Are Rare Earth Magnets the Solution to Your Magnetism Woes?
Posted on: 8 July 2021
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When you build any product that involves magnetism, you must be confident that the magnet will not degrade or fail during the expected lifetime of the product. If a point is reached where the magnet is no longer strong enough to perform, the product may need to be replaced or undergo an expensive repair. You may be aware that a standard ferrite magnet will lose about 5% of its magnets strength during a century. That may not seem much, but it could be a problem, depending on how long you expect the device to operate, and how near to its tolerance level it must perform.
Other situations could speed up the loss of magnetism. Heat is one factor that must not be overlooked. Heating a magnet will cause it to lose some magnetism. If the magnet is kept at a temperature of 80°C or above it could be permanently demagnetised.
If you are struggling to find magnets that can operate successfully under your required operating conditions, you should consider rare earth neodymium magnets. Rare earth magnets can often have far more heat resistance and other useful properties.
1. What are rare earth neodymium magnets?
If the only magnets that you have ever worked with are traditional ferrite magnets, you may be surprised to learn that other possibilities exist. Rare earth magnets are created using an alloy of neodymium with boron and iron. Some rare earth magnets can also feature dysprosium or praseodymium elements. Rare earth magnets are available in a range of grades, so check the operating parameters of any magnet you are considering, to be certain that it will have the heat resistance or other properties that you need.
2. Why might you need rare earth magnets?
Perhaps the greatest reason to consider using rare earth magnets in your products is the increased strength that they offer. Traditional ferrite magnets can be used for many purposes, but rare earth magnets are far stronger than ferrite magnets. Being able to include a much greater magnetic pull into a small space than many ferrite magnets is a big advantage of rare earth neodymium magnets. At one time, when rare earth magnets were comparatively new, the cost of each magnet was high, but as alternative production techniques have been developed the cost has continued to fall. Today, rare earth neodymium magnets can now be found in an increasing range of products.
To learn more, contact companies that supply rare earth neodymium magnets.