Patent ID: 7603760

Claim:
A method for producing a helical stator, comprising the steps of: providing a stator core strip having a base portion and spaced tangs extending from the base portion; guiding the stator core strip along a guide and driving the strip in a feed direction toward a bending region; bending the strip at the bending region with an outside pressure member positioned to apply pressure at an outside edge of said strip base portion and with an inside pressure wheel having a plurality of teeth, a backstop surface of said teeth contacting an inside edge of said base portion between adjacent tangs to support said base portion as the strip is being bent by said outside pressure member, said inside pressure wheel having gaps between said teeth receiving said tangs, and an axis of rotation of a shaft holding said inside pressure wheel being angled away from a vertical orientation such that said backstop surface is substantially vertical; and receiving the bent strip on a winding arbor to collect multiple turns of said bent strip to form said helical stator.