[LINK] Permanent Magnets

[Stephen Loosley]

Researchers develop new process for manufacturing permanent magnets

"Now we are suddenly looking at a completely new way of making magnets that is cost effective."

Ames National Laboratory https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-permanent-magnets.html

[Photo] Magnets made with the new hot-roll process.

Researchers from Ames National Laboratory, have developed a new method for manufacturing high-performance permanent magnets.

This new "Hot-roll Nano Neo Magnet" process produces a nanograin neodymium permanent magnet encased in stainless steel in a simple, commercially scalable process.

This process is semi-continuous, compared to the batch processes currently used in industry, with much better cost and energy efficiency.

The new method Cui and his team developed simplifies the process.

"We end up just starting out as powders and then we pack them into a stainless-steel tube. We pack them really dense and then we just hot roll them," Cui explained.

"We heat it up and then send it to the rolling mill and the whole thing just works."

Cui mentioned several benefits of this new process.

First, it does not require a vacuum furnace to protect the magnet materials from the air, because the stainless-steel tube is completely sealed.

Second, they can make thinner magnets that maintain their structural integrity and magnetic properties.

Third, it eliminates the coating step, since the materials remain in the stainless-steel casing throughout the process.

Finally, instead of a batch process, "We can make very long magnets continuously, which can be sliced into numerous smaller magnets," Cui said.

"So now you are suddenly looking at a completely new way of making magnets that is cost effective."