Overview of Neodymium Magnet Materials

Neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets were commercially introduced in the early 1980s and are now widely used in many different applications. The cost of neodymium magnet material (on a per dollar energy product basis) is comparable to the cost of ferrite magnets.

Ⅰ. The main advantages of neodymium magnet materials

1. The neodymium magnet material is a permanent magnet material based on the intermetallic compound Nd2Fe14B. It has a very high magnetic energy product and coercive force. At the same time, the advantages of high energy density make the neodymium iron boron permanent magnet material obtained in modern industry and electronic technology. It is widely used, making it possible to miniaturize, lighten, and thin equipment such as instrumentation, electro-acoustic motors, and magnetic separation and magnetization.

2. Strong magnetic force. It is currently the strongest magnetic material, widely used and cost-effective.

3. It has good mechanical properties and can be easily processed into various shapes, including special-shaped magnets.

4. High cost performance.

5. High precision, tolerance can be controlled to ±0.02mm.

Ⅱ. The main challenge of neodymium magnet materials

Performance deteriorates rapidly at temperatures exceeding about 150°C, depending on the grade and permeability of the magnet during operation.

Most grades of NdFeB magnets need to be coated or electroplated to prevent oxidation.

Ⅲ. Surface treatment of neodymium magnet material

1. It is usually recommended to paint, coat or electroplate NdFeB, though some grades with higher oxidation resistance have recently been manufactured.

2. Electroplating of NdFeB is a difficult process. Commercial electroplating plants that are not familiar with the required special electroplating technology are unlikely to achieve good adhesion electroplating on Neo magnets.

3. Nickel plating, zinc plating or tin plating can provide good corrosion resistance for NdFeB magnets, but these may require longer delivery times or higher yields. Neo magnets can also be electroplated using ion vacuum deposition (IVD) technology. The thickness of this special coating is very controllable and has excellent adhesion to neodymium magnet materials.

4. It is used for the organic coating of NdFeB, showing good corrosion resistance. For particularly harsh environments, it is recommended to use a combination of coating technologies, or to encapsulate the material in a sealed enclosure.