Coil Glossary

A

AEROSPACE: The industry concerned with the design and manufacture of aircraft, rockets, missiles, spacecraft, etc., that operate in aerospace.  The prototypes that require RF Coil/ Induction coils within the end product and or within tooling needed in the industry.

AIR COIL: Is an inductor coil that does not use a magnetic core made of a ferromagnetic material. The term refers to coils wound on plastic, ceramic, or other nonmagnetic forms, as well as those that have only air  (standalone coil) inside the windings.

B

BAR(S): A long, evenly shaped piece of solid material such as metal, used for bending and curving for various induction and mechanical purpose.

BOBBIN: Plastic core within an electrical transformer, a permanent container for wire winding, acting to form the shape of a coil, it may be made of thermoplastic or thermosetting materials.

BRAZING: A process of conjoining two or more metal like materials at a high temperature by applying any various nonferrous solders.

C

CAGE CODE: A unique identifier assigned to suppliers to government or defense agencies, as well as to government agencies themselves, and various other organizations.

COIL ASSEMBLY: Is when parts (ex: plastic) are added to the coil to be considered complete.

COIL BENDING: Is when the end of a coiled material is curved or bent in different directions.

COIL WINDING: "coil" in this sense refers to the wire or conductor and "winding" is the turn/loop of the wire to create the end result.

COIL(s): The end result of a wiretube, or bar in a continuous loop referred to as "turn" to create a Helix spiral.

CONDUCTIVITY: Is the capacity to transmit something, such as electricity or heat.

CONDUCTOR: In physics and electrical engineering, a conductor is an object or type of materials that allows the flow of an electrical current in one or more directions.

CONTRACT MANUFACTURING: Is a form of outsourcing by one company to another to manufacture a specific product/ item.

CONVERTER: A device that converts alternating current to direct current or vice versa.

COPPER BAR: Is solid raw material in different shapes are various sizes/diameters.  Coils made from solid raw material are generally utilized to create a path for energy.

CUSTOM MANUFACTURING: Is manufacturing that is "built-to-order" for unique parts, products, and select services, sometimes using specialized processes or equipment unavailable in standard production techniques.

D

DIAMETER: Any straight line that passes through the center of a tube/ rod, whose endpoints are on the edge of tube/rod.

DOUBLE HELICAL COILS: A coil that has become more attractive for accelerator magnets and other applications. Conceptually, a sinusoidal modulation of the longitudinal position of the turns allows virtually any multipolar field to be produced and maximizes the effectiveness of the supplied ampere turns.

E

ELECTROMAGNETIC COIL: An electrical conductor such as a wire in the shape of a coil, spiral or helix. Electromagnetic coils are used in electrical engineering applications where electric currents interact with magnetic fields and devices such as inductors, electromagnets, transformers, and sensor coils.

ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING SERVICES (EMS): Is a term used for companies that design, manufacture, test, distribute, and provide return/repair services for electronic components and assemblies for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

ELECTRONICS: The branch of physics and technology concerned with the design of circuits using transistors and microchips, and with the behavior and movement of electrons in a semiconductor, conductor, vacuum, or gas.

ENVIRONMENTAL: Relates to external factors such as energy, air, water, minerals and organisms that affect the environment.  HBR Industries, Inc. can be the single source for coil application that can support RF (energy), Liquid, Water, and Gas.

F

FASTENERS: Is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together.

FERRITE CORE:  Is a type of magnetic core that inductors are wound on.  It is a compound of transition metal with oxygen.  (also known as Magnetic Core)

FIXTURE: Is a piece of equipment or furniture that is fixed in a permanent position to be used repeatedly. 

FLAT MAGNET WIRE: - Flat magnet wire is useful in products such as voice coils in loudspeakers, field and armature coils in rotary and linear motors, and transformers, in which the flat wire permits more compact coils and improved heat dissipation, as compared to designs based on round wire. (Can be coated or bare)

FLAT MAGNET WIRE COIL(S):  To wind a tube/ bar onto a flat surface into rings by laying one turn around another.  Allow turns to be packed more closely, providing a greater flux density. In addition, flat wire is capable of dissipating heat more rapidly enabling flat wire coils to handle more power than their round wire counterparts.

G

GOLD PLATING: Is often used in electronics to provide a corrosion-resistant electrically conductive layer on copper, typically in electrical connectors and printed circuit boards. Because copper naturally oxidizes which can, result in reduced conductivity, gold plating is recommended (it will remain highly conductive).  Gold plating is for any project that is expected to last a long time.

