Lead DC Armature & Field Winding Supervisor

Description

The Rewind Department Supervisor will oversee all motor winding and rewinding operations at a large-scale electric motor repair facility with 60 total employees at full capacity. This hands-on supervisory role is responsible for leading a team of winding technicians, ensuring high-quality coil construction, maintaining production schedules, and providing technical expertise for all types of AC and DC motor windings, including complex DC armatures and field frames on large DC machines.

Key Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership & Supervision
• Directly supervise 8-15 winding technicians, apprentices, and coil builders
• Assign daily work assignments and prioritize jobs based on production schedule
• Train and mentor winders on proper winding techniques, from basic to advanced
• Develop apprentice winders through structured training programs
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching
• Manage attendance, scheduling, and overtime for the rewind department
• Foster a culture of craftsmanship, quality, and continuous improvement

Technical & Production Management:

• Review and interpret motor nameplates, connection diagrams, and winding data sheets
• Calculate winding specifications for motors without available data
• Design and approve coil configurations for standard and custom windings
• Troubleshoot winding failures and determine root cause (insulation breakdown, contamination, thermal damage)
• Perform or oversee complex windings including form-wound coils, multi-speed motors, and special applications
• Oversee DC armature rewinding including:
• Coil removal and slot preparation
• Bar winding and diamond coil construction for large armatures
• Commutator riser soldering and undercutting
• Banding installation on high-speed armatures
• Proper balancing requirements and procedures
• Direct field frame rewinding for large DC machines including:
• Series, shunt, compound, and interpole field coil design
• Pole shoe removal and insulation procedures
• Field coil winding and installation
• Connection and lead termination
• Field flash testing and verification
• Create and maintain winding records and connection diagrams for future reference
• Determine wire size, turns per coil, pitch, and insulation requirements

Quality Assurance:

• Inspect coils before and after installation to ensure quality standards
• Verify proper conductor sizing, insulation clearances, and coil dimensions
• Oversee winding testing including resistance, continuity, hi-pot, and surge tests
• Perform specialized DC machine testing:
• Armature bar-to-bar testing
• Commutator segment isolation testing
• Field coil resistance and polarity verification
• Ground wall testing on DC windings
• Dynamic balance testing on armatures
• Ensure proper slot insulation, phase insulation, and wedge installation
• Approve varnish/epoxy treatment processes for windings
• Monitor and prevent common defects (crossed coils, incorrect connections, inadequate insulation)
• Verify DC-specific quality criteria:
• Proper commutator riser connections and quality
• Adequate banding tension and security
• Correct interpole and compensating winding connections
• Proper brush positioning and neutral plane alignment
• Investigate and resolve customer quality complaints related to windings
• Ensure compliance with EASA AR100 and IEEE 43 standards

Materials Management:

• Coordinate with purchasing on magnet wire, insulation materials, and varnish requirements
• Maintain adequate inventory of wire sizes, slot liners, phase paper, and wedges
• Manage DC-specific materials:
• Approve material substitutions when necessary
• Monitor material costs and control waste
• Ensure proper storage and handling of insulation materials
• Manage varnish and resin inventory and mixing procedures

Production Planning & Scheduling:

• Work with Production Manager to meet departmental delivery commitments
• Balance workload among winding technicians based on skill level and job complexity
• Estimate labor hours required for various winding jobs
• Account for extended lead times on large DC projects:
• Complex armature rewinds (multi-day or multi-week projects)
• Custom field coil fabrication
• Specialized testing and balancing procedures
• Identify and communicate production delays or bottlenecks
• Coordinate with other departments (stripping, machining, assembly) on job handoffs
• Track work-in-progress and maintain department flow

Equipment & Facility Management:

• Oversee operation and maintenance of winding equipment including:
• Coil winding machines
• Lacing and taping machines
• VPI (Vacuum Pressure Impregnation) system or dip-and-bake ovens
• Form-wound coil presses and curing ovens
• Coil insertion tools and hydraulic presses
• DC armature winding machines and bar winders
• Commutator undercutting and turning equipment
• Armature banding machines
• Large field coil winding equipment
• Growler testing equipment for armatures
• Ensure proper calibration and maintenance of testing equipment
• Maintain clean, organized, and safe work environment
• Identify needs for equipment upgrades or tooling improvements

Safety & Compliance:

• Enforce safety procedures specific to rewind operations
• Ensure proper…