TECHNICAL

Resin Treatment Tips for Service Centers

One of the most briskly debated issues in our concern we should have about varnish finding its
industry is the comparison – and procedures for – way into the middle of the slots.
vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI) versus dip Tip: Dip the stator with the bore vertically, as
& bake. For this article, I have expanded the that makes it easier for air to escape the slots so
discussion to include trickle epoxy and B-stage that varnish can fill the voids. Just make sure the
coils. Service centers that have a VPI tank will core is not loose in the frame.
quickly point out the many benefits of VPI, such as
better sealing of the windings and improved heat Preheat the Stator
transfer from the winding conductors to the frame An important step is to preheat the stator be-
for enhanced heat dissipation. fore resin treatment. This is not only to warm the
Form and random windings have two distinctly windings so the resin flows better, it’s also critical
different issues. For the form-wound machine, to “gas off” (evaporate} the wire lubes that are
By Chuck Yung used on magnet wire during manufacture, so the
EASA Senior
resin penetration is the biggest concern – giving
a clear advantage to a VPI process. For ran- resin will bond. Failure to preheat random windings
Technical Support
dom windings, the concern is retention of the resin. before resin treatment will result in resin “beading
Specialist
Let’s star t with random-wound motors, up” like water on the surface of a waxed car. The
which represent the majority of rewinds by our in- recommended preheat temperature varies by
dustry. With unconstrained magnet wires through resin manufacturer and product, typically in the
the slots and coil extensions, it should be obvious range of 200°F to 275°F (95°C to 135°C), with the
that varnish can easily seep in between the wires stator being allowed to cool to the recommended
and into the slots. The longer the slot, the more process temperature for your resin (typically be-
tween 120°F and 175°F / 50°C – 80°C).
Tip: Don’t get in a hurry and use fans to
cool the stator more quickly while prepar-
ing to VPI it. That cools the frame surface
Like this to the desired temperature, but heat
article? within the core transfers to the surface
and may overheat the resin.
Check out
Keeping Resin in the
Principles
of Medium
Slots
& Large AC It should also be obvious that keeping
the resin in the slots is the challenge. Just
Motors,
look at the amount of resin that drains
Chapter 7:
from the slots during the bake cycle. The
Stators
solution to resin retention in a random
at wound stator is to dip & bake the stator
go.easa.com/ first using the VPI resin, and then to VPI
pmlacm. process it. That may sound backwards,
but the dip resin penetrates the slots and
(mostly) fills gaps between wires. As the
dipped stator cures, some of the resin
drains out because there is little in the
way of tape to seal the slots. Partially cure
the resin (one suggestion is that it should
be tacky to the touch), and then cool the
stator to the appropriate temperature for
your VPI resin.
Figure 1. Resin retention in random windings is
important but difficult to achieve.

