Patent Publication Number: US-2021184549-A1

Title: Method of making electric machine windings with segmented conductors

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/947,238, filed Dec. 12, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This application relates to the field of electric machines, and more particularly, a method of making windings for electric machines. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A stator generally consists of a stator core, windings, and insulation. The stator core is comprised of stack of steel laminations or related ferromagnetic material. The lamination stack is typically provided as a cylindrical structure defining a central axis, an outer diameter (OD), and an inner diameter (ID), with slots extending from either the OD or the ID. The windings are formed from a conductive metal such as copper. The windings include slot segments disposed in the stator slots and end turns extending between the slot segments. Each end turn provides a conductive path that connects two slot segments. Insulation is provided in the slots of the stator core in order to insulate the stator core from the electrically conductive windings (and particularly the slot segments extending through the slots). 
     One method of making a stator is to form windings from segmented conductors (which segmented conductors may also be referred to as “hairpins,” “hairpin conductors,” or “U-shaped conductors,” and windings from such segmented conductors may be referred to as “segmented windings” or “hairpin windings”). As shown in  FIG. 12 , formation of a hairpin winding is generally comprised of the following acts.
         1) First a plurality of hairpins  50  are formed by bending short lengths of wire into a desired U-shape, each hairpin including a U-turn  52  (which may also be referred to as an “end turn”) that connects two elongated straight portions  54  (which may also be referred to as “axial portions” or “legs”).   2) After forming the hairpins  50 , the legs  54  are inserted axially into the slots of a stator core  30  such that the U-turns are arranged on an insertion end  36  of the stator core and the legs extend axially from the connection end  38  of the stator core.   3) Following insertion, the legs  54  extending from the connection end of the stator core are twisted such that each leg end  56  is adjacent to the leg end of another segmented conductor.   4) Thereafter, the ends  56  of adjacent legs are welded together to form a complete winding  24  arranged on a stator  20 .       

     Unfortunately, the first step of the foregoing process illustrated in  FIG. 12  can be problematic and inefficient. In particular, the process of making the U-shape for each hairpin is time consuming and expensive. The conventional process is to take a short segment of wire and bend it around a mandrel in  3  different places to form the U shape hairpin. A significant issue is the large number of hairpins that are required to make one stator. For example, if a stator has a three phase winding with segmented conductors arranged in seventy-two slots (with the legs of each segmented conductor in two different slots) and eight layers in each slot (i.e., each slot includes a leg from one of eight different segmented conductors), the stator will need two hundred eighty eight individual hairpins (8*72/2=288). Making such a large number of hairpins is both time consuming and expensive, thus adding to the overall cost and production time for each electric machine. 
     In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide for an improved method for making a stator winding. It would be particularly advantageous if a segmented winding could be made in less time and at less cost than conventional segmented windings. It would also be advantageous if the formation of the stator winding resulted in little waste of time and resources. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure, a method of forming a winding for an electric machine includes first bending a wire between a plurality of forming structures such that the wire is bent into a zigzag shape. Thereafter, the method includes cutting the wire at a plurality of cut locations along the zigzag shape to form a plurality of segmented conductors, each of the segmented conductors including an end turn and two legs. 
     In at least one embodiment of the disclosure, a method of making segmented conductors for an electric machine winding is disclosed. The method includes first bending a wire into a zigzag shape, the zigzag shape defining a plurality of first end turns on one side of the zigzag shape, a plurality of second end turns on an opposite side of the zigzag shape, and a plurality of straight portions extending between the first end turns and the second end turns. During the act of bending, the plurality of first end turns are bent simultaneously in order to form the zigzag shape. Thereafter, the method includes cutting the wire at a plurality of cut locations along the zigzag shape to form a plurality of segmented conductors, each of the segmented conductors including an end turn and two legs. 
     In at least one additional embodiment of the disclosure a method of making segmented conductors for an electric machine winding includes forming an elongated wire into a series of alternating first end turns and opposing second end turns with straight portions connecting the first end turns to the second end turns. The method further includes cutting the wire at a plurality of segmented conductors, each of said segmented conductors including an end turn and two legs. 
