An RF coil which stands for the radiofrequency coil is one type of electromagnetic coil. An electromagnetic micro-coil is produced through the winding process of an electrically conductive tiny ultra-fine wire around a pin or core. RF coils are substantially useful and applicable in the medical and electronics field. The most important example of RF coil application is MRI machines. This article will help you know some important things about RF coils.
The Characteristics of RF Coil Winding Process:
- During the RF coil winding process, the twisting or winding of tiny, insulated wires (mainly ultra-fine wire) occurs around a pin or core. These wires have to be electrically conductive because the conduction of electricity is essential to produce a magnetic field. Manufacturers can also make certain changes in the manufacturing process to improve the intensity of the micro-coils.
- The magnetic that gets developed around the coil is very similar to a bar magnet with a north and south pole. Different shapes of the RF coils result in different magnetic field strength. For this reason, on the basis of the application area, the desired shape of the RF coil changes.
- To increase the magnetic field strength, manufacturers provide extra layers of wire to the RF coils.
Applications of Radiofrequency Coils:
RF coils are useful for various industrial applications. However, you will see the major applications of RF coils in the medical and electronics field. In the medical field, to build MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines, RF coils are necessary. The main job of RF coils in the MRI machine is to receive and transmit the signals.
RF Coil Manufacturing Process:
The manufacturing of the RF coils involves designing, coil winding, and other activities. Let’s look at the whole procedure.
- Firstly, the designers and developers build the initial design of the radiofrequency coils with the assistance of modeling and simulation tools. These tools help to build accurate RF coils for MRI machines. Another tool that is also substantially helpful to design the RF coils is COMSOL Multiphysics from Sweden. As far as it is about Orthocyclic winding, the manufacturers should acquire an interactive approach to overcome the issues of space crisis. It is also important to calculate several desired parameters of the RF coils including the cross-sectional area of the wires, the number of twisting or windings, and the offered space for the insulated core.
- Once the design of the RF coils is completed, manufacturers now need to decide the material and type of the coil based on the operating frequency of the MRI machine and other factors. Powered iron and ferrite cores are commonly used for the core material.
- Then the RF coil winding process takes place where the manufacturers twist an insulated copper wire around a pin or core. The number of turns during the winding process hugely depends on the expected inductance of the coil and the properties of the core material. However, for building an accurate and tight structure of the radiofrequency coils, it is important to use the orthocyclic winding method.
- The final step is about getting the validation of the finished products after multiple tests.
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