Soft magnetic composites for electromagnetic components in lighting applications

The soft magnetic composites (SMC) are new soft magnetic materials produced by a powder metallurgy process which can be used for 60 Hz applications. The SMC are interesting for the realization of electromagnetic components used in lighting applications where the current and voltage THD is relatively high. The isotropy of the SMC magnetic and thermal properties can be used to design new structures of inductors and electromagnetic ballasts with high power to weight ratio. In structures with cylindrical symmetry, EMI and audible hum can be reduced. The design of a low frequency inductor used for the passive power factor correction of a lamp ballast system demonstrates the advantages of the SMC. These materials are an interesting alternative technology for lighting system components in terms of efficiency improvement and minimization of the size, weight, and audible hum.