General information on Neodymium Iron Boron Magnet Materials
Sintered neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnets are the most powerful commercialized permanent magnets available today, with maximum energy product ranging from 26 MGOe to 52 MGOe. Nd-Fe-B is the third generation of permanent magnet developed in the 1980s. It has a combination of very high remanence and coercivity and comes with a wide range of grades, sizes and shapes. With its excellent magnetic characteristics, abundant raw material and relatively low prices, Nd-Fe-B offers more flexibility in designing of new or replace the traditional magnet materials such as ceramic, Alnico and Sm-Co to achieve high efficiency, low cost and more compact devices.
A powder metallurgy process is used in producing sintered NdFeB magnets. Although sintered NdFeB is mechanically stronger than Sm-Co magnets and less brittle than other magnets, it should not be used as a structural component. Selection of Nd-Fe-B is limited by temperature due to its irreversible loss and moderately high reversible temperature coefficient of Br and Hci. The maximum application temperature is 200 C for high coercivity grades. Nd-Fe-B magnets are more prone to oxidation than any other magnet alloys. If Nd-Fe-B magnet is to be exposed to humidity, chemically aggressive media such as acids, alkaline solutions salts and harmful gases, coating is recommended. It is not recommended in a hydrogen atmosphere.
Neodymium magnets are a member of the Rare Earth magnet family and are the most powerful permanent magnets in the world. They are also referred to as NdFeB magnets, or NIB, because they are composed mainly of Neodymium (Nd), Iron (Fe) and Boron (B).