Towards an intelligent straightening system for flat enameled copper wire: problem statement, review of related work, and basic concept

Enameled copper wire is a crucial material for the production of modern electrical machines. With the advent of hairpin windings, copper wire with rectangular cross-section is gaining importance. Being delivered on coil carriers, the wire is subject to initial curvatures which must be leveled out before further processing. Since common straightening systems are set manually and not controlled automatically due to missing sensor feedback, the straightening process is very susceptible to material-related deviations. After providing an in-depth problem statement, this paper gives a structured overview of related approaches and derives a basic concept for the intelligent straightening of flat enameled copper wire.