Why Electrical Insulating Material is Important?

Why Electrical Insulating Material is Important?  Well, the idea of having a material that is electrical insulating is to protect the conductors from passing unwanted electric current.  Some examples of electrical conductor materials are rigid laminate, asbestos, PVC, glass, resin, paper, varnish, rubber, and Teflon.  These materials are quite often used to coat electrical wires to prevent the electrical current from traveling outside of the allocated area.

Why is this important to the circuit board creation?  Think about how close and tightly packed a circuit board is.  You don’t want to have a circuit board made from a material that will transfer electricity in the wrong areas.  This will lead to circuit board failure, but also could lead to a fire.  Insulators help reduce the risk of electrical fires by keeping the electricity in the designated area.  While the components of the circuit board are made of conductive materials that all the flow of electricity through them as it should.  The surrounding area of these components should not be insulated to prevent the current from getting into the wrong area.

Electricity is Powerful

Why electrical insulating material is important

Electricity is nothing to mess with. It is the cause of many deaths around the world every year.  What is electrical insulating material important?  Well to prevent these deaths as well as protect home and business from catching on fire.  Have you ever heard the phrase “Stay away from a downed powerline?”  That’s because the power line carries a lot of electricity that really can hurt you.  The current is no longer contained within the insulating walls of the wire.  This means that the current is going to travel through the ground and if there is water nearby, it will flow through it as well.  You can be several feet from a downed powerline and still get zapped.  This electricity has enough power to kill you.  So stay alert and stay away.

Keep Moisture Out!

Some materials that are considered insulating materials are wonderful until they get wet.  Moisture that builds up from sweat or difference in temperature can really affect its insulating properties.  This is true for just about any insulators.  Wood for example is a very good insulator. In fact, paper was once used to protect the wires withing our homes.  However, when there was an issue with the roof and a leak would break out, this would break down the paper and cause fires.  

Today we have more effective ways to insulate the wires running through our walls and in our circuit boards.  Plastic is an excellent insulator as well as glass. This makes fiberglass, which is a combination of glass and resin, a wonderful insulator.  Fiberglass is used in a variety of products from circuit boards to engine mounts and marine products.  It is very strong and stiff which lends itself as a metal replacement where the metal would fair due to the moisture content on it or in the air.  Fiberglass doesn’t absorb water, which makes it perfect for these applications as well. Actually, most plastics do not absorb water, which is why you see them being used as an insulator often.