VARNISH AND RESIN USAGE WITH VARIOUS MOTOR CONSTRUCTIONS
Mark Winkeler
The P.D. George Company
Abstract: This paper will focus on the use of insulating
varnishes and resins in electric motors. It will examine
various types of motors and the varnishes and resins
used in those motors. Varnishes and resins will be
compared based on test results coupled with
performance history.
I. INTRODUCTION
Electric motors have become an integral part of everyday
life. It is estimated that there are almost fifty motors in
the average American household. Motor manufacturers
are always striving to make improvements to motors as
well as their manufacturing processes.
Advancements in motor technology consistently increase
the strain on the insulating materials that make up the
motor. This includes magnet wire, insulating
varnisheshesins, slot liners, etc. The manufacturers
continually endeavor to reduce the size of motors. This
reduction in size often leads to higher slot fills, thinner
insulating materials and higher operating temperatures.
The use of pulse width modulated (PWM) drives to
control motors has been another source of stress on
electrical insulating materials. These drives offer
outstanding control features but have some drawbacks.
One particular drawback is the generation of fast rise-time
high voltage spikes. These spikes stress the electrical
insulating materials at much higher than normal levels.
Since the use of P W M drives is increasing these abnormal
stresses need to be addressed. Magnet wire manufacturers
have developed new magnet wire constructions to combat
this phenomenon. Varnish and resin manufacturers have
evaluated their resin systems for resistance to these spikes.
A. Factors Influencing the Choice of an Insulating
Varnish or Resin
In addition to the general trends noted above there are a
number of other factors that influence the choice of an
insulating varnish or resin that will be used in a motor.
Consideration must be given to the final use of the motor.
The end use may influence operating temperature and will
define the type of control mechanism used. The control
mechanism may be as simple as an on-off switch or it may
143
Authorized licensed use limited to: Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar). Downloaded on February 26,2021 at 16:47:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
be a more complicated PWM drive. The type of winding
used in a motor will influence the resin choice. In some
cases a dip and bake process may be acceptable while in
others a trickle application may be more suited. Finally,
in others the use a vacuum pressure impregnation cycle
may be required.
Specifically, a manufacturer when selecting a varnish or
resin should consider the following factors:
Operating environment
Rotation speed
Application process:
(a) dip and bake
(b) trickle
(c) roll through
(d) vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI)
(e) total encapsulation
Operating voltage i.e. corona
Operating temperature
Federal, state and local regulations
Control type (i.e. PWM drive)
cost
11. DISCUSSION
A. Operating Environment
One of the many factors that motor manufacturers must
consider when producing a motor is the operating
environment of the motor. If during its normal operation
the motor will be exposed to chemicals or moisture then
this must be taken into account when selecting an
insulating resin. The insulating resin is relied upon to
provide protection from the operating environment and
prevent premature failure. Traditionally, epoxy resins
have exhibited the best overall chemical and moisture
resistance.
The chemical resistance of insulating resins is usually
determined by the retention of helical coil bond strength
after exposure to a chemical. The helical coil testing was
conducted in accordance with ASTM D2519. Table I
shows the retained bond strength of various types of resin
after submersion in water and various chemicals.
 Table I: Retained bond strength 1) DipandBake

Dip and bake processing is one of the most basic ways to

I Resin Type I Retained bond strength a f e r 96 hour I apply varnish or resin. The process as the name implies
I submersion involves dipping the parts to be coated in a' tank of resin,
I I 10% I l%Sodium
II
Water
I
Sulfuric
Acid
I
Hydroxide I draining them and then baking. The parts may or may not
be preheated before dipping. This process lends itself to
conveyor operations. It is generally suitable for all types
Epoxy 109% 107% I 101% of varnishes or resins.
Unsaturated I 67% 66% I 56%
Polyester I I 2) Trickle
Hybrid 75% I 79% I 52%
Trickle application is the process by which resin is applied
by means of nozzle. The nozzle drips or trickles resin
B. Rotation Speed onto parts that are rotating. The rotation prevents resin
from dripping off the part while the nozzle allows for
When impregnating a motor designed for use at high controlled application. The parts are kept under rotation
speeds, it is essential to have a varnish or resin designed while curing. Generally, unsaturated polyester, hybrid
to handle the unique stresses of such an application. The and epoxy are the resins of choice in this type of
resin must be able to endure extreme mechanical stress at application.
operating temperature. This is especially important for
treating rotors. The type of resin predominantly used in Using a combination of resin modified to cure at low
high-speed applications is unsaturated polyester. For temperatures and specialize3 meter mix equipment, the
evaluation purposes resins are tested for bond strength at resin can be applied to preheated parts and the residual
elevated temperatures. The helical coil bond strength heat from the part can be used to cure the resin.
values at elevated temperatures listed in Table I1 were
tested in accordance with ASTM D2519. Although 3) Roll Through
solvent containing and waterborne varnishes are not used
in these applications, their bond strengths are listed for In roll through processing as the name implies, the parts to
reference. be coated are rolled through a trough of resin. This part is
not completely submerged in the resin. The rotation is
Table 11: Bond Strength at Elevated Temperatures usually maintained during the curing process to maximize
resin retention. This process is a combination of trickling
and dip and bake process. It utilizes submerging the part
Resin Type Helical Coil Bond Strengths (pounds)
in the resin as in the dip and bake process but the part is
100°C 150°C 180°C 200°C
no fully submerged. It uses the rotation used in the trickle
Epoxy 18.9 6.3 3.8 2.9
process but nozzles do not apply the resin. The resins
Unsaturated 23.8 20.1 10.4 6.2 suitable for this application are epoxy, polyester and
I Polvester I I I I I
J hybrid.
Hybrid 22.2 12.5 I 8.9 5.9
Solvent 1.6 0.8 I 0.8 0.8 4) Vacuum Pressure Impregnation
Containing I I
Waterborne 5.1 2.1 I 2.3 I 2.5 Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI) processing is used
when 100% impregnation of motor coils is required. It is
a multi-step process that is more time consuming than dip
C. Application Process and bake or trickle processing. The process steps are:

