PRECISION AND MEDICAL GRADE COIL WINDERS
RothGreaves is the world’s leading manufacturer of micro-coiling winders with over 30 years in the coil winding business. Our engineers have extensive background in catheter and guide wire development. Some of our machines’ key features are high-rpm motors, electronic spool tensioners, analog pitch compensators, our famous EasyWind Windows™–based software with a full CNC coil winding control, and available with a multi-filar payout rack. We continue to lead the industry with innovative advancements developing high performance winders year after year.
coil winder models
coil winder features
Standard chuck winding flat wire around mandrel
Various Arbor Damper options
Our world class angle control compensator
EasyWind: Precision Coil Winding Technology
RothGreaves’ EasyWind software makes it simple to develop the coil profile, teach to any operator, and be the most adaptable machine to any company’s production line. We offer an operator’s dream machine; the 5000 Automatic Winder can run unattended and still produce precise high-volume products. The 4000 series Manual Winders take advantage of the human operator to handle the most delicate coils. And our custom EasyWind software has the ability to teach any operator and is adaptable to most production lines with easy to use coil profile development.
We have also developed the angle control compensator to eliminate the need for vision control, instead of allowing high speed operation. Our compensator is the most advanced form of pitch control on the market today. When this is combined with our active payout system, our coil winders produce the most precise coils.
Our proprietary EasyWind software has been developed to create a new standard in multi-pitch, multi-segment, multi-speed coil profiling. This custom software stands as the most advanced on the market today, with EasyWind advanced features including recipe development and full security level control. All of our machines are operated by a CNC servo controller for extreme accuracy and reliability.
GLOSSARY OF Coil Winder TERMS
Arbor: (same as a mandrel) A metal rod that shapes coils by having the wire wrapped around it.
Arbor Tension: The tension applied to the arbor during the winding process. This is necessary to keep the wire payout operating in a smooth manner. The tension setting is adjustable.
Automatic Coil Winder: A coil winding machine that once loaded with wire and properly set up will continuously manufacture and deliver the desired coil until the wire runs out.
Brakes: There are two types of brakes used on coil winding machines, Electronic and Manual. The brakes keep a constant set tension on the wire as it unrolls from the spool. This is done by applying a load to the rotation of the spool spindle shaft.
Carriage: This is the platform on the linear actuator that traverses left/right where the wire payout rack is mounted.
Catheter: A tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters can allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments.
Closed Pitch: (also called tight wound) A coil that is wound with no spacing between the wire.
Coil: A winding consisting of a series of loops or circles made around an arbor.
Coil Index: The ratio of a finished coil outer diameter to the diameter of the wire used to make the coil:
* Coil outer diameter : Wire Diameter = Index
Collet: This is a clamping device similar to a chuck (i.e. an Albrecht chuck). This is used to clamp onto the arbor or arbor/coil assembly during winding.
Compensator: A feedback module that performs a lead/lag correction of the wire angle as the wire is wound around the arbor.
Continuous Winding: A coil winding process that once loaded with wire and properly setup, will manufacture the desired coil without interruption until the wire runs out.
Cutters: (automatic) Cutting blades used to cut coils when operating in an automatic mode.
Droop Specification: The measure of stiffness of the wound coil.
Dual Arbor Coil Winding Machine: A coil winding machine that can produce two identical coils at the same time.
Electronic Wire Tensioning: The holding torque applied by an electronic brake to a shaft that holds the wire spool resulting in an applied tension to the wire.
Endoscope: A medical device with a light attached that is used to look inside a body cavity or organ. The scope is inserted through a natural opening such as the mouth for a bronchoscope.
Guide Wire: In medical applications, a wire that is inserted to guide a catheter to a certain location in the body.
High Speed Spindles: The rotary device that holds the collet or chuck to allow rotation of the arbor.
Joystick: A device similar to the control used in video games. All RothGreaves winders come with a remote joystick which enables the operator to move around and control the winder.
Linear Actuator: The translational device used to position the carriage and to move it during coil winding.
Linear Encoder: A feedback device that has a read head paired with a scale that encodes position. This allows for exact position location of the carriage.
Mandrel: Another name for an arbor.
Manual Wire Tensioning: The holding torque applied to the payout spool via a manually adjusted friction brake resulting in tension on the wire payout.
Medical Coil: A coil that is used in a medical device
Medical Coil Winder: A coil winder that can produce a medical coil. Example; RothGreaves & Associates, Inc. coil winder.
Micro-Coil: A small diameter coil wound on small diameter arbor with small diameter wire. An example of a micro coil would be a 0.007” diameter coil using 0.001” wire. All RothGreaves coil winders can make Micro-Coils.
Multi Filar: A coil with more then one wire used to form the coil.
Nitinol: A metal alloy consisting of Nickel and Titanium which has two unique properties: shape memory and super-elasticity
Open Pitch: Also called space wound and open wound. This is a coil that is wound with a gap between each wire wrap.
