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What is the enameled wire?

Enamelled wire is wire (such as magnet wire) coated with a very thin insulatinglayer. It is used in applications such as winding electric motor coils, speakers and transformers. It is also used in the construction of electromagnets and inductors.

The core material is copper or aluminium, coated with a thin layer of a polyurethane， polyamide, or polyester etc. resin - the so called "enamel". Aluminium is lighter than copper, but has higher resistivity.

For ease of manufacturing inductive components like transformers and inductors, most new enamelled wire has enamel that acts as a flux when burnt during soldering. This means that the electrical connections at the ends can be made without stripping off the insulation first. Older enamelled copper wire is normally not like this, and requires sandpapering or scraping to remove the insulation before soldering.

Enamelled wires are classified by their diameter (AWG number or SWG) or area (square millimetres), temperature class and insulation class. Enamelled wires are manufactured in both round and rectangular shapes. Rectangular wire is used in larger windings to make the most efficient use of available winding space.

Breakdown voltage depends on the thickness of the covering, which can be of 3 types: Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. Higher grades have thicker insulation and thus higher breakdown voltages.

The temperature class indicates the temperature of the wire where it has a 20,000 hour service life. At lower temperatures the service life of the wire is longer (about a factor 2 for every 10 °C lower temperature). Common temperature classes are 105° C, 130° C, 155° C, 180° C and 220° C.

Enameled Aluminum Wire 

Enameled Copper Wire