Method for producing slot insulators for winding slots of a component of an electrical machine

1. A method for producing slot insulators for winding slots of a component of an electrical machine, method comprising steps of:

a) supplying a strip of insulating material,

c) cutting off one or several insulator strip portions from the strip,

d) molding the cut insulator strip portion for one of the winding slots to a shape of the winding slot in a respective one of several molds, and

e) inserting the molded insulator strip portion into a different winding slot,

wherein at least the steps d) and e) are carried out simultaneously for at least two insulator strip portions to be inserted into different winding slots such that step d) is carried out for a second insulator strip portion in another one of the several molds, while step e) is carried out for a previously molded first insulator strip portion simultaneously.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps c), d) and e) are carried out simultaneously for at least three insulator strip portions to be respectively inserted into three different winding slots.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

guiding the molds on a circulating path containing at least one pick-up station for picking up the insulator strip portion and a delivery station for inserting the molded insulator strip portion into the winding slot.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further including using at least one first, one second and one third mold, which are moved in a cyclical manner on the circulating path at least from the pick-up station to a molding station, from the molding station to the delivery station, and from the delivery station to the pick-up station.

5. The method according to claim 4 , including using a fourth mold, wherein the first through fourth molds are moved in a cyclical manner between the stations on the circulating path, wherein the stations additionally comprise a positioning station between the pick-up station and the molding station.

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of

f) the cutting-off step takes place at the pick-up station, or

g) the molds comprise a first and a second mold part, and wherein the first and the second mold part, in order to change the shape of the insulator strip portion, are moved relative to each other while being moved to at least one or at at least one of the stations on the circulating path.

7. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the production takes place in processing cycles,

wherein two, three, four or more processing cycles are carried out simultaneously,

wherein the processing cycles are selected from a group of processing cycles including:

molding at least one longitudinal edge or several longitudinal edges of the strip or the insulator strip portion;

at least one of

cutting off the insulator strip portion,

turning back a collar on at least one of a front edge of the strip, or on a rear edge of the insulator strip portion;

positioning the insulator strip portion in the mold;

embossing the insulator strip portion by means of an embossing stamp in the mold in order to mold the slot insulator, and

pushing the molded insulator strip portion from the mold into the winding slot in order to insert the molded insulator strip portion into the winding slot.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of:

h) the method further includes the step:

b) molding at least one longitudinal edge region of the strip or the insulator strip portion, or

i) step c) includes: selecting an insulator strip portion length, which extends in a moving direction of the strip, of the insulator strip portion to be cut off, depending on an axial length of the winding slot; and

step e) includes: inserting the molded insulator strip portion in an inserting direction extending in the direction of the insulator strip portion length.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second insulator strip is molded in a first mold, and the previously molded first insulator strip portion is molded in a second mold different from the first mold.