     While it would be desirable to provide a method of making electric machine windings that provides one or more of the foregoing or other advantageous features, as may be apparent to those reviewing this disclosure, the teachings disclosed herein extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the above-mentioned advantages. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a plan view of a plurality of forming structures in an expanded/remote configuration with an elongated wire extending between the forming structures; 
         FIG. 2  shows the forming structures of  FIG. 1  in contracted/together configuration with the elongated wire bent into a zig-zag configuration/shape; 
         FIG. 3  shows the zig-zag wire of  FIG. 2  removed from the forming structures; 
         FIG. 4  shows the zig-zag wire of  FIG. 3  after it is cut along an axial midpoint in order to form a plurality of individual hairpin conductors; 
         FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of the zig-zag wire of  FIG. 3  after the apex of alternating end turns are cut to form a plurality of individual hairpin conductors; 
         FIG. 6  shows the individual hairpin conductors of  FIG. 5  with the leg ends bent into a straight configuration in preparation for axial insertion into an electric machine; 
         FIG. 7  shows another embodiment of the zig-zag wire of  FIG. 3  with end turns having tight curves on one end and more gradual curves on the opposite end; 
         FIG. 8  shows the zig-zag wire of  FIG. 7  with the end turns having tight curves removed to form a plurality of individual hair pin conductors; 
         FIG. 9A  shows another embodiment of two of the zig-zag wires of  FIG. 3  with the end turns having two different pitches in order to form different types of hairpins for the winding arrangement; 
         FIG. 9B  shows another embodiment of two of the zig-zag wires of  FIG. 3  with the end turns having two different heights in order to form different types of hairpins for the winding arrangement; 
         FIG. 10  shows multiple lengths of wire after being simultaneously bent into a zig-zag shape with a plurality of forming structures; and 
         FIG. 11  shows a block diagram of a method of making a winding for an electric machine based on the embodiments disclosed in  FIGS. 1-10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an illustration of a four step conventional method for forming a winding in an electric machine. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     A process for forming segmented conductors for an electric machine winding is disclosed herein. As described below, the process generally involves bending an elongated stretch of wire into a zigzag shape with multiple end turns and straight portions connecting the end turns. The method further includes strategically cutting the wire at various locations in order to form a plurality of separate segmented conductors. Thereafter, the method includes inserting the cut segments of wire into a stator core in order to form a segmented winding in an electric machine. The process advantageously allows segmented windings for an electric machine to be formed more quickly and less expensively than prior art windings. 
     With reference now to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the method of forming segmented conductors begins with obtaining one or more elongated wires  40  that will be used for the electric machine windings. Each wire  40  is comprised of an appropriate conductive material for an electric machine, such as a copper or other appropriate electrically conductive material. In at least some embodiments, the wire is pre-coated with a generally non-conductive insulative material, such as a plastic, silk, or epoxy. In at least some embodiments, the wire  40  has a square or rectangular cross section. However, in alternative embodiments, the wire  40  may have a round, oval or other cross-sectional shape. In any event, the wire  40  is of sufficient length to be wound through numerous slots of a stator core and form a plurality of end turns and straight portions for a winding arrangement. The length of the wire  40  is sufficient to form multiple end turns having a winding pitch (e.g., a standard winding pitch equal to the # of slots per pole per phase times the number of phases for the winding, or a related winding pitch), and multiple straight portions for a stator core having a predetermined size. In at least some embodiments, the wire  40  is of sufficient length to be wound around the stator core for at least one full revolution while forming the series of alternating end turns and straight portions. 
     After an appropriate type and length of wire  40  is selected, a bending process is used to form the wire into a long zigzag configuration/shape  46  (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 3 ). When bent into the long zigzag configuration, the wire  40  defines a series of alternating end turns  42  and axial portions  44 . The long zig-zag shape of the insulated copper wire may generally be defined by N axial portions (or slot segments) and N- 1  end loops. The zigzag wire configuration  46  may be formed using any of various processes as are known in the art. For example, the zigzag wire configuration may be formed by sequentially introducing a series of separate forming structures  60 , such as that shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the forming process begins when a first forming structure  60   a  is introduced. The first forming structure  60   a  includes a U-turn surface  62   a  (which may also be referred to as a “reversal surface”) and two axial surfaces  64   a.  The U-turn surface  62   a  has an orientation such that the apex  63   a  of the surface points in a first direction (e.g., downward as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The two axial surfaces  64   a  are straight and parallel to one another, and the U-turn surface  62   a  extends between the two axial surfaces  64   a.  After introduction of the first forming structure  60   a,  the wire  40  is wrapped around the first forming structure  60 . This process involves positioning the wire  40  along one of the axial surfaces  64   a,  and then bending the wire around the U-turn surface  62   a,  as shown in  FIG. 1 . After being bent around the U-turn surface  62   a,  the wire reverses direction and is positioned along the other axial surface  64   a  of the first forming structure  60   a.    
