SOME USEFUL DESIGN ADVICE
1. Stronger is not necessarily better
There are many factors to consider in magnetic design, Flux strength is only one of them.
2. Using a steel pole piece can often improve a magnets performance.
Sometimes it is useful to use a steel pole piece to help divert the flux to a more useful part of the magnetic circuit.
3. Always be aware of the working temperature of your application
Temperature is the biggest threat to magnetic stability, so always consider it as part of your design and your material/grade choice.
4. For holding/attracting applications, two poles are better than one.
But remember the flux will not travel as far, so keep the air gap between the magnet and what you want to attract as small as possible.
5. It is difficult to focus flux lines when using Rare Earth Magnets.
The use of steel poles in this instance is generally not effective.
6. The best test for a magnetic device is to replicate the application.
As there is not a simple single test which tells you all about a magnet, then it is often best to recreate the work the magnet will see in its application and include this somewhere in your testing procedure.
TYPICAL MAGNETIC USES & APPLICATIONS
Permanent magnets are used in a wide variety application in all industries but they can all be classified into one of the sections below:-
Conversion of Electrical Energy to Physical Motion
Actuators, speakers, motors, meters and other instrumentation.
Conversion of Physical Motion into Electrical Energy
Generators, microphones and sensors.
Producing Mechanical Energy
Holding, lifting, attracting, repelling, conveying, driving & separating
Controlling Fields
Annealing, plasma control, sputtering, focusing & NMR.
Mechanical to Heat
Eddie Current and Hysteresis drives
