Enameled wire contains an insulating layer or enameled layer made of thin paint or polyester or glass fiber. The wires are usually copper or aluminum. Common shapes are divided into circles and rectangles, and they have corresponding names, such as Rectangular Enameled Aluminum Wire.
Enameled wire specifications can be viewed from the following three aspects:
1. Conductor type
Most enameled wire will be copper, but some applications will use aluminum wire, such as large transformers and speaker coils.
The cross-section of the aluminum wire must be 1.6 times larger to generate the same current as the copper wire, because aluminum is less conductive. This is simply because more wires are required to achieve similar ratings, so aluminum wires are more troublesome than copper wires.
Nevertheless, aluminum does have the advantage of being less prone to corrosion than copper.
2. Shape
The common shape of enameled wire is square, round or rectangular. Hexagonal wires can also be used, but they are not common and can be found in voice coils.
The shape of the wire will determine the tightness of the coil. As they are formed in the coil, the space between the turns is smaller, so the square copper wire will be wound more tightly than the round wire. Square wires are usually used in confined spaces and applications that require higher power.
Rectangular copper wire is relatively flat, so it can be wound more tightly than square wire. Rectangular lines are arranged in a plane and then laminated into strips.
3. Color
The enameled wire can have many colors, including red, green and amber. The color of the wire has nothing to do with the characteristics of the wire. This is purely an aesthetic choice, and the function of the silk thread will not be affected in any way.
If the customer likes or needs a certain wire color, some manufacturers will provide that specific color wire. The main reason people want wires of different colors is that it makes it easier to distinguish wires from different circuits. By making the wires have different colors, you can clearly determine which conductor comes from which circuit when soldering.