An inductor includes an air-core coil assembled with a T-shaped core and a composite magnetic material and resin mixture embedding the T-shaped core and the air-core coil. The air-core coil has: a coil member having a coil axis and first and second sides opposite to each other; and first and second leads that are integrally connected to the coil member. The first and second leads respectively have: first and second bent members at the first side; first and second ends at the second side; and first and second bottom extensions respectively connected between the first and second bent members and the first and second ends. The first and second bent members extend in a first direction parallel to the coil axis, the first and second ends extend in a second direction parallel to the coil axis, and the first and second bottom extensions extend perpendicular to the coil axis.

An apparatus for forming E-shaped or U-shaped dust cores includes: a die; an upper punch arranged to be insertable and removable into and from the die; a lower punch arranged so as to face the upper punch and to be insertable and removable into and from the die; and a core rod arranged to be insertable and removable into and from the upper punch and the lower punch. The upper punch and the lower punch each has a horizontal cross-sectional shape corresponding to the horizontal cross-sectional shape of two dust cores that are arranged distant from each other with their respective magnetic pole surfaces facing each other. The core rod has a horizontal cross-sectional shape corresponding to the horizontal cross-sectional shape of a hollow part formed between the two dust cores that are arranged distant from each other with their respective magnetic pole surfaces facing each other.

A system for forming a bulk material having insulated boundaries from a metal material and a source of an insulating material is provided. The system includes a heating device, a deposition device, a coating device, and a support configured to support the bulk material. The heating device heats the metal material to form particles having a softened or molten state and the coating device coats the metal material with the insulating material from the source and the deposition device deposits particles of the metal material in the softened or molten state on the support to form the bulk material having insulated boundaries.

An inductor includes an integrated preform having a coil installed thereinside. The coil includes extension portions extending from two stages of a spiral wound portion. The integrated preform is formed by bonding together first and second preforms. The first and/or second preform is shaped like a housing including a plate-shaped bottom, a wall provided around the periphery of the bottom portion, and two cut out portions provided in the wall. The extension portions extend to outside the integrated preform via the cut out portions. The difference between a first distance from a reference surface, which is the bottom surface of the bottom of the first or second preform, to a bottom surface of one cut out portion and a second distance from the reference surface to the bottom surface of the other cut out portion is substantially an integer multiple of the width of the flat wire.

A mixture for making a multilayer inductor, wherein the mixture comprises a first magnetic powder, a second magnetic powder, and a glass material, wherein each of the first magnetic powder and the second magnetic powder comprises an amorphous or nanocrystalline magnetic powder, wherein a softening point temperature of the glass material is in a range of 300°˜430° C.

An inductor includes a body that includes a coil and that contains a magnetic portion in which the coil is embedded, and a pair of outer electrodes that is disposed on a mounting surface of the body. The coil includes a winding portion formed by winding a conductive wire that has a coating layer and that has a pair of wide surfaces, and a pair of extended portions that extends from the winding portion. The pair of extended portions includes a twisted portion that is connected to the winding portion. The twisted portion is twisted about a virtual center line of an end portion of the winding portion, and a twisted part bends toward the mounting surface about an axis substantially perpendicular to the wide surfaces at the end portion. End portions of the pair of extended portions near the mounting surface are connected to the pair of outer electrodes.

Provided is an iron-based soft magnetic powder for dust cores that enables production of a dust core having high density and low iron loss. An iron-based soft magnetic powder for dust cores comprises: an iron-based soft magnetic powder; a condensed aluminum phosphate layer on particle surfaces of the iron-based soft magnetic powder; and a silicone resin layer on a surface of the condensed aluminum phosphate layer, wherein the condensed aluminum phosphate layer is a continuous coating, and a total mass of the condensed aluminum phosphate layer and the silicone resin layer is 0.60 mass % or less with respect to 100 mass % of a total mass of the iron-based soft magnetic powder, the condensed aluminum phosphate layer, and the silicone resin layer.

A magnetic base body includes plural metal magnetic particles including a first metal magnetic particle and a second metal magnetic particle adjacent to the first metal magnetic particle, each metal magnetic particle including Fe, and plural metal Fe particles including metal Fe. The plural metal Fe particles are disposed separately from each other between an insulating first oxide layer and an insulating second oxide layer. The first oxide layer includes oxide of an element A disposed on a surface of the first metal magnetic particle. The second oxide layer includes oxide of an element B disposed on a surface of the second metal magnetic particle. The element A is at least one element selected from a group consisting of Si, Zr, Al, and Ti, and the element B is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Zr, Al, and Ti.

A method for producing a composite magnetic body includes: pressure molding a metal magnetic material into a predetermined shape, the metal magnetic material being an Fe—Si-based metal magnetic material; performing a primary heat treatment of heating the metal magnetic material in an atmosphere with a first oxygen partial pressure to form an Si oxide coating film on a surface of the metal magnetic material; and performing a secondary heat treatment of heating the metal magnetic material that has undergone the primary heat treatment in an atmosphere with a second oxygen partial pressure, which is higher than the first oxygen partial pressure, to form an Fe oxide layer at least partially on a surface of the Si oxide coating film.

A composite particle includes a large particle and binder particles. The large particle has a particle size of 10 μm to 50 μm. The binder particles are attached on the large particle and each have a particle size smaller than that of the large particle.