Patent attributes
A winding system for coiling an electrode assembly includes a housing, a winding pin, and a feed system. The feed system is supported by the housing, and includes a guide assembly and an indexing assembly. The guide assembly guides an electrode and a separator towards the winding pin. The indexing assembly is operably attached to the guide assembly to actuate a movement of the guide assembly between a retracted and an extended position. In the retracted position, the distal end of the guide assembly is separated from the winding pin, thus facilitating the initial capture of the separator and electrode components during an initial set-up of the winding system. In the extended position, the distal end of the guide assembly is brought into close proximity with the winding pin, thus reducing the risk of separator and/or electrode misalignment during operating of the winding system in a winding mode.