Electric Steel

Non Grain Oriented Electrical Steels often referred to as electrical steel, lamination steel, silicon steel, and core iron is a specialty steel tailored to produce certain magnetic properties such as low hysteresis loss or high permeability. When core steel is magnetized then demagnetized it absorbs energy and heats up which results in a loss of power. Electrical steels are designed at specific core loss values to reduce this power loss. Electrical steels can also be designed to have high permeability allowing the electrical current needed to produce magnetism to be as low as possible. Electrical Steels is an iron alloy typically manufactured in the form of cold rolled strip with a certain percentage of silicon, manganese, or aluminum added in the melt. While each manufacture of electrical steel utilizes their own recipe to produce different grades, these grades are governed by standards set by bodies such as American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), European Standard (EN), and the American Iron and Steel Institutes (AISI) which is often commonly used as a reference for nomenclature in the United States. In actuality the AISI standard for electrical steel has been obsolete for quite some time and replaced by the more current ASTM standard.

The uniformity for specifying, producing, and purchasing, electrical steels is primarily graded by core loss. This is because maximum permissible core loss is usually one of the most important considerations for electrical apparatus cores . While each governing body has their own identifying standard for naming different steel grades, the absolute variable referred to in these standards is Maximum Core Loss at a specified Magnetic Flux Density and Hertz.

Materials Available

• Non-Oriented Electrical Grade Steels certified to ASTM, EN, or AISI Standards
• Grain-Oriented Electrical Steels certified to ASTM,EN, Or AISI Standards
• Cobalt Alloys conforming to ASTM A801, Hiperco 50, Hiperco 50A, Aperam AFK502R
• Nickel Alloys conforming to ASTM A753, Carpenter 49, HyMu 80, Aperam Supra 50. VAC Permenorm 5000V
• Nomex, Mylar, Kapton, Insulation G9 & G10
• Steel, Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Brass, Copper

To help sort out some of the confusion that may be inherent in the different nomenclatures being used in our industry, Laser Technologies has created a Cross Reference Chart for EN, ASTM, and AISI standards that can be accessed and downloaded as a PDF off our Website: