A selective
etching process cuts shapes from
amorphous metal strip feedstock. The
etching process comprises depositing a chemically resistant material to one side of the strip in a pattern that defines the requisite shape,
mating the
metal strip with a carrier strip, exposing at least one side of the
metal strip to an
etching agent to selectively etch the desired shape, and separating the shape from the strip feedstock. A plurality of
layers of the shapes is assembled by
adhesive lamination to form a generally polyhedrally shaped bulk
amorphous metal magnetic component useful in high efficiency electric motors and inductive devices. The bulk
amorphous metal magnetic component may include an arcuate surface, and preferably includes two arcuate surfaces that are disposed opposite to each other. The magnetic component is operable at frequencies
ranging from about 50 Hz to about 20,000 Hz. When the component is operated at an excitation frequency “f” to a peak induction level Bmax, the component exhibits a core-loss less than about “L” wherein L is given by the formula L=0.005 f(Bmax)1.5+0.000012 f1.5(Bmax)1.6, said core loss, said excitation frequency and said peak induction level being measured in watts per
kilogram,
hertz, and teslas, respectively. Performance characteristics of the bulk amorphous
metal magnetic component of the present invention are significantly better than those of
silicon-steel components operated over the same frequency range.