Hello, sorry if this is a stupid question but I'm curious and haven't been able to find a decent answer to it. Are the steel laminations that hold the copper conductors necessary to be magnetically permeable and electrically conductive? (Note I understand that they are not electrically conductive between each separate steel lamination) Could they be made from some other type of material that is not electrically conductive in order to eliminate eddy currents? Is their only purpose to just hold the wires in place? Are they increasing the strength of the magnetic field because they are magnetically permeable? I am looking for a rather in depth type of answer, also please don't lecture me. I am simply here to learn, Thanks!