Types Of Rare Earth Magnets

Rare earth magnets have revolutionized the world of magnetics in the last few decades. Their development began in the 1970's. Scientists first made these special permanent magnets with alloys composed of rare earth elements. They are significantly stronger than regular, ferrite magnets. Industry has put them to use for various tasks, such as in rare earth disc magnets. However, there are some weaknesses in these magnets to which their makers must adapt. The materials used to make them are also, as the name implies, very rare and this causes supply concerns.

These magnets are not made purely from rare elements. Such elements demonstrate their magnetism only at temperatures well below room temperature, limiting their usefulness. However, they are easily made into alloys with ferromagnetic materials which exhibit magnetism at temperatures above room temperature. These alloys function well because they have high levels of magnetic anisotropy. They can be magnetized in only one direction. The force of their magnetism remains strong in that one direction, making them far more useful and versatile than magnets previously used for industrial purposes.

These magnets are made from two different compositions. One of these compositions is the samarium-cobalt magnet. The first such magnets were all made from this alloy. It was also these magnets which demonstrated the weakness common to all types of this new magnet. They are extremely brittle and often fracture when exposed to thermal shock. Still, the value of these alloys could not be denied and soon industries were making various permanent magnets and rare earth disc magnets from samarium-cobalt.

A new kind of magnet was invented in the 1980's. These new magnets were made with neodymium, iron and born. Neodymium magnets are superior to samarium-cobalt magnets due to their much stronger magnetic field strength. However, they are also less able to resist oxidation than samarium cobalt and they function well only at lower temperatures. However, the first weakness was overcome by using special coatings to protect the magnets from corrosion. The second weakness was only overcome by the lower cost of neodymium magnets. Their inexpensiveness, combined with their higher strength, soon gave them first place among magnets. Most computer hard drives use neodymium magnets now. An increasing number of toys are also built each year incorporating neodymium magnets into their structure.

The number of applications for rare earth magnets increases every year. Rare earth disc magnets and various permanent magnets all experience widespread use in industry. Developers are also finding new ways to use them in entertainment and medicine. The famous magnetic levitation transport trains in Europe manage their incredible speeds due to the power of these magnetic alloys which have come to replace regular magnets in a surprising number of ways.

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Attractive Yet Dangerous, The Uses Of Rare Earth Magnets

Magnets have been a staple of hobbyists and the home experimenter for generations, having an attractive quality that goes well beyond the literal way they function and the mysterious forces at work. Finding a rare earth magnets sale is much easier today than when they were first introduced in the 70s and 80s, and the uses go well beyond what many might suspect.

Powerful magnets have been crucial in much of the technological advancements of the past few decades. For example, computer hard drives, audio speakers, and even certain electric motors are all dependent on magnets, particularly rare earth magnets which are composed of elements that when combined form a bond and force many times more powerful than previous magnets have ever been able to achieve. These magnets come in two main types, neodymium or samarium-cobalt, both exhibiting the same successes when applied to machines and devices. Found in everything from computers and appliances used everyday to the self-powered flashlights which use shaking motion to generate power, magnets such as neodymium are endless in application and only growing in use.

The benefit and use is well documented, however in case of seeking out a rare earth magnets sale, dangers should be understood and respected. These strong magnets are not composed of rare elements at all and the components are in fact as common as tin or lead. However, the crystalline structures found within them have a property that makes them very easy to magnetize in one direction giving them an unusually stable alignment. That alignment along with high magnetic qualities at an atomic level give rare earth magnets their unmatched strength, which is where the dangers come into play. When of a size larger than merely a few centimeters, they can pinch skin or body parts between them and cause injuries. These magnets can be strong enough to strike each other with sufficient force to chip and send fragments flying, often causing injury as well. The worst potential risk would involve accidental swallowing where they can get caught together within the digestive tract, pinching and causing severe injury or even death. Beyond the benefits to technology and hobbyists, they are quite literally a force to be respected.

As serious as they can be, there is no reason these magnets should be treated differently than any tool and there are endless experiments and ideas to try using them in new and interesting ways. From linear motors such as high speed trains to levitation experimentation, the magnet has never been as crucial and attractive to modern engineers. From medical technology and imaging to more entertaining and fun launched roller coasters and thrill rides, the rare earth magnet can be found incorporated into everyday life in a wide variety of ways. Perhaps one of the better uses involves technology developed which is better for the planet, bringing a new age of green and responsible machines such as wind turbine generators and magnetic motors found in cordless tools. There are new uses discovered every year by home hobbyists and professionals, and the benefits far outweigh the risks of danger when using powerful magnets.

The unequaled strength of these magnets may literally be the most attractive topic for hobbyists and inventors today. They have unlimited potential, and when the hazards of their use are respected, can bring unlimited new breakthroughs to modern life. In looking for projects and time-occupying entertainment in the garage, one should always consider finding a rare earth magnets sale, easily located online or off, and see where the endless options lead.

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The Value Of Rare Earth Magnets

Rare earth magnets have revolutionized industry, medicine and entertainment. Previous to their development, people relied on ferrite and ceramic magnets. These magnets are superior to these other types of magnets because their magnetic fields are much stronger. A rare earth magnets sale has been ongoing ever since their development in the 1970's.

The magnetic strength of these alloys is derived from the different materials of which they are composed. Rare earths can be magnetized just like iron. However, on their own, these elements only function magnetically at low temperatures. This made them unsuitable candidates for most applications which would involve certain levels of heat. Metals such as iron, cobalt and nickel can be magnetized and perform at much higher temperatures. When researchers discovered that they could make alloys of rare earths and these other metals, they were excited by the results. These new alloys had the strength of the rare earths' magnetic fields and the durability of the other metals at higher temperatures.

The original magnetic alloy was samarium-cobalt. This new magnet functioned well at very high temperatures. Fortunately, they also turned out to have a powerful resistance to oxidation. The great drawback that developers immediately noted was this alloys inclination toward fracturing. It was very brittle and prone to cracking, especially when exposed to thermal shock. These rare earth magnets sale price was also very high. This limited their initial use.

In the 1980's, further research developed neodymium magnets. These new magnets were even stronger than the samarium cobalt magnets used in the previous decade. Made from neodymium, iron and boron, they were also cheaper than the previous magnetic materials. They have become ubiquitous, even if the average consumer does not actually see them. Besides their widespread industrial use, they are also found in most computer hard drives. They are only superior to samarium-cobalt in magnetic strength. They are actually more prone to chipping and fracturing and are prone to corrosion. Also, they are not as capable of functioning magnetically at high temperatures like samarium-cobalt. Their lower price, however, ensured their commercial success when compared to samarium-cobalt.

It is the power of these advanced magnets that actually forms their greatest drawback. They are so strong that a magnet, made from these alloys, bigger than just a few centimeters in diameter can crush human bones if they are caught between the magnet and an attracted body. Two such magnets, attracted to one another, can collide so hard that they both fracture. There have been some cases in which children swallowed these magnets and died due to the internal injuries caused when the magnets crushed sections of their intestinal tracts. These drawbacks, however, do not stop the increasing rare earth magnets sale.

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