Magnetics

The Magnetics Advantage: Looking Beyond Core Cost

A customer developing an EV application needed to reduce space without increasing costs. Their existing design left little room for optimization, and changing suppliers or redesigning the system could have introduced unnecessary expense and requalification risks.

Our Solution: Magnetics proposed a three-stack core configuration that reduced overall height by 1 mm while maintaining the same core cost. Rather than focusing solely on the price of the magnetic component, our team evaluated the complete design and manufacturing impact.

By optimizing the magnetic solution, the customer was able to reduce copper usage and winding requirements without increasing material costs.

The Impact: Lower overall bill-of-material (BOM) costs, reduced manufacturing complexity, and valuable space savings, all while avoiding the costs and risks associated with major design changes or supplier transitions.

Because true cost reduction isn't just about finding a cheaper component, it's about engineering a solution that lowers the total cost of ownership.

Is your design larger than it needs to be?

It’s a common tradeoff in magnetics design.

To stay within flux density and thermal limits, cores often get oversized. It works, but at a cost.
🔴 Larger inductors
🔴 Increased weight and footprint
🔴 Higher material and system costs

In today’s applications, that tradeoff is getting harder to justify.

From EV power systems to telecom infrastructure and aerospace electronics, the push toward higher power density and miniaturization is only accelerating. Oversized components don’t just take up space, they can limit overall system performance.

So what’s the alternative?

Instead of scaling size, more engineers are rethinking material selection earlier in the design process.

Advanced core materials, like low-loss Kool Mµ Ultra or high-efficiency Edge powder cores enable higher energy handling and improved efficiency in a smaller volume. That means you can meet electrical and thermal requirements without overbuilding the core.

The result:
🔴 More compact designs
🔴 Better thermal performance margins
🔴 Reduced system-level cost

Material choice isn’t just a detail; it’s a design lever.

Shrink your design without compromise.

In a recent 100kW inductor project, a customer evaluated Magnetics' High Flux blocks against a competitive solution. The objective was to achieve demanding inductance and DC bias requirements while maintaining an optimized core design.

The results were clear:
🔹 The competitive solution required a larger core geometry
🔹 Even with the larger core, it failed to meet the application's inductance and DC bias targets
🔹 Magnetics' High Flux delivered the required performance in a more optimized design

This is where material performance makes a difference. By enabling engineers to achieve electrical targets without resorting to oversized magnetic components, High Flux helps optimize both performance and efficiency in demanding power applications.

By focusing on performance-driven design, we help customers:
🔹 Reduce magnetic component size and avoid oversizing
🔹 Improve overall system efficiency
🔹 Achieve demanding electrical performance targets

No matter what next-gen power design you are developing, Magnetics works alongside engineers to deliver magnetic solutions that perform under real-world conditions.

Magnetics is heading to PCIM Europe!

Join us at Stand #552, Hall 9 in Nuremberg, Germany on June 9-11th! to check out our latest products and shapes, and chat with us about what’s coming next.

Our team of knowledgeable sales and engineering professionals will be there to discuss how Magnetics' powder cores, ferrite cores, and tape wound cores can support your next project. Whether you're designing something new or optimizing an existing solution, we’re here to help.

Looking forward to connecting in Nuremberg!

Frequency Matters: How Core Material Selection Changes Above 100 kHz

Once you cross 100 kHz, magnetic design rules start to shift.

Core losses rise quickly, and not all losses scale the same way. While hysteresis loss increases with frequency, eddy current losses rise even faster, making material resistivity a critical factor in high-frequency designs.

That’s where smart material selection makes the difference:

🔹 MnZn ferrites offer offer high resistivity and low core loss at up to 1-3 MHz
🔹 High frequency powder materials such as such as Magnetics' Kool Mµ® family and Edge® are designed specifically to reduce losses in the hundreds of kHz range while handling DC bias
🔹 High-permeability nanocrystalline is preferred in this range when high inductance, compact size, and stability matter most

The takeaway?
Higher frequency doesn’t just shrink designs, it demands better material choices.

At Magnetics, we help engineers match core material to real operating conditions, so performance keeps up as frequency climbs.

When Performance Matters, Customers Choose Magnetics

A customer faced a challenge: achieving higher inductance and strong DC bias performance for a 100kW inductor project. They used standard materials and competitor solutions fell short.

Our Solution: Magnetics engineered a unique block design using a custom powder core blend tailored to the application’s exact operating conditions. By optimizing key material properties, we were able to exceed performance requirements and outperform the competing design.

The Impact: Improved efficiency, reduced losses under load, and a solution built to perform reliably. Because the right solution isn’t always one-size-fits-all

At Magnetics, we’re always pushing the boundaries of high-performance materials…

So today, we’re excited to introduce our newest innovation: XFlux Ultra Toroid Jewelry 💍

Engineered for both efficiency and elegance, these pieces feature the same iron-silicon material trusted in demanding power applications, now optimized for everyday wear.

Why XFlux Ultra for jewelry?
✔️ 20% lower core loss → Because nobody likes excess heat, whether in your system or your accessories
✔️ High saturation capability → Holds its shape under pressure (and compliments)
✔️ Superior efficiency → Maximum performance, minimal wasted energy
✔️ Toroidal design → Naturally balanced, with a continuous magnetic path (and a clean aesthetic)

Available in our signature red-brown coating… because style matters.
Alright, we’ll admit it. No jewelry line (yet).

But XFlux Ultra Toroids are very real, and they’re designed for applications where performance actually matters: like high efficiency UPS systems, high power SMPS, and power factor correction for EV onboard chargers. Delivering lower losses, less heat, and more efficient power conversion in today’s most demanding designs.

Because whether it’s powering your design or (hypothetically) your outfit... performance is always in style.

Why does your inductor run hot? 🔥

You designed for efficiency.
You optimized your layout.
You picked a cost-effective core.

So where’s all that heat coming from?

The traditional approach:
For high‑frequency, low‑bias designs, ferrites remain an excellent choice. But when DC bias and current density dominate, distributed‑gap powder cores provide a clear advantage.

More loss → more heat → more problems.

Rising temperatures shorten component life, force bulky heat sinks into your design, and can even send you back to the layout stage.

The Magnetics Difference:
Magnetics powder cores are engineered to stay cool when conditions get tough.
✔ Low loss under DC bias
✔ Excellent thermal stability
✔ Efficient performance without oversizing

That means cooler operation, longer life, and simpler thermal management. Which allows your design to work with you, not against you.

Ready to turn down the heat?

At Magnetics, we know how to prepare for Pi Day. 🥧

Thanks to our colleague Grace for bringing in a delicious strawberry pie for the team to enjoy!

While today’s celebration might be the edible kind of pie, π = 3.14 plays a serious role in the work engineers do every day. From calculating magnetic path lengths to designing efficient inductors and transformers, pi is one of the constants that helps keep advanced power solutions running smoothly.

So today we’re celebrating both kinds! The mathematical constant that powers great designs, and the strawberry one that powers our afternoon.