|
Neodymium is a chemical element listed as Nd on the periodic table and has the atomic number 60. It is a lanthanide and has a clear, silvery sheen. It is one of the most reactive lanthanides and also reacts to oxygen. When it does, the clear sheen changes into a yellowish-grey and matt oxide layer.
Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by the Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. But it was only in 1925 that the element was isolated in its pure form, and it was only at the end of the 1980s that permanent magnets became available on the market based on powder metallurgical sintering processes with the elements NdFeB.
Goudsmit introduced NdFeB magnets on the market under the trade name of Neoflux®. Compared to samarium cobalt magnets these extremely powerful magnets have a 25% higher magnetic energy product, and furthermore are much cheaper. When Neoflux® magnets are applied to lifting systems 18 times more ferrite material is needed, in terms of volume, in order to achieve an equally powerful magnetic field.
Thanks to the element neodymium, Neoflux® magnets are highly sensitive to corrosion and are therefore equipped with one or two layers of coating based on nickel, tin or aluminium. Neoflux® magnets are also fragile and unfortunately not resistant to high temperatures. Standard Neoflux® magnets are resistant to temperatures of 80°C, but there are also special compounds that provide powerful magnetic fields up to 180°C. A great advantage is that these magnets are also much cheaper than samarium cobalt magnets.
|
