What are Neodymium Magnets Used for?

There are two significant aspects of human life where neodymium magnets are essential: industry and daily life. In this article, we will see the uses of neodymium magnets in industry and everyday life.

Industry

Neodymium magnets have various uses in industrial and manufacturing activities that we can’t cover everything here. As technology advances, manufacturers and inventors keep finding new uses for neodymium magnets. Neodymium magnets have also made themselves the most formidable asset among magnets, such that engineers keep finding implementation for them across several industries, including medical, communication, space tech, and automotive. Below are the industrial uses of neodymium magnets.

Electric Motors

Neodymium magnets are among the essential parts of an electric motor. A magnetic field generated by the neodymium magnets and an electromagnet inside a motor helps it to convert electric energy to mechanical energy. The functioning of generators, on the other hand, is reverse. They convert mechanical energy to electric energy when their conductors move through the magnetic field generated by the magnet inside them. For some applications, generators use electromagnets, and for some, they use neodymium magnets.

Medical Science

Neodymium magnets have also been helpful in many medical applications. While they appear in several pieces of equipment, their most popular use is in the MRI scanner. MRI scanners use large neodymium magnets that generate powerful magnetic fields to scan a patient’s internals. They can be used to examine different body parts, including the spine, brain, liver, and others. Neodymium magnets are also used in the motors in dental and surgical devices. Neodymium magnets are also used in magnotherapy. They are used to produce magnetic therapy machines, caps, shoes, and bracelets, among other things.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy sources that use neodymium magnets can be considered siblings to electric motors since they both use neodymium magnets to generate energy, although their operations are opposite. To move the world towards green energy sources, manufacturers have turned to neodymium magnets in making wind turbines and mills. Because of their high coercivity, heat resistance, and powerful magnetic fields, they can continually convert mechanical energy to electric energy without needing a replacement.

Information Technology

In I.T., neodymium magnets have revolutionized how data is stored and accessed on hard drives. In the early days of electronic storage, hard drives were as large as refrigerators and unaffordable for most businesses, not to mention individuals. However, with the discovery of magnetic storage, things are different in the present day. The ability of neodymium magnets to store insane amounts of data on a small surface has allowed manufacturers to reduce the size of hard drives from that of a refrigerator to something you can hold in your pocket. What more? Drives are now hundreds of times cheaper than they used to be.

Holding/Lifting

Holding and lifting are among the most common applications of neodymium magnets, especially in factories dealing with metal. Several factors make neodymium magnets the perfect choice for such applications. They are much more affordable than other types of magnets because of their sheer strength. A small neodymium magnet can hold/lift almost 600 times its weight–a feat other magnets cannot achieve. For that reason, they are used in making magnetic cranes for lifting large ferrous materials. These cranes are famous in heavy engineering and manufacturing industries since they come with a quick-release switching mechanism.

Magnetic Separation

Magnetic separation involves using neodymium magnets to separate ferrous materials from non-ferrous ones. A powerful magnet, such as neodymium is often used for reliable separation. This technology has been utilized extensively in several industries, including mining, to separate metal from precious stones, food industries, ferrous material from food, water treatment, removing tiny metals that may flow with water, and many others. Industries that use magnetic separation remove ferrous materials from production lines using a conveyor system and a powerful neodymium magnet rod as filters.

Mechanical Engineering

In magnetic engineering, neodymium magnets have been used to produce several technologies, including magnetic gears, fixtures, brakes, salvage devices, pumps, bearings, valves, locks, seal doors, conveyors, and jacks, among other things.

Magnetic bearings are among the hottest subjects in mechanical engineering since they may revolutionize how we move objects and parts. They use the same idea behind magnetic levitation and may allow us to move components without touching them physically. The inherent advantage includes little to no friction and zero mechanical wear, irrespective of the speed of movement.

Automotive

Among other things, neodymium magnets are essential to the automotive industry. Although when talking about using these neodymium magnets in automotive, people think about the electric motor that powers electric vehicles (E.V.s) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), their usage is way beyond that. For one, manufacturers use neodymium magnets in the production process to quicken vehicle assembly. You will also find them in car parts, such as the anti-lock braking system (ABS), windshield wipers, door locks, stereo speakers, seatbelt indicators, and more.

Microwave Communication

Microwave communication is the transmission of data and information by electromagnetic waves. We can trace the history of microwave communication to 1931 and then the development of radar during world war II. After the war, the evolution of the tech was rapid, and it has since transformed communication globally. Because of their ability to generate powerful magnetic fields, neodymium magnets have found numerous applications in this industry, including remote control telemetry, radar technology, electronic countermeasures, satellite communications, and electronic tracking.

