F&Q

All possible environmental conditions to which the material could be exposed should be determined such as temperature, humidity, chemicals and radiation.

Screening:Thermal Class

A list  of  candidate materials for application should be reviewed eliminating from further consideration all materials.

Example: An application which requires continous operation at 155 Deg.C all materials with lower thermal class should be screened out.

Design of the equipment:

Considering the equipment or part design and the manufacturing process to be used, only materials which posses the required mechanical and electrical properties should be selected for further reviews.

Example: Unreinforced mica paper tape would not withstand typical coil winding tensions. Glass Fabrics reinforced mica tape would withstand the winding process but at the cost of added bulk and expenses. Conformability, deformability and impact strength are important factors to be considered.

Compatibility :

Compatibility with other compounds in an insulation system is a critical factor and should serve as a screen materials.

Manufacturing Process

Manufacturing ease, time and cost should be considered together with material cost and technology to determine final suitability for end application.

Prototype:

Building and testing a prototype should be the final step with redesign and retesting where necessary.