Application of an insulating varnish may be accomplished

in five basic manners. They are: 0 Preheat to dry part
0 Cool and vacuum part to remove air and residual
1) Dip and Bake' moisture
2) Trickle 0 Introduce resin under vacuum
3) RollThrough 0 Continue vacuum to remove air from resin
4) Vacuum Pressure Impregnation 0 Apply pressure to force resin into voids
5) Total encapsulation

144

Authorized licensed use limited to: Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar). Downloaded on February 26,2021 at 16:47:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
The resins for this type of processing are epoxy, surrounding the resin must be above the vapor pressure of
unsaturated polyester and hybrid. the resin. Table I11 lists the vapor pressure and viscosity
of some resins and whether they would be considered
5) Total Encapsulation acceptable.

Total encapsulation processing utilizes a mold to E. Operating Temperature

completely encase the end turns of a motor stator. The
process involves placing a stator into a mold that is
designed specifically for that stator. The mold provides a
seal to the outside of the lamination stack. The catalyzed
resin is poured into the bore of the stator. The resins used
are usually multi-component and room temperature
curing. A plunger is inserted into the bore forcing the
resin into slots and the end windings. When the resin has
sufficiently hardened the stator is removed from the mold.
Figure 1 illustrates the basic process. This method is
suitable for epoxy, unsaturated polyester and hybrid.
D. Operating Voltage
As motor sizes decrease and maintain the same output the
internal operating temperature of the motor increases.
The increased temperature puts an additional strain on the
insulating materials in the motor including the impreg-
nating resin. The thermal capabilities of resins are eval-
uated in conjunction with magnet wire. There are two
types of test used for this evaluation. The first test utilizes
twisted pairs of magnet wire that are coated with the resin.
The second test utilizes helical coils of magnet wire
coated with resin. The twisted pair testing is conducted in
accordance with ASTh4 D325 1 and the helical coil testing
is conducted in accordance with ASTM D3145.

Resin Type Viscosity, Vapor Acceptable can be found.

centipoise Pressure
- @20"C,mmHg Table IV:Thermal Classes of Varnishes and Resins
Epoxy 500 .01 Yes
Unsaturated 300 5.0 No
Polyester in
Styrene
Unsaturated 700 1.1 Yes
Polyester in
Vinyl
- Toluene

145

Authorized licensed use limited to: Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar). Downloaded on February 26,2021 at 16:47:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 F. Federal, State and Local Regulations
The use of varnishes and resins in the manufacturing of
motors is subject to a variety of federal and state
regulations. The storage of these materials may also be
subject to local regulations. The most common
regulations concerning varnishes and resins deal with
volatile organic content (VOC) and flash point.
Volatile organic content or VOC is the amount of volatile
organic material that is released into the air during the
curing process. It is difficult to measure the amount of
VOC under motor manufacturing conditions. However,
there are methods available to determine this amount. In
particular the test method, ASTM D6053, has been used
to estimate VOC for varnishes and resins. Table V lists
some typical VOC.
Flash point is the temperature at which a resin or varnish
will flash when exposed to a flame. The test consists of
slowly heating a resin in a closed container. The container
is equipped with a small opening to allow for the
application of a small flame. Each time the resin
temperature increases one degree Fahrenheit the flame is
applied. This process continues until a flash occurs.
While this test is a useful indicator, in manufacturing
situations adequate ventilation prevents any hazards.
Typical flash points are listed in Table V.
failures. The mode of failure in these cases is a
breakdown of the electrical insulating materials.
There has not been industry-wide agreement on the best
evaluation method of varnishes and resins used in inverter
driven motors. One proposed test method involves the
application of square waves to test specimens. The square
waves are generated at a rate up to 20 kHz and have a fast
rise time. Figure 2 illustrates dV/dt, rise time. The rise
time is calculated as the time for the voltage to rise
between 10% and 90% of the maximum voltage. In the
testing a positive voltage wave is immediately followed by
a negative voltage wave. This test method referred to as
pulse endurance has been used to evaluate magnet wires
and resins. For resin evaluation the test specimens are
twisted pairs of magnet wire coated with the resin under
test. The twisted pairs are made from 18 AWG magnet
wire in accordance with NEMA MW1000. Table VI
gives the parameters of the testing used in this evaluation.
Frequency 20,000 Hz
Duty Cycle 50%
dV/dt Setting #1

