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Breakaway force, holding force, fixturing force – “How can all of these represent the same measurement?” a younger engineer recently inquired. Engineers and non-engineers alike can be puzzled trying to understand some of the commonly used – but potentially misinterpreted – terms related to the concept of a magnet’s pull force…
Rare-earth Neodymium magnets can have an attractive pull force of up to 1,000 times the weight of the magnet. This property allows engineers to specify a particularly small magnet for a stay-in-place operation. It can also make it difficult to find an appropriate mechanical fastener (screw / bolt etc.) to hold that small magnet in place. Enter Dura’s adhesive-backed Neodymium magnet discs. Because these magnets are designed with the fastener “built-in,” they give design engineers flexibility and cost savings by allowing production / assembly staff to apply the magnets instantly to a work piece without the need for another component fastener.
There is a time and place to use Halbach Arrays over conventional arrays. Depending on your needs, the time and cost involved in manufacturing Halbach Arrays may or may not be worth the investment. This final piece in our four part series on Halbach Arrays discusses the benefits and drawbacks to using these arrays.
We occasionally get inquiries and manufacturing prints identifying a custom magnet shape using the abbreviation Neo. Because shorthand works – both internally and in discussions with our customers – we likewise sometimes refer to a Neodymium magnet as Neo or NdFeB. Of the rare earth element magnets, Neo magnets are the most commonly specified because they have the highest known energy product for their mass. One might possibly expect the Neo name to mean “new” – and that could be a reasonable assumption based on the fact that they were initially created relatively recently in 1984. The abbreviated name, however, actually comes from the element Neodymium – or Nd.
Function and application influence design choices. The balance between power and cost efficiency, for example, is a tough line to walk. So for many, the basic design elements of the Halbach Arrays and its analogues are of vital consideration. In this third article of our four-part series on Halbach Arrays, we will discuss design elements and variables.
There are seventeen rare earth elements– fifteen of which are lanthanides and two of which are transition metals, yttrium and scandium, that are found with lanthanides and are chemically similar. In general, rare earth elements were given their name for two different, yet significant reasons.
In our previous TechTalk article about Halbach Arrays, we discussed what a Halbach Array might be composed of and why these arrays are useful. But how do these arrays create a magnetic field, and how are these fields used?
In this second installment of our four-part series explaining Halbach Arrays, we will look at the field geometries of the two most common Halbach Array orientations and debunk a few common misconceptions about how these magnetic fields are used and function.
Who out there hasn’t been faced with an application that requires parts to be joined or connected together? Sometimes the connection requirement is only temporary and we’ll reach for clamps because they are quick and easy to use. In other instances when we need something more secure, we would think to use a mechanical fastener because screws are reliable and inexpensive. Welding is a good choice when the joint needs to be strong and more permanent. However, there are drawbacks to all of these options. However, there are drawbacks to all of these options. Clamps can be cumbersome, and mechanical fasteners require advanced planning for drilling and location mounting holes. The strength and permanency of welding can also become its biggest downside because once something is welded in place, it cannot be easily changed or adapted. The simple solution to these problems may be to use magnetic assemblies, which are produced in a variety of shapes and sizes…
There is a lot of information about “Halbach Arrays” available on the Internet, yet much of it is re-posted copy with fragmented explanations. This first article in a four-part series on Halbach Arrays will attempt to cohesively demystify the Halbach Array, explain how it works, and cover the advantages and disadvantages of using them.
In an ongoing effort to maintain leadership as a magnetic solution provider, we have earned our certification in AS9100D Aerospace Management Systems. This certification takes ISO9001 to the next level – requiring an even greater degree of quality and rigor to receive. Our certificate can be found here: AS9100D Certificate.