     After the wire  40  is bent around the first forming structure  60   a,  a second forming structure  60   b  is introduced. The second forming structure  60   b  is generally identical to the first forming structure  60   a,  and includes two axial surfaces  64   b  and a U-turn surface  62   b.  However, the orientation of the U-turn surface  62   b  of the second forming structure  60   b  is opposite from the orientation of the U-turn surface  62   a  of the first forming structure  60   a  (i.e., the second U-turn surface  62   b  has upward pointing apex  63   b  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The second forming structure  60   b  is introduced by placing a first of the axial surfaces  64   b  against the wire  40  with the axial surfaces  64   b  of the second forming structure  60   b  parallel to the axial surfaces  64   a  of the first forming structure  60   a.  This results in the wire  40  being trapped between the axial surfaces of two different forming structures (i.e.,  60   a  and  60   b ). The wire  40  is then wrapped around the second end turn surface  62   b  such that the wire  40  follows the shape of the U-turn surface  62   a  and straight axial surfaces  64   b  of the second forming structure  60   b.    
     After the wire  40  is wrapped around the second forming structure  60   b,  a third forming structure  60   c  is introduced. The third forming structure  60   c  is identical to the first forming structure, and includes a U-turn surface  62   c  (with a downward facing apex  63   c ), and two axial surfaces  64   c.  The wire is then wrapped around the third forming structure  60   c,  in a manner similar to that of the first and second forming structures  60   a  and  60   b,  such that the wire begins to take on a zig-zag configuration. This process of introducing alternating forming structures and wrapping the wire around the new forming structure is then repeated for a predetermined number of times (e.g., until the length of wire comes to an end, a desired length of wire is used, a desired number of forming structures are used). 
     While  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate one embodiment of a bending process for the wire  40 , it will be recognized that any number of different bending processes may be used. Another example of a bending process for conveniently rendering the wire into the long zigzag configuration is utilization of a wire forming apparatus such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,038,358, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. With such a wire forming apparatus, a series of opposing forming structures are initially positioned in an expanded position, and a straight length of wire is arranged between the opposing forming structures. The forming structures are then simultaneously moved from the expanded position to a contracted position, thereby simultaneously forming the plurality of end turns and in-slot portions. The simultaneous forming process greatly increases the speed of forming the long wire into the zig-zag shape, and thus allows stators with continuous windings to be produced more quickly and easily. Yet another example of a process for bending the wire is to manually bend the wire  40  into a zigzag configuration (e.g., with the use of pliers or other hand tools). 
     Upon completion of the bending process, the elongated length of wire  40  is rendered in a long zigzag wire shape/configuration  46 , such as that shown in  FIG. 3 . In the zigzag configuration, the wire  40  is defined by a series of alternating straight axial portions  44  and U-turns  42 . With the wire  40  in this zigzag shape, it may then be cut in several locations along a cut line  90  (shown as a dotted line in  FIG. 3 ) in order to form a plurality of individual segmented conductors. In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the cut line  90  is a transverse line that extends across the zigzag wire configuration  46  such that it is perpendicular to and intersects each of the axial portions  44  at a midpoint of the axial portion (i.e., the cut line  90  bisects each axial portion  44 ). The cut line  90  defines a plurality of cut locations  92  along the zigzag shape where the wire  40  is actually severed. As shown in  FIG. 3 , one cut location  92  is provided on each axial portion  44  of the zigzag configuration. 
     Any of various means may be used to achieve the cuts at the various cut locations  92 . For example, in one embodiment, the wire  40  may be sequentially cut at each of the various cut locations  92  (i.e., the wire is cut at one location and subsequently at another and another). In yet another embodiment, the wire  40  may be simultaneously cut at each of the various cut locations  92  (i.e., the wire is cut at all or multiple cut locations at one time). Any of various tools may also be used to make the aforementioned cuts, such as scissors, snips, blades, or other cutting tools. 
