Neodymium Iron Boron magnets have some advantages over Samarium Cobalt magnets. Neodymium Iron Boron magnets are less expensive, since the main elements Nd and Fe are abundant, and are mechanically stronger. High energy products can be achieved (HangSeng offers materials as high as 55 MGOe, see N5563). Small production runs have successfully yielded 58 MGOe nominal energy products; however, these are only achievable in the R&D state. Neodymium Iron Boron magnets are about 13% lighter than SmCo magnets. However, before deciding which material is better for you, review the comparisons between Neodymium Iron Boron and Samarium Cobalt.
Over the last 10 years, Neodymium Iron Boron magnets have become extremely popular in almost all high technology applications that require high performance magnets. Motors, sensors, computers, and microwave components are a few areas where Neodymium Iron Boron magnets are successfully used . The recent "miniaturization" of electronic and mechanical components is due to the high-energy products that are achieved using Neodymium Iron Boron magnets. Large capacity hard drives, miniature hand held tape recorders, feather weight head sets, and anti-lock braking systems have made tremendous leaps due to the Neodymium magnets.