Part 4 — PLAN No. 1071. COIL WINDING AND TAPING
Reading edition
In many electrical devices, coils of insulated copper wire-magnet or armature windings of one sort or another are required. Consequently a large number of coil winders are employed in most electrical factories. Coils are usually wound on forms in accordance with specifications prepared in the engineering department. The “form,” upon which the coil is thus wound, is clamped on the head of a winding lathe operated by power. In this form is a groove, in which the convolutions of the winding are wound. The groove is of such size that it insures the correct number of turns in the coil so that the finished coil shall be of correct dimensions. When the attendant presses a treadle, power furnished by a belt causes the form to revolve, and insulated copper wire from a spool mounted on a rack is guided by the attendant and wound into its place in the groove. After the required number of turns, the form is removed, and the coil is taken from it by the attendant who then starts winding the next coil. Frequently it is necessary to produce a large number of identical coils. Where this condition obtains, automatic devices of one sort or another, to reduce manual effort and to render the processes automatic in so far as possible, may be employed.
Types of Coils
Some of the different sorts of coils wound in the different factories are: Field coils, armature coils, transformer coils, and magnet coils. Coils of different types may range in size and weight from a few inches long and a few ounces in weight to a couple of feet and several hundred pounds.
Conditions of Employment for Coil Winders
The work on some coils requires little physical effort and may be done by young women, but where the wire from which the coil is wound is of relatively large diameter or where the winding is intricate men are employed. Some lifting is necessary, and the use of both hands is essential. The loss of one eye, of a leg or foot, or of hearing is not a material detriment. The work is wholly indoors. Coil winding is often piecework, sometimes under a premium system and sometimes not. The trade is not generally unionized. The usual day is nine hours, although an eight-hour day prevails in some localities. A coil winder may expect to receive from $14 to $22 per week.