Table V: VOC and Flash Point of Varnishes and Resins

I Resin Type I VOC(lbs/gal), I F b h Point I The results of the testing are listed in Table VII. The
I 2 gram sample size I ("F) results are for typical resin systems. Testing was
EDOXV I 0.4 I 170 discontinued at 6000 minutes. The wires used in the test
I Unsaturated I 1.7 I 125 I were standard M W 35 and three pulse resistant wires.
Polyester The pulse resistant wires are identified as PR1, PR2 and
Hybrid 2.0 125 PR3. All wires were heavy build. Solvent containing
Solvent 4.2 79 varnishes have not been evaluated.
Containing
Varnish Table VII: Pulse Endurance Results
Waterborne
Varnish Resin Type Pulse Endurance (minutes)
MW35 P R l PR2 PR3
Epoxy 672.9 1239 6000 5771
F. Control Type Unsaturated 6000 6000 6000 6000
As motor control technology becomes more sophisticated Hybrid 6000 6000 6000 6OOO
the problems that arise become more complex to define Waterborne 7.6 15.9 63.8 177.9
and more difficult to overcome. Over the past few years
the use of pulse width modulated (PWM) drives has
Varnishes I I I I I
increased dramatically. These drives often referred to as The use of PWM drives does not have a long history so a
inverters provide quick accurate Of motor 'peed
varnish or resin has not been established in these
and torque. However, these drives generate fast rise-time
applications.
spikes. These spikes are associated with premature motor

146

Authorized licensed use limited to: Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar). Downloaded on February 26,2021 at 16:47:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
G. Cost When making a comparison of price per gallon for
varnishes and resins the prices typically from highest to
On the surface, varnish and resin cost seems to be a lowest are epoxy, hybrid, unsaturated polyester,
straightforward issue but it is important to consider a waterborne and solvent containing. Although, solvent
variety of factors when comparing resin costs. These containing and waterborne varnishes are the least
factors include: expensive only the non-volatile portion of these materials
is ultimately cured onto the motors. The solvent portion is
0 Cost of resin itself evaporated.
0 Varnishhesin solids
0 Resinusage Another factor to consider is the amount of resin being
0 Curing temperature used per part. The cost of a small amount of expensive
0 Cure time resin used on a motor may be comparable to a large
Resin maintenance amount of a less expensive resin.

Table VIII: Summary of data (Ranking System 1 to 5 Best to Worst)

VOC 1 2 3 5 4
Flash Point 2 3 4 5 1
Pulse Endurance 3 1 2 Not Tested 4
Cost 5 3 4 1 2

Next, the temperature required to cure a varnish or resin All of these factors should be taken into account when
may have a significant impact on energy consumption. If evaluating the ultimate cost of a resin.
a resin is more costly but can be cured at a lower
temperature it may actually result in a cost savings. 111. SUMMARY

In conjunction with cure temperature is cure time. Long
cure time will contribute to ‘in process’ inventory. If
motors can be moved quickly from the resin treating stage
to the next processing step ‘in process’ inventory can be
reduced.
Resin maintenance encompasses chemical additions that
may be needed to control the viscosity or stability of the
varnish or resin. It may also include special storage or
temperature controls such as chillers.
From the previously presented data Table VI11 ranks the
performance of each resin type from 1 to 5 with one being
the most desirable or best-and 5 being the least desirable
or worst.
Table VI11 ranks properties generally associated with the
various types listed. Individual product information must
be reviewed before choosing a resin.
The table may serve as a guide. For example if a motor
manufacturer wants to make a motor that is chemical

147

Authorized licensed use limited to: Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar). Downloaded on February 26,2021 at 16:47:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 resistant. The first choice would be epoxy. However, if
cost is a concern and the manufacturer is able to sacrifice
some chemical resistance the next choice would be a
hybrid resin.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
When manufacturing a motor a number of factors must be
taken into consideration in order to choose the best
varnish or resin. The primary consideration is how the
motor will be used. How the motor is used will define the
necessary performance characteristics of the resin used.
The properties of the types of resins can be generalized
but there are always exceptions to the rule.
[2] 1993 NEMA Magnet Wire Standard, MWlOOO
148
Authorized licensed use limited to: Indian Institute of Technology (Ropar). Downloaded on February 26,2021 at 16:47:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
REFERENCES
[ l ] 1999 ASTM Annual Book of ASTM Standards
Volume 10.02
Mark Winkelerr received a BS in Physics from Southern
Illinois University in Edwardsville in 1981. He is the
Manager Technical Services at The P. D. George
Company and has been with the company since 1982. He
is involved with the testing of magnet wire enamels,
insulating resins and potting resins.He serves as chairman
of ASTM Subcommittee D9.01, recording secretary for
ASTM committee D9 and chairman of NEMA RE-6
Resin Technical Subcommittee.