What Are Neodymium Magnets Made Of?

　　Neodymium magnets, also called NdFeB magnets, are tetragonal crystals composed of neodymium, iron and boron (Nd2Fe14B). In 1982, Masato Sagawa of Sumitomo Special Metals discovered neodymium magnets. The magnetic energy product (BHmax) of this kind of magnet is greater than that of a cobalt magnet, which was the material with the largest magnetic energy product in the world at that time.

　　Later, Sumitomo Special Metals successfully developed a powder metallurgy process, and General Motors successfully developed a melt spinning process to prepare neodymium magnets. This kind of magnet is the most commonly used rare earth magnet and is widely used in electronic products such as hard drives, mobile phones, headsets and battery-powered tools.

　　The chemical composition of neodymium magnets

　　The NdFeB magnet is a permanent magnet material based on the intermetallic compound Nd2Fe14B. Its main components are the rare earth elements neodymium (Nd), iron (Fe) and boron (B). The third-generation rare earth permanent magnet NdFeB is the most powerful permanent magnet among contemporary magnets. The main raw materials are neodymium 29%-32.5%, iron 63.95-68.65%, boron 1.1-1.2%, 0.6-8%, niobium 0.3-0.5%, aluminum 0.3-0.5%, copper 0.05-0.15% and other elements.

　　More information about neodymium magnets

　　NdFeB magnets are divided into two types: sintered NdFeB magnets and bonded NdFeB magnets. Bonded neodymium magnets are magnetic in all directions and are corrosion resistant. Sintered NdFeB is easily corroded, and the surface needs to be galvanized, usually zinc, nickel, nickel-copper-nickel, etc. Sintered NdFeB magnets are generally divided into axial magnetization and radial magnetization.

　　Application of Sintered NdFeB Magnet

　　Sintered NdFeB permanent magnets have excellent magnetic properties and are widely used in electronics, motors, medical equipment, toys, packaging, hardware machinery, aerospace and other fields. You can find them in permanent magnet motors, speakers, magnetic separators, computer disk drives, magnetic resonance imaging equipment and meters.