More chip inductor suppliers will release smaller, higher-performance types

Manufacturers keep up efforts to widen and improve their product selections.

Makers of chip inductors in mainland China continue to concentrate on units in smaller packages and those with high frequency and current capability but have low resistance. In addition to rising requirement in mobile electronics, communications, automotive, medical equipment and military applications, they are eyeing the next big market opportunity as 5G rollout has started.

In particular, ultrasmall types in 0201 and 01005 sizes have been an ongoing development objective. But so far, only large companies have crossed the threshold into manufacture due to the high technology requirement. They include Sunlord and Fenghua Advanced, which are already doing so on a mass scale. The former’s 01005 selection is mainly for the 5G communications industry.

The rest of the suppliers focus on boosting output for chip types, which is the reason the category is growing and now represents more than half of their inductor shipments.

Apart from miniaturization, mainland makers work on releasing magnetically shielded kinds with low magnetic loss and DC resistance, and high saturation current under elevated frequency and temperature. The LPM Series offered by Shaanxi Shinhom is for up to 5MHz uses, and has low DSR and ultralow buzz noise. It can support great transient current spikes without saturation and boasts a -40 to 105 C operating temperature range.

Suppliers benefitted from steady rise of 5 to 10 percent in total shipments of chip inductors due to increasing demand in various applications in recent years.

Widespread 5G deployment and the boom in wearable devices, drones and robotics are expected to provide significant growth for chip inductors in coming years. The global 5G market reached $0.61 million in 2018 and is predicted to have a CAGR as high as 82.4 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to Future Market Insights.

This is why manufacturers look to maintain production expansion. Xiamen MST Electronics Co. Ltd raised output by 5 percent in the past year and this may go up to 10 percent by end-2019 and in 2020.

Exports are expected to increase by 10 percent in the years ahead.

There are more than 300 manufacturers of chip inductors in the mainland, one of the world’s major production bases for the line.

Over 70 percent of the companies are homegrown and ship 30 to 90 percent of products mostly to Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. The rest have investment mainly from Japan and Taiwan. Only one-third of the domestic group is into large-scale manufacturing and churning out high-end and midrange types.

The major foreign players there include TDK, Sumida and Hilisin, and their local counterparts Sunlord, Fenghua Advanced, Microgate and Chongqing Jinlai.

Most suppliers offer other passive components such as coils, resistors, capacitors and transformers.

The main production bases are in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta regions. More than half of the suppliers gather in the former, specifically in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu and Fujian. The others are in Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces.

Typical package sizes

Multilayer types in 0402, 0603, 0805, 1040, 1206, 1250 and 1265, and wirewound variants in 3216, 3225, 4532 and 5750 make up the local mainstream selection of chip inductors. These units meet CE, UL and RoHS requirements.

The key components and materials used in manufacture include magnetic cores, ferrites, silver paste, copper wires and bobbins. All are sourced locally, with makers turning to foreign companies only as required.

Input cost and product prices remained stable in the past six months and are expected to stay at current levels for the rest of 2019 and throughout 2020.

The products in this gallery have been handpicked by our China-based market analyst for representing current trends in chip inductors from China makers.

Chip inductor adopts ferrite shielding

Dongguan Bead Electronic Technological Co. Ltd’s model SMB4.75*2.54*9.5 chip inductor with ferrite shielding ensures wide frequency range, enhanced EMI suppression and no crosstalk. It suits video recorders, digital set-top boxes, DC-DC power converters, and wireless communications and office automation equipment.

The minimum order requirement of 1,000 units is for delivery within 5 days.

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1 to 15µH chip inductor

Rated at 1.25 to 4.4A, the model PNR5012 chip inductor from P&Z Electronics Ltd has 1 to 15µH inductance and ±20 or ±30 percent tolerance. It operates in -40 to 125 C, and suits DC-DC converters, LCD TVs and notebook computers.

The supplier requires a minimum order of 10,000 units. Delivery lead time is 20 days.

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220µH chip inductor

From Xiamen MST Electronics Co. Ltd, the model IND-060 chip inductor has 220µH inductance, ±5 or ±10 percent tolerance, 14MHz self-resonant frequency and 40 minimum Q value. The operating temperature is -55 to 105 C.

The 1,000-unit minimum order has a 10-day delivery lead time.

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Chip inductor for up to 3MHz uses

This RoHS-compliant chip inductor from Xiamen YKM Electronics Co. Ltd, C1006 model, suits up to 3MHz applications. It supports an operating temperature of -55 to 125 C. The maximum thickness is 3mm.

The minimum order of 1,000 units is delivered within 5 days.

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