Encapsulated armature for electric motor

Claim 1

An armature for an electric motor comprising a motor shaft, core mounted on the shaft having pole pieces separated by open slots, windings wound on the pole pieces and partially filling the open slots, a commutator mounted on the shaft and axially displaced from the core, the commutator having a plurality of segments with slots therebetween and the windings being connected to the ends of the segments adjacent the core, a body of insert molded plastic material filling the open slots encapsulating the windings and wires of the windings connecting the windings to the commutator segments, and a ring fitting snugly over the commutator segments adjacent said ends of the segments, said ring comprising a plurality of arms which extend into the slots between the commutator segments, the ring preventing flow of plastic material from the direction of the core towards the commutator and along the slots between the commutator segments during insert molding of the body of plastic material.