Laminate with varnish accumulation feature
A method for applying varnish to a stator of an electric motor includes depositing varnish onto an outer laminate of the stator, accumulating the deposited varnish with a ridge on the outer laminate, and directing the accumulated varnish into a slot of the outer laminate with the ridge.
1. A stator of an electric motor, the stator comprising:
an outer laminate including a ridge and defining a first slot; and
an inner laminate including a second slot aligned with the first slot of the outer laminate,
wherein the ridge is configured to direct varnish applied by a varnish injector into the first slot and the second slot.
2. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the ridge includes a sloped side angled toward the first slot to have the varnish flow down the sloped side to the first slot.
3. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the outer laminate further includes a second ridge radially outward of the ridge.
4. The stator of claim 3 , wherein the outer laminate further includes a third ridge radially outward of the second ridge, the second and third ridges configured to accumulate varnish that flows past the ridge.
5. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the inner laminate includes a ridge configured to mate with the ridge of the outer laminate.
6. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the inner laminate defines a gap with the ridge of the outer laminate.
7. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the ridge is stamped into the outer laminate.
8. The stator of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener attaching the outer laminate to the inner laminate, wherein the ridge is disposed radially between the first slot and the fastener.
9. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the ridge defines a rounded edge facing the first slot.
10. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the stator is configured to rotate about a central axis, and the varnish injector is arranged to apply varnish onto the outer laminate via gravity.
11. The stator of claim 10 , wherein the stator is configured to rotate to a specified angular position at which the applied varnish flows into the first slot via gravity.
12. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the ridge is formed separately from the outer laminate.
13. The stator of claim 1 , wherein the ridge extends only partially around a circumference of the outer laminate.
14. A method for applying varnish to a stator of an electric motor, the method comprising:
depositing varnish onto an outer laminate of the stator;
accumulating the deposited varnish with a ridge on the outer laminate; and
directing the accumulated varnish into a slot of the outer laminate with the ridge.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the ridge includes a sloped side directed toward the slot, and the method further comprises directing the accumulated varnish along the sloped side into the slot.
16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising rotating the stator to a first angular position to receive varnish from a varnish injector via gravity and rotating the stator to a second angular position to direct the received varnish into the slot via gravity.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the outer laminate includes a second ridge radially outward of the ridge, and the method further comprises accumulating the deposited varnish flowing past the ridge with the second ridge.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising rotating the stator to align a varnish injector with a second slot on the outer laminate.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising directing the varnish onto a wire disposed in the slot.
20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising directing the varnish into a second slot of an inner laminate disposed adjacent to the outer laminate, the second slot of the inner laminate aligned with the slot of the outer laminate.