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The Curious Bag
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Neodymium rare earth magnets are among the most powerful magnets available for their respective sizes. They find application in a wide variety of fields including manufacturing, crafts and educational settings. They are available for purchase by the public through retail vendors.
History
Neodymium rare earth magnets were originally invented independently by General Motors and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Sumitomo Special Metals, according to rareearth.org.
Composition
Neodymium magnets are made from an alloy of neodymium, boron and iron. Before manufacturing the magnets, the alloy must be milled into a powder form.
Manufacturing
A powdered metallurgy technique known as sintering, in which the metal particles are pressed into a shape, aligned and heated until the particles adhere but do not melt, is used to produce the base material for neodymium magnets. After sintering, the material is cut to size and magnetized.
Safety
Neodymium magnets exert strong magnetic fields that can interfere with electronic equipment, including medical devices such as pacemakers. Neodymium magnets may also produce toxic fumes if burned, according to K&J Magnetics.
Licensing
Neodymium magnets may only be produced and distributed to US retailers by manufacturers that have license agreements with Sumitomo and Magnequench. However, this situation may change as patents for rare earth magnets have begun to expire.
Source:
Rareearth.org: Rare-Earth Magnets -- Manufacturing
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