H

HELICAL COIL: Is the plural of Helix Coil, a coil that has been shaped into the form of a helix.

HELIX COIL: Is a mathematical curve on the surface of the cylinder or cone such that its angle to a plane perpendicular to the axis is constant.  A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space.

HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY: Is an energy that is created by flowing water that can be captured and turned into electricity.

L

LITZ WIRE: A type of cable used in electronics to carry alternating current. The wire is designed to reduce the skin effect and proximity effect losses in conductors used at high frequencies.

M

MAGNETIC CORE: Is a piece of magnetic material made of ferromagnetic metals such as iron.

MECHANICAL ASSEMBLY: Is a job summary that describes assembling mechanical parts, pieces and /or products by using various tools and equipment to require specification.

MEDICAL: Is a field of industry focused on health and well-being of living beings such as humans and animals.  RF Coils are often used as part of the tooling to component to help power medical devices and for imaging/ MRI.

MILITARY: Is a field of industry that focuses on the defense and armed forces.  RF Coils are often used as part of a larger device and or equipment.

P

POWER INDUCTOR: Is an electronic component which receives as well as stores electrical energy by using a magnetic field. This magnetic field is usually created with a tightly coiled conductive wire. A power inductor maintains a steady current in an electrical circuit with a varying current and/or voltage.

PROTOTYPE: Is a preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.

R

RADIUS: Is a straight line extending from the center of a circle or sphere to the circumference or surface.

REFRIGERATION: Is the process of cooling and chilling to preserve perishable goods.

RF COIL(S): Radiofrequency coils are the receivers, and sometimes also the transmitters, of radiofrequency (RF) signals in equipment used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). –and other various other applications.

RF ENERGY: Radiofrequency energy is another name for radio waves. It is one form of electromagnetic energy which consists of waves of electric and magnetic energy moving together (radiating) through space. The area where these waves are found is called an electromagnetic field.

RF MATCH COIL(S): Are induction coils that are used to transfer heat and energy.—magnetic waves creating energy

S

SILVER PLATING: Is a thin layer of silver to cover and offers the best electrical conductivity, though this conductivity diminishes with time and oxidation. Because copper naturally oxidizes which can, result in reduced conductivity, silver plating is recommended (it will remain highly conductive).

SOLDERING: Is a process of various alloys fused and applied to join two or more metal objects without melting the object.

SPIRAL: Is when a long flexible single material is wound in a continuous and gradually widening (or tightening) curve, either around a central point on a flat plane or about an axis so as to form a cone. (formation)

T

TOLERANCE: Is the percentage of error in the resistor's resistance, or how much more or less you can expect a resistor's actual measured resistance to be from its stated resistance.

TOROID COIL: Is sometimes known as "Toroid Inductor" and is used for low frequencies.  It is a coil that is wire wound on a toroid.

TOROIDS: Is a ring-shaped core that can be made of ferrite (magnetic) or out of dust-iron that is used to wind wires inductors.

TUBE BENDING: Is when a hollow tube of various sizes and material (such as copper) is bent to form a specific shape.  The tube can be curved or angled to create a unique shape based on the functionality and need of the project. The tube size and thickness can vary to ensure the curve or angle follows the original OD of the tube.

TUBE WINDING: Is when a hollow tube of various sizes and material (such as copper) are wound in a continuous loop/turn. A coil is created when tube is wound on a custom mandrel creating a spiral like shape with or without spacing, thus creating a coil. These tubes are utilized in many different industries to create a path for energy or used to heat or cool liquid.

TURN AROUND TIME: (TAT) is the time interval from the time of submission of a process to the time of the completion of the process.

TURN KEY ASSEMBLY: Is a service that will supply, build, and install a product to be completed and be ready for use on arrival.  The responsibility of completely building a product/project.

TURNS:  Is the number of loops in a coil(s).

W

WATER COIL: Is a coil that is used to either heat or cool water/liquid depending upon the application.

WIRE COILS: An electromagnetic coil (or simply a "coil") is formed when a conductor (usually an insulated solid copper wire) is wound around a core or form to create an inductor or electromagnet.

WOUND COIL: Is an electrical conductor wound into the form of a spiral, sometimes with a soft iron core, to provide inductance or a magnetic field  

If you have any questions with any of the terms above, or you want to start your next project with us here at HBR Industries Inc. Give us a call at 408-988-0800 or contact us today through one of our online forms.