Method of manufacturing stator

A method of manufacturing a stator in which numerous rectangular wire coils, which are shaped in U-shapes having both leg portions respectively inserted into respective slots of a stator core from one side in an axial direction of the stator core, are superposed in a plurality of layers in a radial direction of the stator core and are arrayed in annular forms, the method comprising:

• setting lengths in the axial direction of the both leg portions of the rectangular wire coils such that the lengths become longer in a stepwise manner from a layer at an inner side toward a layer at an outer side of the plurality of layers;
• of the both leg portions of each of the rectangular wire coils, forming a leg portion at one side in a peripheral direction of the stator core to be longer in the axial direction than a leg portion at another side in the peripheral direction;
• within each of the slots, at each of the respective layers, superposing the leg portion at the one side of one of the rectangular wire coils on an outer side in the radial direction of the leg portion at the other side of another of the rectangular wire coils;
• placing a first jig, which has a stepped portion shaped in a form of steps heading downward toward an outer side in the radial direction, at another side in the axial direction with respect to the numerous rectangular wire coils, and making respective steps of the stepped portion face the layers, respectively;
• causing a second jig to abut the numerous rectangular wire coils from the one side in the axial direction, and pushing the second jig toward the other side in the axial direction;
• and
• of the leg portions at the one sides and the leg portions at the other sides of the respective layers, causing only distal ends of the leg portions at the one sides to abut the steps, respectively.