     After the wire  40  in the zigzag configuration  46  is cut along the cut line  90  (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 3 ), a plurality of segmented conductors  50  result, such as those shown in  FIG. 4 . Because the zig-zag shaped wire  40  is cut along the cut line  90  extending through the midpoint of the straight axial portions, a plurality of identical U-shaped hairpins  50  are formed. The total number of U-shaped hairpins formed is equal to N−1 (where N is the number of axial portions  44  in the zigzag shaped wire). As shown in  FIG. 4 , because the wire is cut along the midpoint of the straight axial portions  44 , a number of hairpin conductors  50  are formed both above the cut line  90  and below the cut line. In order to ensure that the hairpin conductors formed by the cut have a sufficient length, the length of each axial portion  44  of the zig-zag wire  40  is longer than twice the axial length of the stator slots into which the hairpins will be inserted. In other words, when the zig-zag wire  40  shown in  FIG. 3  is cut at the cut line  90  (i.e., along the midpoint of the straight axial portions), the result is a number of hairpins  50  as shown in  FIG. 4 , with each hairpin  50  having an end turn  52  and two straight axial portions/legs  54  that are greater in length than the slot of the stator core into which the axial portions  54  will be inserted. Each axial portion  54  includes a portion of sufficient length to extend through a stator core (i.e., and “in-slot portion”) and a leg end  56  on a side of the axial portion that is opposite the end turn  52 . The tips of the leg ends  56  result at the previous axial midpoints of the axial portions  44 . 
     After the wire  40  is cut and the hairpins  50  are formed, the windings  24  can then be arranged on the stator core  30 . This is accomplished in a conventional manner by first stripping the leg ends  56  of the hairpin in order to expose the conductive material (i.e., strip away any insulation from the wire, if necessary) (or alternatively, if the hairpin was not already coated with insulation, forming insulation material on the hairpin). Next, the legs of the hairpins  50  are inserted into the slots of the stator core  30  with the U-turn portions  52  of each hairpin positioned on the insertion end  36  of the stator core, the straight portions  54  extending through the slots, and the leg ends  56  extending from the connection end  38  of the stator core. The legs are then bent/twisted to form a series of adjacent leg ends on the connection end  38  of the stator core. Thereafter, the leg ends  56  are welded together or otherwise connected to form a complete stator winding. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a first alternative embodiment of the method of forming segmented conductors is illustrated. This method is similar to that described above in association with  FIGS. 1-4 . However, after bending the wire  40  into the zigzag configuration  46 , instead of cutting the wire  40  in the middle of the axial portions  44  as shown in  FIG. 4 , in the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 and 6  the apex  43  of each end turn  42  is cut on one side of the wire, while the apexes of the end turns  42  on the opposite side of the wire  40  are left uncut. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the apexes  43  of the lower end turns  42   b  are cut, but the apexes  43  of the upper end turns  42   a  remain uncut. 
     In order to form the hairpins according to the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the wire  40  is first bent into the zigzag configuration  46 . However, the sizes of the end turn portions  42  and axial portions  44  are different in the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 and 6 . In particular, unlike the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-4  where the length of each axial portion  44  is twice the length of two legs  54  of the desired hairpin  50 , in the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 and 6  the wire  40  is bent such that the length of each axial portion  44  is only equal to the desired length of the in-slot portion of one leg of the final hairpin  50 . After bending the wire  40 , the wire  40  is cut at the apex  43  of every other end turn (i.e., all of the end turns on one side of the zig-zag wire, such as the upper or lower end turns, are cut at a cut location  92 , and all other end turns remain uncut). After cutting the wire  40  at the cut locations  92 , N/2 hairpins  50  are formed (where N is the number of axial portions  44  in the zigzag shaped wire), each of the hairpins  50  having leg ends  56  that are angled relative to the straight portions of the legs  54 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Thereafter, the resulting angled portions of the hairpin legs  54  are straightened, as shown in  FIG. 6 . To accomplish this, each leg end  56  is bent, as noted by arrow  94  in  FIG. 6 , such that the entire leg  54  is straight with the in-slot portion in alignment with the leg end. The phantom lines in  FIG. 6  show the position of the angled portions of the legs  54  (i.e., leg ends  56  are angled relative to the in-slot portions) prior to bending, and the solid lines show the straight legs after the leg ends  56  are bent into alignment with the in-slot portions. The resulting hairpins  50  are then used to complete stator windings in the same manner as other known processes for forming a hairpin stator (e.g., steps  1 - 4  of  FIG. 12 , including insertion of the straight legs into the slots of the stator core and the subsequent re-bending of the leg ends to form adjacent leg ends, and then welding together the tips of adjacent leg ends). 