Neodymium – The Most Commonly Used of Rare Earth Magnets

Neodymium is the most commonly used of the rare earth magnets because of its strength and affordability.  Rare earth magnets are strong, permanent magnets which do not easily lose their magnetism and is the reason they are considered permanent.  Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, rare earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnet that is made.  Rare earth magnets are composed of alloys of rare earth elements, including iron, nickel and cobalt.  These magnets are usually plated or coated to protect them from breaking and chipping because they tend to be brittle, making them more vulnerable to corrosion.  The two types of rare earth magnets are Neodymium and Samarium-cobalt.  Neodymium is the strongest of all permanent magnets, including samarium-cobalt, alnico and ferrite.  

Although the classification of rare earth magnet makes it sound unique and difficult to find, the truth is that the elements it is composed of – neodymium, iron and boron are common elements that are not rare at all, in fact they are very easily found, making neodymium the most affordable of the rare earth magnets.

Another advantage of neodymium is its strength.  Rare earth magnets are stronger than other permanent magnets and neodymium is the strongest of rare earth magnets. The strength of neodymium comes from its high magnetic field. 

Despite its strength, affordability and popularity neodymium does have a couple of drawbacks.  With a lower Curie temperature than samarium-cobalt (another rare earth magnet), neodymium cannot resist excessively high temperatures, and could lose its magnetism if placed in an environment with a temperature that is too hot.  However, on the flip side neodymium performs well in cold, frigid temperatures.  The only other drawback to using neodymium lies in its durability.  Since it is less resistant to oxidation than samarium-cobalt, it needs to have surface treatments applied to protect it from scratching.  Neodymium is a brittle magnet, which can form cracks and is vulnerable to corrosion.  Therefore, manufacturers will apply a surface treatment such as gold, nickel, zinc or tin plating or coating as a protective measure.  With a good plating or coating the problem of oxidation is minimized.

Neodymium magnets have numerous uses in a number of different fields including industrial, security, health, mechanics and electronics.  Some of the uses of neodymium magnets include:

·         Health care machines such as MRIs

·         Alarms and security systems

·         Computer hard drives

·         Telephones

·         Televisions

·         Video applications

·         Chip detectors

·         Generators

·         Oil filters

·         Metal detectors

All types of magnets can be customized to suit your individual needs. Customizing magnets is easy and affordable.  Manufacturers offer magnets in a number of different sizes, shapes and strengths, however if the specific size, shape or strength of the neodymium rare earth magnets you need are not available it is not at all costly to have them customized and produced for you by the manufacturer. Being the most commonly used rare earth magnet, neodymium is affordable and strong, making it a good choice for a number of different applications.