Automatic system and method for compressing coil turns and inserting insulators in slots of a slotted stator core

An automatic system for compressing coil turns and inserting insulators in stator slots of a dynamoelectric machine comprising a slotted stator core having a bore therethrough, the system comprising:

• a movable worktable having a plurality of stator holding stations spaced about the worktable, the stators initially including slot liners and at least one set of windings loosely inserted in the stator slots;
• a plurality of work stations spaced about the worktable including, in sequence, (a) a combined loading/unloading station, (b) an initial press station for lightly compressing coil turns in the stator slots and clearing the stator bore of coil end turns, (c) a plurality of adjacent phase insulator stations, each such phase insulator work station having an arbor carrying the phase insulators and being insertable into the stator cores, the arbors being operative simultaneously to insert phase insulators into a corresponding plurality of stator cores positioned in adjacent holding stations, the phase insulator insertion stations each also having a loading mechanism operative to reload the insertion arbor during the period of multiple worktable indexing steps during which fresh stators are brought into position in the plurality of phase insulator stations, (d) a slot separator wedge insulator insertion station, and (e) a heavy press station for further compressing the coil turns with the inserted insulators in the stator slots,
• and means for actuating the worktable to index the holding stations sequentially through the work stations in a repetitive manner.

A method of automatically compressing wire segments in slots of a slotted stator core and of automatically inserting insulation segments in the slots, the method comprising the steps of:

• at a load/unload work station, placing the end face of the stator core onto cuff support fingers of a cuff support assembly mounted in a holding station located on a movable worktable;
• actuating the cuff support fingers to engage the bottom cuffs of the stator core to irremovably hold the stator core in place during subsequent compressing and insulator insertion steps;
• causing the worktable to rotate in a stepwise manner to index the stator sequentially through an initial press work station, a phase insulator insertion work station;
• a slot wedge insulator insertion work station and a heavy press work station and thereupon returning the stator to the load/unload work station;
• and actuating the cuff support fingers to disengage the bottom cuff supports to permit unloading of the stator from the holding station preparatory to reloading the holding station with a fresh stator core.

An automatic system for compressing coil turns and inserting insulators in stator slots of a dynamoelectric machine comprising:

• a movable worktable having a plurality of stator holding stations spaced about the worktable, the stators initially including slot liners terminating in end cuffs projecting from each end face of the stator and at least a first set of windings loosely inserted in the stator slots;
• a plurality of work stations spaced about the worktable where operational procedures are performable, said procedures including loading, pressing, insulation inserting, and unloading;
• and said stations including stations for loading, for initially pressing and thereby compressing coil turns in the stator slots and for clearing coil end turns from the vicinity of the statore bore, for inserting winding insulation, for further compressing the coil turns with the inserted insulation in the stator slots, and for unloading;
• means for actuating the worktable to index the holding stations through differently located work stations;
• a cuff support assembly means mounted on the worktable at each holding station and for positioning and irremovably holding a stator loaded into each holding station while the stator is indexed through various work stations;
• and cuff support actuating means at the loading and unloading work station for engaging the cuff supports with the cuffs of a freshly loaded stator at the beginning of the indexing of the stator through the work stations and for disengaging the cuff supports from the stator cuffs after the stator has indexed through all the work stations so that the stator may be unloaded and a new stator loaded into the holding station.

A method of automatically compressing wire segments in slots of a slotted stator core and of automatically inserting insulation segments in the slots, the method comprising the steps of:

• placing the end face of the stator core onto cuff support fingers of a cuff support assembly mounted in a holding station located on a movable worktable;
• actuating the cuff support fingers to engage the bottom cuffs of the stator core to irremovably hold the stator core in place during subsequent steps;
• causing the worktable to rotate in a stepwise manner to index the stator sequentially from one station to another and sequentially operating on the stator by initially pressing at least some of the wire segments placing phase insulators on the core, inserting slot wedge insulators, and heavy pressing at least some of the wire segments;
• and actuating the cuff support fingers to disengage the bottom cuff supports to permit unloading of the stator from the holding station preparatory to reloading the holding station with a fresh stator core.