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 7 and 8  a second alternative embodiment of the method of forming segmented conductors is illustrated. Similar to the other embodiments, the wire  40  is first bent into a zigzag configuration  46 , including end turn portions  42  and axial portions  44 . However, in this embodiment, the length of each axial portion  44  is equal to the desired length of the in-slot portion and the leg end of the final hairpin  50 . Moreover, the zigzag configuration  46  of the wire in this embodiment results in differently shaped end turns on opposite sides of the zigzag configuration. Specifically, the zig-zag wire  40  is formed with normal angled portions on one side (i.e., standard end turn portions  42   a ) and tight curves/small bends on the opposite side (i.e., tight end turn portions  42   c ). The standard end turn portions  42   a  on one side of the wire extend across a relatively wide angle/field of view (e.g., a 45°-135° angle) and have a desired pitch for the end turns  52  of the winding arrangement. In contrast, the tight end turn portions  42   c  on the opposite side of the wire  40  are extend across a relatively narrow angle/field of view (e.g., a very small angle consistent with a 180° turn) and do not define any pitch that would be useful for end turns in the winding arrangement. The wire  40  may be defined by N/2 or N/2−1 standard hairpin end turns  42   a  at one axial end and N/2 or N/2−1 tight end turns  42   c  on the other axial side (where N is the number of axial portions on the wire in the zigzag configuration  46 ). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , after the wire  40  is shaped into the zigzag configuration  46 , the wire  40  is cut along the transverse cut line  90 . The cut line  90  intersects the axial portions  44  closer to the lower end turns  42   c  than the upper end turns  42   a,  and particularly in close proximity to the apexes of the lower end turns  42   c.  Although the end turns  42   c  are severed near their apexes, because the turns are so sharp, only a small portion of the wire needs to be cut in order to sever the entire end turn  42   c.  After the end turns  42   c  are all cut off, only the standard end turns  42   a  remain with two straight axial portions  44  extending from each end turn portion  42   a.  The result of this process is a series of hairpins  50 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , each hairpin  50  having one end turn  52  with a desired pitch and two straight axial portions  54  extending from the opposite sides of the end turn. Advantageously, because the tight end turns  42   c  are so small, the amount of scrap produced from this process is relatively small. 
     After forming the hairpins  50  of  FIG. 8 , the hairpins  50  may be used to complete stator windings in the same manner as other known processes for forming a hairpin stator (e.g., steps  1 - 4  of  FIG. 12 ), including insertion of the straight legs into the slots of the stator core and the subsequent bending of the leg ends to form adjacent leg ends, and then welding together the tips of adjacent leg ends. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 9A and 9B , another embodiment of the method of forming segmented conductors is illustrated. As shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , it may be desirable to form segmented conductors  50  have different shapes, heights or spans for the end turns. For example, for a machine having more than one layer, each layer may require P/2 hairpins where P=# of poles. It also may be desirable to have just one or two hairpins of a different shape, height or span. Different layers may need different shape end turns because slot A and slot B radiant from the center axis at an angle. Therefore, as shown in the zig-zag wire  40  of  FIG. 9A , end turns  42   z  associated with layers that are closer to the outer diameter (OD) of the stator have a longer pitch/span (s 2 ) than the end turns  42   y  associated with layers closer to the inner diameter (ID) of the stator (which ID end turns  42   y ) have a shorter span (s 1 ). It will be recognized that in this embodiment of  FIG. 9A , the end turns  42   y  define a first winding pitch along a first length of the wire on a first side of the zigzag shape  46 , and the end turns  42   z  define a second winding pitch along a second length of the wire on a second side of the zigzag shape. 