Daily

Besides their usage in specialized industries, neodymium magnets are also common daily uses. When used properly, they can make lives a lot easier. Below are the everyday uses of neodymium magnets.

Teaching Appliance

There are several uses of neodymium magnets in teaching and education. They are used in science experiments during the students’ first exposure to magnetism and in several science fair experiments and DIY projects. Another application involves holding up sheets of paper, fabric, and other non-ferrous materials against a magnetic whiteboard.

Office Equipment

Neodymium magnets are used in the office for much better organization of files, notes, paper pins, scissors, and many others. They are also helpful in presentations where charts and other data are hung up on boards rather than displayed on a screen. You can use neodymium magnets to attach such boards to the wall rather than holding them up with your hands.

Stress Relieve

There are several cases where neodymium magnets are used for stress relief. One is magnotherapy which we covered earlier. Another is the use of magnetic toys or fidget neodymium magnets. While magnetic toys may help relieve stress when you play with them, fidget neodymium magnets may help you put fidgeting under control.

Jewelry Case

Jewelry cases and boxes have neodymium magnets for different purposes. One, they have neodymium magnets under their lids to keep the case covered. Two, jewelry stores use strong neodymium magnets to hold pieces of jewelry in place during storage, transportation, and display.

At Home

Nearly every home has neodymium magnets in them. These range from kitchen and fridge neodymium magnets to magnetic knife racks. These can help organize tools and utensils, promoting a safe indoor environment.

Calligraphy and Painting

These are decorative neodymium magnets that you can use for room and lobby decoration. They don’t have any particular use other than aesthetics, and they are affordable and safe.

Games

There are several safe at-games that you can play using neodymium magnets. Examples of such games are “will it stick” and several magnetic board games and puzzles.

Bags and Suitcases

Neodymium magnets are used in bags and suitcases. Some bags have neodymium magnets that allow users to hang them on metal surfaces, while suitcases usually have neodymium magnets around the locks.

Magnetic Door Catch

Magnetic door catches help hold doors in place when you close them. These are different from the technology used in magnetic locks that only open after electronic verification. Magnetic door catches usually comprise a magnet and a metal, one on the door and the other on the doorframe. When you close a door, they hold it in place automatically, but reopening such doors requires no electronic verification. These are common in cupboard and refrigerator doors.

Where and How to Buy Neodymium Magnets?

If you’re looking to purchase bulk custom- or standard-shaped neodymium magnets for industrial and personal use, ROBO Magnetic can help you by manufacturing and supplying them according to your requirements. We have nearly 20 years of industry experience, and our engineers use cutting-edge technology to produce different shapes, sizes, and grades of neodymium magnets for companies worldwide. We are renowned experts, and we give the best customer experience.

Whether you need neodymium magnets for personal use or for industrial use, you must have a good idea of your requirements and why you need the magnet to order the appropriate neodymium magnets that will handle your task efficiently. Below are some things you should consider:

1. The nature of the application: this refers to how you will use the magnet, i.e., the function of the magnet when you put it in use. Some general applications include holding, lifting, and moving, while specialized applications include electric motors and medical equipment usage.
2. Your budget for the magnet: you must also consider how much you or your company is willing to pay for the neodymium magnets. Ultimately, the quantity, strength, and size of the neodymium magnets determine the price.
3. The required quantity: you must consider your project and decide how many neodymium magnets you need. You will need to provide the number of neodymium magnets you want when ordering.
4. The strength of the magnet: the nature of your application will determine the magnet’s strength you need. The different grades of neodymium magnets have varying strengths, which you can see on our specifications page.
5. The shape of the magnet: there are different shapes of neodymium magnet, which include ring, arc, rectangle, cylinder, cube, and more. We also produce custom-shaped neodymium magnets for specialized applications. Read what you must know when ordering custom neodymium magnets.
6. The desired dimensions: this refers to the size of neodymium magnets you want. Ensure accurate measurements, especially if you need to fit the magnet into a hole. We will need the length, height, width, diameter, chamfer angle of the countersunk hole, etc., as required.
7. The allowed tolerances: tolerance is the variation between the requested dimensions and the finished product. This should be provided in “plus or minus” format, e.g., +/-0.5mm.
8. Conditions of application: the environment in which you will use the neodymium magnets is also essential. Possible conditions include humidity, elevated temperature, exposure to chemicals, and others.

To get started with your order process, contact us with the specifications of the neodymium magnets you need to see how we can help make your project an absolute success.