Axis USA, Inc.

Axis Corporation

Luciano Santandrea

Massimo Lombardi

Sabatino Luciani

Salvatore Amato

Giuseppe Andorlini

Electric motor armatures are wound by moving a wire dispensing member relative to the armature so that the wire dispensing member itself guides the wire precisely into position on the armature and so that no additional wire guides or shrouds are needed to guide the wire and keep it out of contact with portions of the armature that it should not contact. The relative motion between the armature and the wire dispensing member is preferably under programmable control so that the apparatus can be readily reprogrammed when different types of armatures are to be wound. Specially shaped wire dispensing members may be employed.

Programmably controlled armature winding methods

An apparatus for automatically adjusting the distance between two support members for carrying workpieces of different dimensions. The support members are mounted on guides that are fitted to pallets that travel on conveyor transport systems for automatic production/assembly lines. In one embodiment the support members have a locking device that frictionally secure the support members in place on the pallet and can be unlocked for movement along the guide. A positioning unit engages the pallet so that the locking device is unlocked and the support members are engaged and translated to the desired locations under the control of a drive. In a second embodiment the support members are translated along and under the control of a threaded bar. A positioning unit engages the pallet to activate the threaded bar by rotating it to translate the support members to the desired locations. The support members are independently translated using one threaded bar and the drive for each support member. The location of the support members may be determined before adjusting the support members for the dimensions of the workpiece to be supported. Devices for bringing a pallet and the positioning unit together to make the adjustment are provided.

Automatic adjustment of pallet workpiece support members

Programmably controlled armature winding apparatus

A machine for winding two-pole stators includes a revolving table around which are located at least three working stations: a station to feed the machine with unwound stators from a conveyor placed alongside the machine and for returning the wound stators to the conveyor; a winding station where one or more winding needles with alternating translatory and angular motion wind the stator; and a terminating station with means to anchor the coil leads to the stator. The revolving table carries a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator housings, each stator housing having stator-containing means. The stator housings and table are equipped with mechanical, reciprocally meshing means, those on the table being located between the winding station and the load/unload station for rotating the stator housings about the horizontal axis tangentially to the table between a position in which the axis of the stator-containing means is vertical and a position in which that axis is horizontal. The stator housings further include a spring to keep the axis of the associated stator-containing means horizontal during movement of the housings from the load/unload station through the winding station to the terminating station.

Machine and method for winding two-pole stators

A pallet system for supporting a workpiece (such as an electric motor stator or rotor) during processing of the workpiece includes a pallet member on which a workpiece holder can be removably placed. The workpiece holder may have multiple workpiece-engaging sites, each of which is adapted to hold a differently configured workpiece, and multiple pallet-engaging sites, each of which is associated with a respective one of the workpiece-engaging sites and any one of which can be used to engage the pallet so that the workpiece holder can hold a workpiece of the appropriate configuration at the associated workpiece-engaging site. Methods and apparatus for storing and manipulating the workpiece holders are also disclosed.

Methods for making electric motor parts employing pallet with removable

Methods and apparatus are provided for automatically adapting a stator winding station to wind stator cores of different lengths, without changing the lengths of the winding needles installed in the winding machine, and with minimum operator intervention. The method includes the step of translating the stator core, depending upon its length, to maintain the midpoint of the stator core at a fixed distance from a suitable reference frame, for example, the winding machine. Apparatus comprising first and second precision movement locators are described, wherein the first locator carries a stator housing, and the second locator carries lead termination equipment. The apparatus is adjusted automatically to position the stator core in a predetermined relation to the stator winding station, based on the length of the stator core to be wound.

Methods and apparatus for automated stator winding station set up

A pallet for carrying workpieces having different dimensions is provided having first and second support members that are movably located on the pallet and which may be repositioned throughout a range of adjustment to accommodate differently dimensioned workpieces. The pallet includes an aperture through which a removal member may pass to contact and translate the workpiece onto and off of the pallet. The first and second support members are adjustably mounted on the pallet so that they do not obscure the aperture or otherwise interfere with the operation of the removal member.

Machine for winding two-pole stators

A wire gripper which facilitates insertion of a wire and which retains wires of varying thickness. The wire gripper includes a first member biased towards a second member so that the first and second members are tangent to one another until a wire is inserted. An inserted wire rests on a receiving member beyond the point of tangency of the two members. The two members are resiliently urged together to prevent the inserted wire from leaving the wire receiving member.

Wire gripper

Multiple electric motor parts are processed simultaneously by apparatus which removes the parts from a conveyor (on which the parts are side by side in a substantially horizontal plane), repositions the parts so that they are vertically above one another, processes the parts while they are thus repositioned, and then returns the parts to the conveyor in their original side by side relationship in a horizontal plane. In addition, a gripper apparatus for electric motor components that can be used to grip components of different sizes, and that can rotationally index electric motor components of different sizes, is provided. The gripper apparatus has two oppositely facing gripper arms with complementary V-shaped faces sized to accommodate a range of sizes of components. The arms are moved together in unison to center and grip the component. After the component has been gripped, an indexing pawl rotates the component. A tooth is urged against the component and stops the rotation when it enters a depression or slot in the component, indicating that the desired angular position has been reached.

Apparatus for substantially simultaneously processing multiple electric

An apparatus for automatically adjusting the distance between two support members for carrying workpieces of different dimensions. The support members are mounted on guides that are fitted to pallets that travel on conveyor transport systems for automatic production/assembly lines. In one embodiment the support members have locking elements that frictionally secure the support members in place on the pallet and can be unlocked for movement along the guide. A positioning unit engages the pallet so that the locking elements is unlocked and the support members are engaged and translated to the desired locations under the control of the drive. In a second embodiment the support members are translated along and under the control of a threaded bar. A positioning unit engages the pallet to activate the threaded bar by rotating it to translate the support members to the desired locations. The support members are independently translated using one threaded bar and the drive for each support member. The location of the support members may be determined before adjusting the support members for the dimensions of the workpiece to be supported. Devices for bringing a pallet and the positioning unit together to make the adjustment are provided.

Gripper apparatus for electric motor components that can be used to grip components of different sizes, and that can rotationally index electric motor components of different sizes, is provided. The gripper apparatus has two oppositely facing gripper arms with complementary V-shaped faces sized to accommodate a range of sizes of components. The arms are moved together in unison to center and grip the component. After the component has been gripped, an indexing pawl rotates the component. A tooth is urged against the component and stops the rotation when it enters a depression or slot in the component, indicating that the desired angular position has been reached.

Gripper apparatus for electric motor components

Apparatus for making electric motor parts employing pallet with

The axial end portions of the insulating members which are used to line the longitudinal channels formed between circumferentially adjacent, radially inwardly projecting poles in a stator (e.g., an electric motor stator) are protected from damage by the wire being wound by providing terminal boards at each axial end of the stator having portions which overhang the axial ends of the insulating members. Temporary wire grippers may also or alternatively be mounted on the axial ends of the stator (e.g., on the above-mentioned terminal boards) for temporarily holding the leads of the stator coils prior to permanent termination of those leads on permanent terminals on the terminal boards.

Growing community of inventors

Florence, Italy

Luciano Santandrea