When the manufactured product doesn’t meet the expected standards due to production errors, it is labelled as a rejection. Often, in manufacturing processes that involve winding wires, like motors and coils, errors in the winding process can lead to high process rejects.
For example, improper winding can lead to wire breakages, insulation failure, pinholes, corrosion etc. By taking appropriate precautions in the winding process, you can minimise the rejections in your manufacturing line.
Here is a handy list of the 10 best winding practices that can help you in this regard:
Best Winding Practices to Minimise Process Rejections
1. Smooth Spool Surface –
Any impurities present on the spool surface can impact smooth winding. Debris or dirt on the surface can affect the winding feed and create an imbalance to the desired wire tension. Moreover, it can cause wear and tear to the winding equipment leading to premature damage of the same. Sometimes, impurities on the spool surface may get passed on to the end product thus causing quality issues. Hence, always ensure a smooth and clean spool surface before assembling.
2. Maintain Correct Tension –
Before you start the winding process, ensure that the wire tension is adequate. Tight wires can cause stretching and deformation or result in breakages. On the contrary, lower tension of wire can result in irregularities like bunching up, uneven winding or damage to the wire.
3. Functional Pulleys –
Pulleys play a crucial role in smooth spooling and maintaining correct tension control while winding. Regular greasing and checking of the pulleys functionality at frequent intervals assures smooth operation of the winding wire assembly.
4. Right type of winding –
The right type of winding technique or pattern is highly dependent on the characteristics of the winding wire – such as the thickness of the insulation, material used, flexibility, diameter and shape of the wire. For example, if the wire has a rectangular or flat shape, it may require a different winding pattern than a wire with a circular cross-section. If the right type of winding pattern is not chosen, it may lead to mechanical damage to the wire or sometimes lengthen the manufacturing time.
5. Winding Speed –
High winding speed can cause excessive stress on the wire, leading to breaks, cracks, or other defects that can compromise the electrical performance and reliability of the coil. And if the winding speed is too slow, it can lead to inadequate winding tension, which can result in gaps in the coil or uneven winding of the wire. Maintain an optimum winding speed consistently to ensure that the winding has desired electrical and physical properties.
6. Prevent Overwinding –
Overwinding refers to the process of winding the wire beyond the desired number of turns or layers. It increases the resistance of the coil, affecting the electrical properties of the product. It also adds physical stress on the wire causing premature breakage. Common ways to prevent overwinding are the choice of proper winding pattern, correct winding speed and accurate tension control.
7. Avoid Wire Scratches –
Scratches on the winding wire can result in damage or breakages during winding. Moreover, any scratch in the wire surface can make the winding wire non-conforming to the desired electrical properties. This can end up as a below-par product in your QC process. Thus, proper care must be taken while handling and storing the winding wires to avoid scratches.
8. Proper Calibration –
Inspect, adjust and verify the accuracy of the winding machine and associated equipment for proper tension, wire feed and speed. Carrying out such regular calibration daily or weekly ensures that the winding process remains consistent. This avoids unexpected breakdowns that can cause winding wire breakages or stretching.
9. Quality control –
Setting up proper quality control at every phase of the winding process helps in maintaining consistency in the quality of winding in your products. Defining quality standards, implementing process controls, conducting regular inspections and taking corrective measures help in this regard.
10. Using correct raw material –
More than everything else, it is the usage of the right raw materials that provide the right softness and windability for the magnet wires. The flexibility and tensile strength of the winding wire determine the ease of winding and reliability of the finished coil. If the magnet wire is stiff, it can cause breakages, on the other hand, soft wires are difficult to handle. Likewise, if the quality of insulation is not good, it can crack during the winding process exposing the conductor beneath.
A quality-minded winding wire manufacturer could be the right partner who can provide you with winding wires of consistent quality for your needs.
Geekay winding is focused on providing quality magnet wire that follows exact specifications for your product applications. We source our raw materials from the best copper, aluminium and enamel suppliers. Also, we follow strict quality controls to ensure that the wire matches the physical and electrical properties as desired. We also provide support in following the best winding practices.
How can G.K. Winding help you to follow the best winding practices?
We as an organisation have a customer service team that rigorously audits your process and provides you suggestions for improvements in your winding process. This will in turn help you improve your winding efficiency. We make the best quality copper and aluminium enameled winding wires that are in perfect accordance with your application specifications. This will ensure the right softness and windability thus keeping process rejections to the minimum.
Check out our range of aluminium and copper enamelled winding wires.
Contact us with your specifications for a sample.