Apparatus and methods for winding coil using traverse with rotating element

A system for winding wire, comprising:

• a wire take-up unit including a rotating mandrel having an axis of mandrel rotation, end-forms coupled to said mandrel, and a traverse arranged to cause said wire to be wound in a figure-eight configuration on said rotating mandrel and between said end-forms to form a coil having many layers of wire, said traverse comprising a wire directing device including a reciprocating, rotating element that reciprocates back and forth along a first axis parallel to said axis of mandrel rotation and rotates along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis as it reciprocates, and a movement apparatus that moves said reciprocating, rotating element radially relative to said mandrel, said wire directing device defining a terminal from which the wire is dispensed, said terminal reciprocating, rotating, and moving radially relative to said mandrel and located inside an imaginary cylinder defined by said end-forms a vast majority of time the wire is being wound into said coil.

A method of winding wire, comprising:

• obtaining a wire winding device having a rotating mandrel around which the wire is to be wound and a traverse comprising a wire directing device including a reciprocating, rotating element that reciprocates back and forth along a first axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the mandrel and rotates along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis as it reciprocates;
• winding the wire over the mandrel in a figure-eight pattern to form a coil with many wire layers, said winding including causing said reciprocating, rotating element to reciprocate and rotate.