Winding machine and method providing improved shielding relative to debris that may be encountered in a winding operation

A winding machine comprising:

• at least one winding assembly;
• a device for feeding a respective strand of wire to the at least one winding assembly, wherein the strand of wire is fed into the at least one winding assembly from below the assembly;
• and
• a shield for the at least one winding assembly, the shield including lateral and top sections that define a window at a bottom thereof so that any debris therein egresses from the at least one winding assembly through the window and is prevented from being propelled into any adjacent winding assemblies, thus reducing the occurrence of debris-induced faults.

A method for shielding a winding machine relative to debris during a winding operation, the method comprising:

• providing at least one winding assembly;
• feeding a respective strand of wire to the at least one winding assembly, wherein the strand of wire is fed into the at least one winding assembly from below the assembly;
• and
• providing a shield for the at least one winding assembly;
• and
• configuring the shield to include a window at a bottom thereof for allowing passage to the strand of wire, the shield further including lateral and top sections configured to partially enclose the at least one winding assembly, wherein the lateral section extends sufficiently beneath the at least one winding assembly so that any debris therein egresses from the at least one winding assembly through the window and is prevented from being propelled into any adjacent winding assemblies, thus reducing the occurrence of debris-induced faults.