The Heat Is On: A Guide to Specifying Insulation Materials

One of the first things an electrical engineer will learn is that the number-one enemy of designing and manufacturing any electrical/electronic product is heat. It's the one characteristic that can cause your idea of a hand-sized unit to turn into a tabletop unit. When discussing insulation with a manufacturer, the first question that seems to come up is temperature resistance. It is a very important characteristic but there are a few others that need to be addressed as well. In addition to temperature rating, voltage along with mechanical strength play a very important role in the selection of insulation.