Fine magnet wire for high temperature and high voltage applications

This paper reports research into characteristics of six different high temperature insulations using AWG 44 heavy build magnet wire. These test results are compared to NEMA magnet wire specifications to establish its quality. The test procedure is outlined and a discussion of high voltage testing at elevated temperatures follows. The objective is to find meaningful selection criteria for fine magnet wire for high voltage applications. The results were surprising with practically no correlation between testing at elevated temperatures and the thermal index of the different magnet wire insulation material.