Magnet wire is coated with a protective enamel that can be soldered without stripping. The coating is made of polyurethane, polyamide, or polyester resins and is heat and voltage resistant. The wire’s color has no significance, and its rating is based on temperature and expected life. Rectangular wire is used in motors for efficient use of space.
Magnet wire is often used in magnets, speakers and electric motors. Instead of a plastic or rubber coating, this wire is simply painted with a protective coating that often doubles as a flux coating. This eliminates the need to strip the wire from the coating before soldering it. The type of glaze, as well as its thickness, is used to designate the degree of one, two or three, where three is the highest degree of insulating properties. Copper and aluminum wires can both be enamelled, as well as round and rectangular wires that are often used in motor windings to make best use of limited space.
Polyurethane, polyamide, or polyester resins are used to coat the wire instead of paint, as the name might suggest. This coating, while insulating, often has a sticky feel to it when touched. The coating is resistant to heat and high voltage and the thickness of the wire is directly related to the thickness of the applied enamel coating. It is not uncommon for magnet wire to be used within transformers due to its high temperature rating. The coating used on the newer wire is a flux-like product that can be soldered without requiring enamel removal.
Some older wires of this type lack the flux-like coating, so users should clean them before soldering. This can be achieved by smoothing the enamel off the wire with sandpaper. Most magnet wire is red, green, or brownish in color, with the color associated only with the type of coating the wire has. There is generally no significance to the color of the wire coating with regards to heat resistance, wire type, or intended use.
Enameled wire rating is based on heat or temperature and the expected life of the wire at a given temperature. Typical temperature ratings are based on a service life of 20,000 hours at a given temperature, with increased life for operation at a lower temperature. The most common shape is round, but rectangle-shaped wire is commonly used in electric motors where space is at a premium: it can be wound more tightly and with less space between windings. This allows for the most efficient use of the available space inside the engine cases.
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