Use of neodymium magnets in a motor

In industrial applications, choosing the type of magnet has important implications for motor design, project costs and overall performance. Therefore, it is important to know that, before making any decision, knowing why neodymium magnets in a motor may be the right choice.

To determine the use of neodymium magnets in a motor it is necessary to understand the qualities that distinguish magnets and their possible applications:

• Remanence: the magnetic force of the material.

• Energy product: the maximum amount of magnetic energy that can be delivered at maximum efficiency.

• Intrinsic Coercivity - The resistance of the material to demagnetization, essentially a measure of stability as the temperature increases.

• Curie Temperature - The temperature at which the magnetic properties of a material become ineffective. 

Having clarified that point, it should be noted that of the four main types of magnets, neodymium magnets are among the most used in engines for hybrid and electric vehicles. Neodymium magnets have a higher remanence, along with higher coercitivity and energy production, but often a lower Curie temperature than other types. 

Special alloys have been developed in neodymium magnets in an engine that include terbium and dysprosium with a higher Curie temperature, allowing them to tolerate temperatures up to 200 ° C. Because of this, no other magnetic material can match their high-strength performance, so their application in vehicles, for example, has increased considerably.

Neodymium magnets are the strongest magnets in the world. Due to their strength, even small magnets can be effective and this also makes them incredibly versatile. This type of magnet has been used for many purposes and without it many of the advances in the last 30 years would not have been possible.

The use of neodymium magnets in a motor, in this case electric motors, depends on a combination of an electromagnet and a permanent magnet, usually a neodymium magnet to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

Promising future in applications using motors

The use of neodymium magnets in a motor is one of the most promising applications, because they include the latest electric and hybrid vehicles, which are often based on rare earth magnets. There are some special reasons available for people to use neodymium magnets instead of other types of magnets such as ceramic permanent magnets and ferrite.

When it comes to industrial applications, almost all are looking for higher performance with maximum efficiency. For example, when we take electric vehicles, a lightweight, high-performance engine reduces the amount of energy that needs to be transported in the form of hydrogen, gasoline, or batteries.

The development of neodymium magnets has given life to a great future for companies that dominate the automotive industry, such as one of Japan's leading manufacturers, which in its latest models has used 30 kilograms of rare earth materials and neodymium magnets have acquired a large percentage.

Offer high performance

Motors containing neodymium magnets offer high performance compared to a traditional motor of the same size. They are therefore also used in wind turbines and generators, in which long-term efficiency is essential.

Neodymium magnets are small, but have become an important part of motors. These magnets were discovered in 1982, thanks to a joint effort by General Motors, China Academy of Science and Smitomo Special Metals who were looking for a suitable method to increase motor efficiency and effectiveness.

Neodymium magnets were developed in response to expensive samarium cobalt magnets. At this time, neodymium is considered to be the cheapest and strongest of the earth magnets as a result of these efforts.