Method and apparatus for forming insulated rotor conductors

An apparatus for forming insulated rotor conductors comprising a flat electrical conductor having a layer of insulating material bonded thereto, said apparatus comprising a plurality of modules detachably attached to each other for conveying said layer of insulating material and individual ones of said electrical conductors in a process direction through said modules, said modules comprising:

• an infeed module for supplying individual ones of said electrical conductors from a stack of electrical conductors to a predetermined first position in said infeed module;
• a bonding module adjacent to said infeed module for bonding a layer of said insulating material to said electrical conductors to form a solid unitary structure defining said insulated rotor conductors, said bonding module comprising:
• a heating chamber enclosing a heating device for heating said electrical conductors and said layer of insulating material to a predetermined temperature to thereby bond said layer of insulating material to said individual electrical conductors;
• an infeed opening formed in a side of said heating chamber and aligned with said first position for receiving said electrical conductors and said layer of said insulating material in said process direction;
• an exit opening formed in a side of said heating chamber opposite and aligned with said infeed opening for discharging said insulated rotor conductors from said bonding module;
• and
• a pair of entry rollers located adjacent said infeed opening and opposite said exit opening, and a drive motor for driving said entry rollers in a forward direction to convey said layer of insulating material and individual electrical conductors from said infeed module, through said heating chamber;
• a conditioning module located downstream from said bonding module, said conditioning module comprising:
• a conditioning chamber enclosing a cooling device for cooling said insulated rotor conductors to a predetermined maximum temperature;
• an infeed opening formed in a side of said conditioning chamber and aligned with said exit opening of said heating chamber;
• an exit opening formed in a side of said conditioning chamber opposite and aligned with said infeed opening of said conditioning chamber;
• and
• a pair of exit rollers located adjacent said exit opening and opposite said infeed opening of said conditioning chamber, and a drive motor for driving said exit rollers in a forward direction to convey said insulated rotor conductors from said bonding module, through said conditioning chamber;
• and
• a collection module located downstream from said conditioning module in said process direction for receiving said insulated rotor conductors from said exit rollers, said collection module including a collection reservoir for receiving a plurality of said insulated rotor conductors in vertically stacked relation;
• wherein a feed reservoir has a predetermined length between opposing sides of said infeed module in said process direction for receiving electrical conductors of a maximum length, and a distance between said entry rollers and said exit rollers is less than said predetermined length for said entry and exit rollers to simultaneously engage one of said electrical conductors extending across plural modules.