How is rare earth magnet made

These elements fall into the category of rare earth elements or metals , which are a collection of seventeen elements in the periodic table; namely scandium, yttrium, and the fifteen lanthanides. Despite their name, rare earth elements are actually quite abundant, but are so named because of their geochemical properties, they are rarely found in economically exploitable concentrations.

Rare earth elements are ferromagnetic, meaning that like iron, they can be magnetized. However, because most rare earth elements have low Curie temperatures the temperature at which they exhibit magnetic properties , meaning they are only magnetic at low temperatures. However, most form compounds with transition metals like iron, nickel and cobalt, which have higher Curie temperatures, and can therefore be mixed with them to enhance their natural magnetic properties. There are two types: neodymium magnets and samarium-cobalt magnets.

The former, invented in the s, are the strongest and most affordable type of rare-earth magnet, is made of neodymium, iron and boron chemical formula: Nd2Fe14B. On the other hand, Samarium-cobalt magnets chemical formula: SmCo5 , the first family of rare earth magnets invented, are less used than neodymium magnets because of their higher cost and weaker magnetic field strength. One high-stakes arena that could shape the trajectory of the global climate economy is the rare earth permanent magnet industry.

Permanent magnets are so called because they maintain their magnetic properties even when exposed to a magnetic field. Put another way, the magnets have permanent magnetic fields. There are four major types of permanent magnets: two that have no rare earths in them, and two that do.

Rare earths are a group of 17 metals, classified into lights and heavies depending on their atomic number, and are crucial to the manufacturing of high-tech products. The first rare earth magnet to have been developed was based on the rare earth samarium and the transition metal cobalt. Known as the samarium-cobalt SmCo magnet, it was developed in the s in the US and was far more powerful than previous permanent magnets.

It also sparked a revival in magnets research. By the s, researchers at Japan and the US separately developed a cheaper and stronger rare earth magnet: the neodymium-iron-boron NdFeB magnet. Today, the NdFeB magnet accounts for the majority of global rare earth permanent magnet production. A typical NdFeB magnet contains about one-third neodymium, a light rare earth. Some of that neodymium can be replaced by another light rare earth, praseodymium Pr.

Powerful permanent magnets made of rare earth materials are critical components of climate economy products such as electric vehicles and wind turbines, as well as other technology like phones, refrigerators, and missiles and jets. They form an important part of the global rare earth supply chain, turning the processed minerals into inputs that are valuable for electronics and weapons manufacturers.

That makes them ideal for products that require a high energy-to-weight ratio, like electric vehicle motors. Tesla, for example, has used NdFeB magnets in its motors. The magnets are also used in wind turbines. Because neodymium magnets are so hard, making them prone to breaking and chipping, they must be coated, cleaned, dried and plated.

There are many different types of coating that are used with neodymium magnets, the most common being a nickel-copper-nickel mixture but they can be coated in other metals and even rubber or PTFE.

Once plated, the finished material is re-magnetised by placing it inside a coil, which, when electric current is passed through it produces a magnetic field three times stronger than the required strength of the magnet. This is such a powerful process that if the magnet is not held in place it can be flung from the coil like a bullet. Super-powerful electromagnets are used to give neodymium their magnetism in the production process.

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