Patent ID: 7788893

Claim:
A cable winding machine for winding a plurality of subconductors into a cable comprising: a subconductor feeder or feeders arranged to move through the machine in a machine direction multiple subconductors having a width dimension across a longitudinal axis greater than a depth dimension through the longitudinal axis perpendicular to the width direction, as the subconductors are wound together into a cable by the machine; a holder arranged to hold a first subconductor as it moves forward through the machine; a first winder arranged to rotate a second subconductor about the first subconductor as the first and second subconductors move through the machine in the machine direction, so that the second subconductor winds with the first subconductor, and to hold the second subconductor in a predetermined orientation as the first winder rotates the second subconductor about the first subconductor so that the width dimension of the second subconductor remains substantially parallel to the width dimension of the first subconductor as the subconductors are wound together; a first aperture in the machine direction through which the first and second subconductors can move in the machine direction; a second winder after the first winder in the machine direction and arranged to rotate a third subconductor about the first and second subconductors as the first and second subconductors move through the machine in the machine direction, so that the third subconductor winds with the first and second subconductors, and to hold the third subconductor in a predetermined orientation as the second winder rotates the third subconductor about the first and second subconductors so that the width dimension of the third subconductor remains substantially parallel to the width dimensions of the first and second subconductors as the subconductors are wound together; and a second aperture in the machine direction through which the first, second, and third subconductors can move in the machine direction.