When you look around, you will see many items in the home, office or in factories and industrial settings that utilise magnets to perform their purpose. Magnets are essential, for example, in electric motors as they are part of the principle. You’ll also find them in many kitchen and household appliances, and in many other situations that you may not consider. Of course, when you were a child, a magnet was a thing of fascination – an almost magical item that attracted other metals – but now, they form an important part of manufacturing processes and other industrial and commercial uses.
There are various types of magnet, as development into this field has been ongoing for great lengths of time. One type of particularly important magnet was developed in the mid-1980’s by two separate companies – General Motors in the USA and Sumitomo in Japan – who both discovered the same thing. These magnets are known as NdFeB magnets, or neodymium magnets, after the metal they are primarily made from. What is so special about NdFeB magnets and where are they used?
What is an NdFeB Magnet?
Put simply, the NdFeB is the most powerful commercially available magnet in the world, and is made by the top magnets manufacturers and sold to a wide variety of customers. Its discovery led to many advances in technology where magnets are concerned. Neodymium, Iron and Boron combine to create an NdFeB magnet, and the result is a very versatile product that has a wide range of uses.
This type of permanent magnet very quickly replaced standard magnets in uses such as power tools, magnetic fasteners and computer hard disk drives, thanks to the efficiency and long life of the magnet, and has found its way into many different areas of commerce and industry. The main reason for this is that the extra power of the NdFeB magnet means that smaller magnets can now be used for the same purpose, hence reducing the size and weight of many popular products. NdFeB magnets are now commonly found in the following applications, among many others:
- Loudspeakers
- Door locks
- E-cigarettes
- Hard disk drives
- Magnetic bearings
- Mobile phones
- Electric motors for many appliances
- Electric generators
- Wind turbines
The above are some of the products and applications in which magnets were used before, and NdFeB magnets have replaced the standard type. In addition, the following products now use NdFeB magnets where they did not previously use magnets:
- Children’s toys
- Jewellery clasps
- MRI scanners and further medical equipment
As can be clearly seen, the development of the NdFeB magnet has been an important area of advancement in industry and commerce, and there are likely to be many more products that this type of magnet can be used for in the future. If you want more information on NdFeB magnets check them out more closely and you may find they could be of use to you in the home or in your given line of business.