Axis Usa, Inc.

Antonio Becherucci

Gianfranco Stratico

Maurizio Mugelli

Rossano Galassi

Antonio Randazzo

Dalibor Kirov

Methods and apparatus for replacing an old wire threaded through a flyer winder with a new wire are provided. A first end of the old wire is connected to a first end of the new wire. The wires may be connected by twining, clamping, welding or the like. A second end of the old wire that extends from one of the winder's flyers is then connected to a collection device, and the old wire is collected until the new wire has been threaded through the flyer winder along the same path traveled by the old wire. The collection device may be an armature or similar structure having recesses for collecting the old wire during wire change-over or replacement. Preferably the collection device is configured so that conventional coil lead connection operations may be used to expedite wire change-over or replacement.

Wire changing in an armature winder

An objective and non-destructive test of the fused joints in an armature, that can be used on every armature being manufactured on an armature manufacturing line, as well as apparatus for performing that test, are provided. The armature is immersed in an acoustic coupling medium. Acoustic pulses, preferably ultrasonic pulses, are beamed onto the commutator tang/wire interface region of a commutator tang/bar fused joint or the fused joint itself and an acoustic signature is measured. The quality of the joint can be determined by comparing the acoustic signature to a predetermined acoustic signature of known quality. A testing station on an armature production line includes a mechanism for removing the armature from the production line, immersing it in the coupling medium, and rotating it as each joint in the commutator of that armature is checked.

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Florence, Italy

Antonio Becherucci