     As shown in the zig-zag wire of  FIG. 9B , in at least some embodiments, the end turns  42   z  associated with layers that are closer to the OD may have taller/elongated end-turn portions than the end turns  42   y  that are associated with layers closer to the ID. This allows the taller end turns to be bent to span a greater distance/pitch in layers associated with the OD. According to the embodiment of  FIG. 9B , the zig-zag wire is formed with almost half the hairpin forms at a first width or height and almost another half at a second width or height. A cut line is shown in  FIGS. 9B  to illustrate that the zig-zag wire is cut similar to that of  FIGS. 1-4  to form the hairpins and the stator windings. In other embodiments, the zig-zag wire  40  having end turns of differing spans and/or heights may be formed and cut similar to the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 5-8  in order to form the hairpins and the associated stator windings. 
     While the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-9B  show the formation of one zig-zag wire at a time, when more hairpins are required, multiple zig-zag wires may be formed in parallel during the bending process (e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 1-2  of previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 10,038,358). This simultaneous formation of multiple zigzag wires is illustrated in  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , multiple wires  40   a - 40   c  are simultaneously formed into one of the zigzag configurations using a plurality of forming structures  60 . The zigzag configuration may be any desired configuration, such as those illustrated in  FIGS. 1-9B . In order to form the multiple zigzag configurations, wires  40   a - 40   c  are collectively arranged side-by-side and inserted between the plurality of forming structures  60  in an expanded configuration. The forming structures  60  are then moved to a contracted configuration, which results in simultaneously bending each of the plurality of wires  40   a - 40   c  into a zigzag shape. After the simultaneous formation of multiple zig-zag shaped wires  40   a - 40   c,  each of the zig-zag wires is cut at various cut locations in order to form a plurality of segmented conductors  50 . 
     The above embodiments all describe a method of making conductors and an associated electric machine winding. As discussed above, in at least some embodiments, the method is accomplished using an automated method using a wire forming apparatus, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 10,038,358.  FIG. 11  provides a summary of the method in block diagram form. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the method  1100  begins at block  1110  when one or more elongated wires are arranged in parallel and inserted between the forming structures of a wire forming apparatus with the forming structures in an expanded position (i.e., the forming structures are spaced apart with large gaps between the forming structures). Each of the forming structures has a predetermined shape that is capable of creating the desired zigzag configuration. After the wires are inserted between the forming structures, the method continues as noted at block  1120 , and the forming structures are contracted (i.e., moved together such that the forming structures are aligned side-by-side/adjacent to one another, with only a small gap between each adjacent forming structures to accommodate the wires, such as the arrangement shown in  FIG. 2 ). Moving the forming structures from the expanded position to the contracted position results in each of the wires being bent into the zigzag configuration (e.g., one of the configurations of  FIGS. 3-9B , depending on the shape(s) of the forming structures. Thereafter, as noted at block  1130 , the wires are cut at predetermined cut locations in order to form segmented conductors. Any resulting scrap (which may only be present in some embodiments) is then discarded, leaving only segmented conductors remaining from the previous elongated stretch of wire. The remaining segmented conductors are then prepped for insertion into the slots of a stator core (e.g., by stripping insulation from the tips of the leg ends, straightening the leg ends, etc., if appropriate). Then, as noted at block  1140 , the segmented conductors are inserted into the slots of the stator core. Subsequently, as noted at block  1150 , the leg ends of the segmented conductors are bent to result in adjacent leg ends. The adjacent leg ends are then welded together or otherwise connected in order to complete the winding arrangement on the stator core. 
     The foregoing detailed description of one or more embodiments of a method of making electric machine windings has been presented herein by way of example only and not limitation. It will be recognized that there are advantages to certain individual features and functions described herein that may be obtained without incorporating other features and functions described herein. Moreover, it will be recognized that various alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements of the above-disclosed embodiments and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different embodiments, systems or applications. Presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the appended claims. Therefore, the spirit and scope of any appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein. 
     Various embodiments are presented in the drawings and in the accompanying description. Alternate embodiments of the present disclosure and their equivalents may be devised without parting from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that any discussion herein regarding “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an exemplary embodiment”, and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, and that such particular feature, structure, or characteristic may not necessarily be included in every embodiment. In addition, references to the foregoing do not necessarily comprise a reference to the same embodiment. Finally, irrespective of whether it is explicitly described, one of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that each of the particular features, structures, or characteristics of the given embodiments may be utilized in connection or combination with those of any other embodiment discussed herein.