Commutator fusing was developed in the early 1950's as a method of manufacturing small universal or DC electric motors. The early process of attaching wires to the commutator required dipping the commutator into a solder bath, and hand soldering the connections. This two-step process was not only difficult, time consuming, and therefore, expensive, but also emitted dangerous lead pollutants into the atmosphere. Furthermore, if a soldered armature's motor stalled or overloaded, there was a chance the solder might remelt and "spit out" contaminating the commutator and damaging the armature's coil. If enough solder left the joint, the wires could become free from the commutator and destroy the connection. As production increased, cost reductions, along with process quality improvements, were needed. Thus, the process changed from soldering to fusing, a method of joining low resistance metals through the use of mechanical actions and resistance welding controls.