Large magnet wire is used in motors, coils, transformers and high-value electrical assemblies where reliable conductor preparation is critical.
Before soldering, crimping, welding or electrical testing, the insulation must be removed cleanly without damaging the conductor beneath.
Mechanical scraping, rotary blades and abrasive tools physically remove the insulation from the conductor. If the process is too aggressive, the copper can be marked, nicked or deformed.
Thermal or flame stripping can char the enamel coating and leave carbon residue. Chemical stripping introduces rinsing, neutralisation and waste disposal requirements.
Tool wear, manual handling and operator technique can all affect strip quality. This can create inconsistency between parts, shifts and production runs.
Laser ablation removes insulation without physical contact with the conductor.
Instead of scraping, burning or chemically dissolving the coating, the laser uses a controlled energy pattern to remove the insulation from the required area. This reduces reliance on blades, chemicals and operator technique.
For round magnet wire, the process can provide full 360° stripping coverage, helping create a repeatable surface for downstream soldering, crimping or welding.
| Method | How It Works | The Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal / Flame Stripping | Heat is applied to burn or char the enamel coating, followed by brushing or wiping to remove the residue. | Difficult to control, can leave carbon residue and may require secondary cleaning before soldering, crimping or welding. |
| Mechanical Scraping | Rotary blades, scrapers or abrasive tools physically shave the insulation from the conductor. | Tool wear, setup variation and blade contact can lead to inconsistent strip quality, copper marking, nicks or conductor deformation. |
| Chemical Stripping | The wire is immersed in chemical stripper, molten salts or solvent-based systems to dissolve or break down the coating. | Introduces chemical handling, rinsing, neutralisation and waste disposal. It can also be difficult to localise precisely for controlled production stripping. |
| Abrasive / Manual Methods | Sandpaper, wire wool, burning, soldering iron methods or solvents are used to remove the insulation manually. | Slow, inconsistent and operator-dependent. Suitable for occasional bench work, but not controlled or repeatable enough for production. |
| Laser Ablation | A controlled laser process removes the insulation without physical contact with the conductor. No minimum wire size is required. | Provides non-contact, recipe-controlled insulation removal with reduced reliance on blades, chemicals and operator technique. Enables repeatable results with full 360° coverage. |
A 1.72 mm OD magnet wire processed on the Mercury-4 CO₂ laser system. A 2 mm x 10 mm hatch was completed in 6 seconds.
The conductor surface was preserved and the sample passed a solder dip test.
A Soderon 25.5 AWG magnet wire sample was processed on the Gemini-4E using laser hatch ablation.
The conductor surface was preserved and the sample passed a solder dip test.
