Foil and heavy wire winding and tensioning

The hammer is the curse of coil winders everywhere. When given the task of winding a 3 AWG copper wire or .040" thick foil around a square arbor, the technician resignedly grabs his hammer and begins not-so-much a winding operation as a slow, damage-inducing forming operation. At best, this results in a fair quality coil and a weary employee. At worst, you are left with an inconsistent mass of turns and damaged insulation that does not fit in the space allowed and a poor soul with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges of winding coils with heavy wire and foils and the methods and techniques that may be employed to improve productivity, insure quality and protect the winding technician