular orientation relative to the axis of rotation of the armature shaft. A stack of laminations with which the shaft is assembled is also angularly oriented.

Abstract: To produce a slack condition in a lead wire that extends from a stator coil to a terminal receptacle mounted on the stator core, the lead wire is bent over a wire guide finger adjacent the terminal receptacle. This increases the length of the lead wire segment between the coil and the terminal receptacle so that the lead wire will be somewhat slack. This also materially decreases the tension on the lead wire where it enters the receptacle, and avoids the abrupt, wire-weakening, right-angled bend resulting from the present practice. A method and an apparatus are provided for appropriately positioning the wire guide finger.

Abstract: A fusing electrode is mounted on a vertically movable carriage which is raised by a first air actuator and lowered by gravity into engagement with a commutator tang. During a fusing cycle, different pressures are applied between the fusing electrode and the tang by means of a fast-acting air actuator that has a downwardly-extending piston rod engageable with the carriage and which is controlled by a programmable pressure regulating valve. To increase the response time and the force follow through of the second air actuator, the programmable pressure regulating valve is mounted directly on top of the second air actuator with its air outlet located as close to the cylinder of the second actuator as permitted by the air fittings which connect them. Surge tanks associated with the programmable valve assist in ensuring speedy response times.