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 The reasons for partially curing the first treatment are that
the second treatment will bond better to the surface, and to save
energy and total baking time. See Figure 1. By VPI processing
the stator after it’s been dipped & baked, there are fewer voids
for the VPI resin to penetrate and fill. Retention is considerably
better than the conventional methodology of “VPI followed
by dip & bake.” The manufacturer I once worked for used this
method for random-wound 2300-volt stators. That was key to
our success with 2300-volt random windings. Those of you who
remember the rush to random winding higher voltage machines
remember that most were unsuccessful.
Trickle Epoxy Method
An alternative to VPI or dip & bake for random windings is the
trickle epoxy method. For cores up to approximately 12” (300
mm) length, the trickle method is in many ways superior to
traditional dip & bake. During my years of work in a service
center, we did quite a bit of testing to maximize random winding
life for motors and alternators used on offshore oil rigs. We Figure 2. Form coil windings are completely taped, so resin
tried everything: fully lacing the end turns, lacing over a felt wrap, penetration is critical. The higher the voltage rating, the
encapsulation, multiple VPI treatments, etc. Trickle epoxy when more layers of tape are required.
properly done outperformed every combination of VPI and dip
& bake processes. Eventually, we were able to run a cutaway Most coil vendors can supply VPI coils or dip & bake
motor submerged in an aquarium for a trade show. Our sales force coils. Most, but not all, VPI tapes are a dry mica tape and rely on
was ecstatic. resin penetration to saturate the tape to obtain the full dielectric
The method of processing is key to obtaining good re- strength. There is not universal agreement over the use of film
sults with the trickle method. Upend the stator so the bore is backing on mica tapes for VPI. One manufacturer has never
vertical with the connection end up. Energize the stator with deviated from their preference for the film-backed mica tapes,
approximately 10% of rated voltage and heat the windings to while others argue that it inhibits VPI penetration.
130°F (55°C) or so; then slowly pour the trickle epoxy onto The VPI Advantage
the winding extension. A steady stream approximately 1/8” (3
Regarding VPI, the recommendation is to pull a vacuum
mm) diameter works well. The goal is to “trickle” (hence the
to 1-3 Torr (1-3 mm of Hg) and hold for two hours. Transfer in
name) the epoxy so that it flows into and through the slots, as
the resin and maintain vacuum of < 3 Torr (<3 mm of Hg) for a
well as covering the connection end. Energizing the windings
minimum of 2 hours. Pressurize to at least 90 psi (620 kPa) and
accomplishes two things:
hold the pressure cycle for a minimum of 1 hour per kV of rat-
• It heats the windings so the epoxy flows more freely, ing. For example, a 4 kV winding should receive a minimum of
improving penetration. 4 hours pressure cycle. That’s a far cry from the old days when
• The windings vibrate at twice line frequency, which facili- a VPI process was likely to mean “1-hour dry vacuum, 1-hour
tates movement of the epoxy through the slots. wet vacuum, and 1-hour pressure.”
Once the coil extension is thoroughly coated, turn off the pow- Tip: When VPI processing an armature, monitor resin transfer
er and flip the stator so the connection end is down, reenergize and briefly open the pressure valve as the resin level approaches
the stator, and follow the same procedure to coat the other end. the risers. A few seconds of dry air or nitrogen will dissipate the
An additional benefit of the trickle epoxy treatment is that foam so you can tell the actual resin level. Resin level should
it reduces process time as compared to the time required to never reach the risers.
oven cure the dipped or VPI processed stator.
The “Bumping” Process
For form-wound motors, VPI has the clear advantage over a
dipped & baked coil. See Figure 2. An oft-quoted claim is that Europeans often take the VPI process a step further
VPI processing a form wound stator results in a 10°C (18°F) low- than most in North America, with a step they refer to as “bump-
er temperature rise than the same motor that is only dipped and ing.” The rationale behind bumping is that, once full pressure
baked. Although primarily used for machines rated 11 kV and is obtained, entrained air bubbles are compressed but unable
higher, on-site rewinds, or stators too large for the VPI tank, a to escape. The thinking is that releasing the pressure gives
B-stage coil is an alternative to VPI. trapped air a chance to expand and escape. Then full pressure
is reimposed.

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Verify Penetration of Resin Differences in Varnish, Resin
Rather than processing a sacrificial coil with the stator, Hopefully this article has given you some insights into different
curing it and cutting it open, it’s far better to unwrap the wet coil treatment methods for windings. There are a few other environ-
to verify complete penetration of the resin. The stator should be ment-related tips worth sharing. Although many of us use the
left in the VPI tank while the coil is inspected in case additional terms varnish and resin interchangeably, they are distinctly dif-
process time is required. ferent. Varnish includes a solvent, making viscosity adjustment a
For machines rated 7 kV and higher, VPI penetration using matter of adding a solvent (e.g., Xylene) to a dip tank of varnish to
conventional resin is not always reliable. Those who regular- thin it. Varnish contains approximately 50% solids – meaning it
ly rewind machines rated around 11 kV and higher often rely contains a lot of solvent, so varnish is strictly for dip tanks. Trying
on coils where the tape contains the catalyst for the resin. This to draw a vacuum on a tank of varnish would remove solvent
allows the tank resin to be much thinner to ensure adequate and be an environmental mess, as well as being an explosion and
penetration of the tapes. The thinner the resin, the greater the fire risk. Resin is solventless, “100% solids,” and suitable for VPI
chances of VPI resin penetrating all those layers of tape. use. But adjusting the chemistry is more complicated than just
An alternative to VPI – especially for higher voltage ma- adding a drum of solvent. Whether varnish or resin, it’s important
chines – is the B-stage coil, which uses resin-rich tapes during to regularly send in a sample to your vendor for evaluation.
the coil-making process. We used platens to form the straight More tips: As more regulatory agencies ask us to re-
section of each coil to the required size for the slots. We port the amount of volatiles and carbon released into the
imbedded heaters in the platens to cure the tapes only in the atmosphere, it’s helpful to weigh each stator before & after
straight section. For our larger on-site rewinds, that left the coil burnout. For billing and inventory control, weigh them before
extensions flexible for handling. and after the VPI / dip & bake process. You will develop a better
Tip: For those in the coil business, use cartridge heaters understanding of how much resin is used per rewind. It looks
in the platens, and liberally smear the heaters with heat sink like there is a renewed push for governments to impose carbon
compound to extend the heater life. taxes, so we all need a clear understanding of how much carbon
we are releasing to the atmosphere. g

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