Over Winding: The winding of a second coil on top of another coil.
Payout Angle: This is the angle of the wire to the arbor as the coil is being wound.
Payout Spindle: The spindle shaft on the payout rack that holds the wire spool.
Pitch: This is the distance between each wire wrap measured in inches/revolution or mm/revolution.
Pre-Tensioned Coil: A coil wound with some amount of back angle to produce a stiffer coil.
Single Filar: A coil with one wire used to form the coil.
Stent: A medical device inserted into a natural passage / conduit in the body to prevent or counteract a disease-induced, localized flow constriction.
Stress Relieving: The removal of minor stress in the wire using heat such as delivered from a hot air torch.
Tailstock: The movable motor/chuck assembly that clamps onto the right end of the arbor as found on RothGreaves winding machines.
Torch: This is similar to a hot air gun. The torch directs heated air at the wire being wound. Certain manufacturing processes require the wire to be heated prior to being wound.
Torque Coil: A coil or coil assembly that can transmit torque.
Transition: The area where a coil undergoes a change in pitch.
Wire Profiles: The cross sectional shape of a wire used to make a coil. There are three basic types; 1) Round 2) Rectangular and 3) Square.
Coil Winder FAQs
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What types of coil winders do you offer?
We have two basic types of machines:
- Our manual load (and unload) machine requires an operator to load the mandrel into the chucks, secure the wire, start the cycle, then unload the mandrel or coil. The load and unload process typically takes less then a minute for a trained operator. Wire change over takes about two minutes.
- The automatic machines take roughly five minutes to start up but will then run unattended until asked to stop or the wire spool empties. Change-over to new wire takes about five minutes.
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Can you customize a coil winder?
Yes, with added features and tooling.
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What makes the RothGreaves Coil Winder the industry best?
Our machines with standard equipment, offer more capabilities than any other mandrel winding machine available. Our wire angle compensation is the most robust in the industry and our force feedback arbor tension is very accurate. And our attention to details differentiates our machines from our competitors’.
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Do you provide a maintenance list with your Winders?
A recommended maintenance list is included in the operator’s manual but generally, these machines require very little in the way of maintenance. Some cleaning and lubrication is about all that is needed.
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What models are available?
Our standard coil winders include the 4000 Manual, 4500 Mini, 4800 Bunk Bed, 5000 Automatic, 6000 Side Winder, and 8000 Multi-Filar. If you need a custom coil winder please contact us.
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Are RothGreaves Winders CE Marked?
Yes. RGA designs and constructs all our machines for full CE compliance and offer different types of safety features from simple guarding to light curtain enclosures.
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What direction does the EasyWind™ software provide?
The winder can coil left-hand or right-hand coils. It also is multi-directional. The operations manual offers detail in how to use the software for both left- and right-hand coils. The carriage can coil in both directions.
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What is the maximum traverse speed?
Maximum traverse speed is related to the pitch but the maximum carriage speed is 15 inches per second. (This rate is usually only used during carriage returns.)
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What is the maximum spindle speed?
6000 rpm
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What is the payout or wire angle that can be used?
We can set up for a 25 degree back angle and forward angle (open pitch condition).
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What are the maximum/minimum pitch settings?
– Minimum programmable pitch = 0.0001” per rev.
– Maximum programmable pitch = 10.000” per rev.
– Tolerance for control + 0.0002”
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What is the range of wire that can be wound?
The smallest wire that customers are winding is a 0.0006” diameter platinum and the largest known is 0.035” diameter stainless. They will also wind profile wire; rectangle, square, oval.
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What is the amount or range of wire tension?
This is dependent on the size of the torque controller desired. There are ranges of shaft torque for the wire spool that span:
- 0-3 oz-in.
- 0-11 oz-in.
- 0-35 oz-in.
- 0-85 oz-in.
- 0-140 oz-in.
This ranges in grams at point of delivery from as small as 5 grams. The tolerance is size dependent, as the range increases, so does the tolerance.
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What is the length of arbor or mandrel required?
The tail-stock is fully adjustable just as it is on a lathe, so there is no minimum length. The longest wind length winder we have manufactured was 450cm.
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What are the smallest/largest arbor sizes that can be used?
Our standard models go down to a 0.001” chuck capacity and can go up to 0.500”. If required, we can go larger.
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What is the method of tensioning the arbor or mandrel?
Two sizes of pneumatic tensioning are available 0-20 lbs and a 0-80 lbs. These are adjusted with air pressure via a regulator mounted on the tail-stock. A high end force feedback tensioning has ranges from 0-5 lbs up to 0-50 lbs, the control is via the coil recipe and the value can be set in grams or pounds.
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Do you have an operations manual?
Yes, copies of our manuals are available upon request.
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What do you offer for training?
Training at our facility is available at no charge for companies that purchase a machine. We also offer on-site training for a fee. The training is for both engineers and operators.
