Armature winders locate and repair or replace the broken parts of electric motors, or where the coils are burnt out or damaged, and to repair or replace them, or completely rewind all the coils.
Wire coils constitute one of the most important parts of any electrical machine. Armature winders use various kinds of testing instruments to locate damaged coils. Once the damaged coil is found, a decision has to be made as to whether to repair the damaged coil or whether a complete rewind of the machine is necessary.
When the machine is dismantled, it is cleaned to remove all dirt, since even a speck of metal can cause short-circuiting in a coil. Armature winders work from diagrams of the relevant motor on which they are working, that give details of the arrangement of coils, the number of turns required for each, etc. Sometimes they have to draw the diagrams themselves. Every coil is thoroughly checked and recorded in detail.
To wind coils with the correct number of turns and shape, coil-winding machines are used. The coils are then checked and fitted into the slots of motors and generators connecting them according to specified circuit requirements. The motor is finally assembled, ensuring that the insulation around the wires is not damaged. The motor or generators are then ready for use again.
Armature winders work at benches usually in well-lit workshops. Working conditions have to be kept very clean. The work can be rather monotonous when coils must be rewound, since the process must be watched the whole time. This can lead to eye-strain.