Twelve Common Mistakes People Make with Permanent Magnets

I am trying to develop a comprehensive list of things people frequently do incorrectly with permanent magnets. These are all things I have seen customers and clients do over the years. Does anyone have anything else to add to the list? I would like to make it as complete as possible, and perhaps write about it in a future article for Magnetics Magazine.

1. Overlooking thermal properties
2. Failing to saturate fully or correctly
3. Failing to protect from corrosion
4. Failing to optimize the design to use the least amount of material
5. Waiting until the end of the design cycle to ask for expert help
6. Designing a product with a non-existent material
7. Assuming that cost is only from raw materials
8. Changing the grade without considering the rest of the magnetic circuit
9. Specifying the magnet incorrectly or incompletely
10. Using the wrong adhesive
11. Measuring the wrong parameters
12. Failing to consider recycling in the design stage

 

If anyone has any questions about the above topics, I'll be happy to provide additional details, discretely, of course. ;-)

William Chang

Wireless Charging Professional, Senior Technical Sales Engineer at Hangzhou Vector Magnets Co., Ltd

8y

great post, btw

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Jean-Francois Debroux

Senior Analog ASIC Designer

8y

A number of these mistakes occur in most engineering domains (with adaptation)

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Thanks for all the comments. My list of 12 has now increased to 17. I have moved this discussion over to Magnetics Business & Technology Magazine, where I write a blog. See the link below. My plan over the next year or so is to write a brief description of each of the mistakes, in the hope (perhaps misplaced) that people will stop making them and I can retire. ;-) http://tinyurl.com/jcks7up

Gianni Mazzantini

Laboratory Technician at Belmont Christian Collag

8y

I agree with both Robert and Victor and, having worked for Victor, I am sure he includes me to the list of 'trained staff' who go caught. Luckily for me, I was let off lightly, with only blood blisters the results! I sometimes still get caught out. Some people never learn.

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Victor Cassar

Managing Director at International Magnetic Solutions Pty Ltd

8y

Hi Stan I started manufacturing NdFeB magnets in Australia almost 30 years ago. Over these years the most significant error I see in handling them is not fully understanding that these magnets love each other and always want to kiss when they are within feal of another magnet. They defy gravity to do that. A decent size magnet sitting on a timber desk will see the one you have in your hand even at distances like 300 mm. It will not warn you but simply try to push your fingers out of the path between them or simply squash the fingers. The idea of something jumping off the desk at you is just too different for anyone to expect. It is not normal behaviour. Even trained staff get caught. Strong magnets are definitely not normal objects.

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