SMC-grade insulated pure iron powder for axial-flux and transverse-flux motors. 7.5+ g/cm³ green density, certified 1T/1kHz loss data, warm-compaction grades.
QUICK ANSWER
Insulated pure iron powder — soft magnetic composite (SMC) grade — is high-purity water-atomized iron coated per-particle with a thin inorganic insulation layer, pressed into isotropic 3D magnetic cores. It enables motor and transformer geometries impossible with laminated steel: axial-flux motors, transverse-flux machines, and claw-pole designs where flux flows in three dimensions.
Laminations carry flux in two dimensions; SMC carries it in three. Each insulated particle acts as a microscopic magnetic path with the eddy currents confined inside the particle, so SMC cores run at 400-2000 Hz with acceptable loss while accepting any pressed shape. The trade-off is permeability — pressed density never reaches solid iron, so SMC designs need more material — but the geometry freedom outweighs this in high-speed motors, where the pressed core eliminates laser-cut lamination stacks and their assembly cost entirely. Powder quality drives everything: high purity for low hysteresis loss, thin robust insulation for low eddy loss, high compressibility for maximum density.
MATERIAL DATA
Lot-level controls focus on the chemistry, particle characteristics, and process values that influence manufacturing consistency and finished-part performance.
| Element | Content | Performance Role |
|---|---|---|
| Iron (Fe) | > 99.5 wt% | Magnetic base — purity determines hysteresis loss |
| Oxygen (O) | < 0.15 wt% | Low O₂ preserves permeability and compressibility |
| Carbon (C) | < 0.01 wt% | Carbon raises hysteresis — held to trace levels |
| Insulation layer | Inorganic (phosphate/oxide type) | Per-particle electrical insulation defining eddy loss |
| Lubricant | 0.3-0.8 wt% (grade dependent) | Pressing aid, burned out or retained per process |
Final limits can be aligned with the agreed purchase specification.
APPLICATIONS
Electric motor manufacturing is the strategic market: axial-flux EV motors (YASA-type), transverse-flux machines, high-speed compressor motors, and claw-pole alternators press SMC stators and rotors into shapes no lamination stack can make. The EV industry's interest is intense — SMC motors offer higher power density and simplified manufacturing — and powder buyers are motor developers and tier suppliers qualifying on core loss at their operating point, pressed density, and insulation robustness through their pressing and curing cycle.
Beyond traction motors, SMC serves solenoids and actuators (pressed 3D flux paths in fuel injection and valve actuation), inductor cores for high-current DC-DC at moderate frequency, and ignition coil cores. The common thread is geometry: wherever flux must turn a corner that laminations cannot follow, SMC is the material answer — and wherever volume is high, the pressing process beats lamination assembly on cost.
SOFT MAGNETIC & MAGNETIC MATERIAL POWDERS
CUSTOM SUPPLY
We supply SMC-grade insulated iron powder in loss-optimized and strength-optimized grades with certified compressibility (green density at 800 MPa), core loss data at standard test points, and insulation chemistry matched to your curing cycle. Custom size distributions, bonded-lubricant versions for warm compaction, and motor-development qualification quantities are available. Not export-controlled.
We supply SMC-grade insulated iron powder in loss-optimized and strength-optimized grades with certified compressibility (green density at 800 MPa), core loss data at standard test points, and insulation chemistry matched to your curing cycle.
Custom size distributions, bonded-lubricant versions for warm compaction, and motor-development qualification quantities are available.
MATERIAL COMPARISON
| Comparison Point | This Product | Si-Steel Laminations |
|---|---|---|
| Flux path | 3D isotropic | 2D in-plane only |
| Geometry freedom | Any pressed shape | Stacked stamped shapes |
| Core loss < 400 Hz | Higher | Lower — laminations win at mains frequency |
| Core loss > 1000 Hz | Competitive | Rises steeply |
| Manufacturing | One pressing step | Stamp, stack, weld — multi-step |
| Best use | Axial/transverse flux, 3D parts, high speed | Mains-frequency transformers, radial motors |
TECHNICAL FAQ
Need a different chemistry, particle range, or processing route? Our material team can review the requirement and supply window.
Grade dependent — our optimized grades deliver loss data certified at 1 T/1 kHz on pressed-annealed rings. Send your operating point and we match the grade; insulation thickness trades loss against compressibility.
The insulation layer degrades above roughly 500-650 °C depending on chemistry. Stress relief happens below that ceiling, so SMC powder is manufactured ultra-low in carbon and oxygen to keep hysteresis loss acceptable without a full anneal.
7.3-7.6 g/cm³ at 800 MPa with our high-compressibility grades — density directly sets permeability, and warm-compaction bonded versions push toward the upper end.
It is in production in axial-flux and specialty topologies. The qualification burden is real — loss mapping across the drive cycle, mechanical fatigue, thermal aging — and we support it with consistent lots and full data packages.
No. SMC-grade iron powder ships without licensing requirements.
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