The History and Classification of Winding Machine Tensioners

The winding machine tensioner is the key component to ajust enameled wire with appropriate tension for winding machines of transformers, motors and various types of coils in the production process. It can ensure the coil products are wound firmly  and tightly, and technical indicators e.g. winding voltage, resistance, weight, shape etc. are consistent. According to the technical properties，tensioners can be put into 4 categories: mechanical tensioners, magnetic tensioners, electronic tensioners and servo tensioners. Coil winding machine 

The development course of winding machine tensioners

Since early 20th century, the application of electricity had changed the civilization of human society. The development of science and technology with electronic power started a new era. Motors and electronic components began to enter a large part of human lives. The original hydraulic drive had been replaced by electromagnetic drive. electronic components changed from the original electron tubes into the integrated circuits. As electronic components are becoming more and more tiny and fine, winding machines have also gradually transitioned from the original manual winding to semi-mechanized production. By the end of 50s, the first mechanized winding machine was made in Japan, signifying the beginning of automated winding machines with electronic components/motors.

At the beginning of 21st century, as the electronic components becoming more minimized and advanced, winding machine has gradually achieved the intelligence and automation. In the 1960s，winding machine tensioner began to draw attention. Because it's more and more important to ensure the quality of electrical products. Winding machine tensioners also developed from the original wool felt clamp wire to obtain tension developed to mechanical winding machine tensioners. In the late 70s, magnetic materials were used, damper tensioners were developed. In the mid-80s, as hysteresis materials appeared, electromagnetic tensioners were developed. Since the 90s, the development of electronic technology reached the peak, the intelligent tensioner began to be applied, servo tensioners were developed.

Classification of winding machine tensioners

According to the performance from low to high， the winding machine tensioners can be put into 4 categories: mechanical tensioners, magnetic tensioners, electronic tensioners and servo tensioners.

Mechanical tensioners

Features: Resistance through mechanical friction, simple structure, low price, but not suitable for fine wire diameter and high quality products to use, generally applicable to more than 2mm rough wire diameter use.

Working principle: Using contact mechanical friction to provide torque.

Advantages: Wide range of tension coverage, can meet the winding of rough line under 2mm. Low price.

Disadvantage: Due to the existence of contact mechanical friction, the tension lasting stability is not good. The service life is very short, needed to check and correct on a daily basis.

Magnetic tensioners

Features: It's produced by magnetic torque damping, no mechanical friction. So it can produce long-term stable tension, and accuracy can be guaranteed,which is suitable for the general product use, low price and budget.

Working principle: Torque is provided by non-contact magnetic torque.

Advantages: It generates damping through magnetic torque, no mechanical friction, so the tension is stable and accuracy is guaranteed. The MTA can also provide two-way tension to meet the need of wrapping the pins.

Disadvantage: Because of its structural limits, in the winding tension can only be set from small to large. If the other way around, you must stop operation and then adjust.

Electronic tensioners

Features: Core tension generated components using electromagnetic hysteresis brake or slightly worse performance of the magnetic powder brake, through low voltage current regulation, tension stability, LED display.

The hysteresis brake consists of two parts, the rotor and the stator pole. The rotor is made of special hysteresis material, the stator magnetic pole has a certain gap, the rotor rotates in the gap. When the coil is energized, the gap produces a magnetic field that causes the rotor to have hysteresis effect. When the hysteresis rotor overcomes the hysteresis force rotation under external forces, the rated torque is generated. Torque is only related to the size of the excitation current, independent of the rotational speed, achieving non-contact torque transmission.

Servo tensioners

Working principle: Through the angular displacement sensor of the tension arm, the angle is converted to the electric pulse signal to drive the servo motor to operate automatically. The tension switch response is rapid, the output tension is stable, almost no fluctuation, which is suitable for the production of high precision products.

Advantages: Changing from the traditional passive feeding mode to the active feeding line. The tension is particularly stable and the minimum tension can reach 1g. The built-in tension stabilizing system can automatically balance tension.

Tensioner selection

At present, in coil manufacturing process, most of the companies generally use the wire to increase resistance to cause mechanical friction and control tension! The wool felt or mechanical friction tension wheel are used widely, which have no standard quantitative value. After a period of use, due to poor wear resistance of the material, it will cause wire wear and tension fluctuations. Manual frequent adjusting and monitoring is difficult to achieve effective quality control and the prevention of bad defects.

Ascend adopts advanced electronic tensioners and servo tensioners.

The inner core parts of the electronic tensioners adopt the most advanced electromagnetic hysteresis technology, and the tension is controlled by the excitation current, and the size of the tension is only related to the excitation current size, which is independent of the rotational speed and realizes the non-contact torque transmission. High control precision, can obtain a stable and consistent tension.Because of the use of magnetic levitation technology. In addition to the internal bearings, there is no other friction in the system, which completely solved the problems caused by the friction and wire damage and tension fluctuation caused by wire winding fluffy, Abnormal resistance and other undesirable phenomena.

Ascend winding machine mainly uses Suzhou china-trophy for high-end electronic tensioners and servo tensioners to ensure product tension in line with high standards, effectively improve product quality level and reduce the loss of supplementary materials. Ascend realizes high standards and high-quality of products through establishing the tension control and specification management mechanism, which has built a great reputation in the industry.