What Are Neodymium Magnets Made Out Of?

Many of our customers have such questions as what are neodymium magnets and what are neodymium magnets made out of. If you are still looking for answers to these questions, then you've come to the right place. In this article, we will try to answer these questions to let you have a better understanding of neodymium magnets.

What Are Neodymium Magnets Made Out Of?

Neodymium magnet, also called NdFeB magnet, is a tetragonal crystal composed of neodymium, iron, and boron (Nd2Fe14B). In 1982, Sagawa Masato from Sumitomo Special Metals discovered neodymium magnets. The magnetic energy product (BHmax) of this kind of magnet is greater than that of a samarium cobalt magnet, and it was the material with the largest magnetic energy product in the world at that time.  Later, Sumitomo Special Metals successfully developed the powder metallurgy process, and General Motors successfully developed the melt-spinning process, which can 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, earphones, 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. Its main raw materials are neodymium 29%-32.5%, iron 63.95-68.65%, boron 1.1-1.2%, dysprosium 0.6-8%, niobium 0.3-0.5%, aluminum 0.3-0.5%, copper 0.05-0.15% and other elements.

More about Neodymium Magnets

NdFeB magnets are divided into two types: sintered NdFeB magnets and bonded NdFeB magnets. The bonded neodymium magnet is magnetic in all directions and is corrosion-resistant. The sintered neodymium iron boron is easy to corrode, and the surface needs to be plated, generally zinc, nickel, nickel-copper-nickel, and so on. Sintered NdFeB magnet is generally divided into axial magnetization and radial magnetization.

Application of Sintered NdFeB Magnets

Sintered NdFeB permanent magnets have excellent magnetic properties and are widely used in electronics, electrical machinery, 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. 

Conclusion 

Now you may have a better understanding of what are neodymium magnets made out of. If you want to learn more about neodymium magnets or other types of magnets, we would like to advise you to visit Stanford Magnets for more information. As a leading magnet supplier across the world, Stanford Magnets has been involved in R&D, manufacturing, and sales of magnets since the 1990s. It provides customers with high-quality permanent magnets like SmCo magnets, neodymium magnets, AlNiCo magnets, and ferrite magnets (ceramic magnets) at a very competitive price.