Summary:
Litz wire comes from the German term litzendraht, meaning “braided” or “woven” wire. To understand Litz wire, first consider magnet wire: a single conductor, usually copper or aluminum, coated with an insulating enamel. Litz wire is made by bundling and weaving together two or more insulated magnet wire strands. The main purpose of Litz wire is to reduce AC losses at higher frequencies, making it useful in applications such as transformers, inductors, and other high-frequency electromagnetic devices.
When designing a Litz wire solution, important factors include:
- Operating frequency
- Temperature requirements
- Voltage requirements
- Insulation needs (e.g., textile, tape, or extruded insulation)
- Final application and winding requirements (such as transformer bobbins or cylindrical windings)
In short, Litz wire is a bundle of individually insulated wire strands woven together to minimize high-frequency AC losses and improve electrical efficiency.
Don’t want to watch the video? Read the transcript below instead.
Litz wire comes from the German word litzendraht, which means braided or woven wire.
But to first understand that we need to take a look at magnet wire. So magnet wire would be one single strand of a wire, generally copper or aluminum that has an enamel coating on it. So this one individual strand would be magnet wire. When you take two or more of them together and group them, it becomes Litz wire.
So the applications for Litz wire, if you have an application where you need to reduce your AC loss at frequency, Litz wire should be a consideration.
Some key factors when we would be looking to design a Litz construction would be: we’d need to know operating frequency you’re working in, if you have temperature requirements, voltage requirements, and whether or not that has to be insulated – and we have various insulation options, like this is a textile, tapes, or extruded insulations. And we’d want to understand what your final OD is, especially if you’re going to be winding this for a bobbin used for a transformer or solenoid.
So if you have an application that’s going to require Litz wire, give us a call. We’ll work with you for the details of your construction and design the best Litz wire for your application.
