Inductive components from SMP for medical technology applications
February 3, 2016
SMP Sintermetalle Prometheus GmbH & Co KG, the German manufacturer of soft-magnetic materials and inductive components based in Graben-Neudorf near Karlsruhe, has announced the development of components for use in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) systems. Designed as filter or mains chokes, they claim to offer compact, low-loss and energy efficient components that are exceptionally quiet in operation, essential qualities for these demanding medical technology applications.
Components from SMP are installed in the gradient amplifiers which supply
output voltages and currents
In MRI scanners the components are installed in the gradient amplifiers which supply output voltages and currents and control the gradient coils that encode the resonance signals for subsequent image reconstruction. The filter and mains chokes are designed to ensure a clean sinusoidal waveform and low-loss feedback of the unused energy.
Special magnetostriction-free materials, which SMP develops and produces according to individual customer specifications, ensure that components run very quietly. The powder composite materials feature low eddy current and magnetic reversal losses. The components are noted for their low loss balances and optimal EMC properties. They are also maintenance-free.
The three-dimensional isotropy of the materials enables compact, lightweight structures, because the magnetic circuits are minimised. This also lowers the magnetic field strength and the quantity of winding material used can be significantly reduced. The materials have a high saturation induction, up to 2 Tesla, and the oscillation behaviour of the choke can be adjusted specifically by using certain materials or appropriate, magnetically coupled designs with multiple coils.
Besides medical technology, SMP’s inductive components are used in industrial applications in power electronics, automation and signal processing, in drive engineering applications including railway technology, electromobility and maritime engineering, for renewable energies as well as conventional energies, and in the aerospace industry.
