Overheating Kills Commutators Prematurely

Premature commutator failure due to being severely overheated during the winding process is entirely too common yet completely avoidable given proper care taken during the winding process to prevent heat build-up.

One often overlooked way to prevent overheating is to utilize an oven with maximum temperature set at 190ºC/375ºF to preheat commutators for installation on the armature shaft. Using a torch to preheat any type of commutator is extremely risky due to the maximum temperature rating of most electrical insulation materials to ground (more details to follow) and the fact that there’s no good way to evenly heat the steel part without risking severe damage internally from overheating.