Magnet Facts

Imagine waking up in the morning and shuffling over to the coffee maker. You pour yourself a hot cup, then reach for the sugar. As you scoop your sugar out of the bag, you notice something shiny. It’s a small shard of metal. If you had been any more tired this morning, there’s a chance you would’ve mixed it into your coffee and swallowed it.  Continue reading →

The field of prosthodontics has utilized magnets for many years, namely in the design of corrective implant-supported overdentures and maxillofacial prosthesis. While prosthodontic engineers, orthodontists, and dentists originally experimented with aluminum-nickel-cobalt magnets (Alnico), their success was limited due to corrosion-causing saliva. More recently, they’ve found success with rare earth magnets like samarium-cobalt and neodymium, which are stronger and more resistant to corrosive elements when coated. Continue reading →

If you build or sell your own furniture, you’ve likely encountered one or two unhappy clients irked by the way a door or drawer won't stay latched and closed. Usually, it has something to do with the angle the furniture is placed at or the levelness of the surface. Or maybe your client has kids who constantly leave the drawer open… but just a little bit.  Regardless of the reason, open doors and drawers can become an annoyance and even a hazard. As the creator or merchandiser of a furniture line, you have a responsibility to anticipate these kinds of problems and solve them whenever possible. In this case, permanent magnets can be your solution. Continue reading →

Do you own a gym? Are you thinking about buying one? Maybe you just want to upgrade your own home gym. In any case, you are probably looking for specific exercise equipment to fill your space. What you might not realize is that one of the many choices you’ll have to make is whether or not to use magnetic resistance equipment in your bikes and treadmills.  Continue reading →

In agriculture, a high concentration of salt accumulation in the soil can decrease the value of farmlands and productivity — meaning less healthy or less abundant crops for farmers. Because of this, there is a need to reduce salinity in soil and “improve the leaching of salts below the root zones of salt-sensitive crops,” such as potatoes, tomatoes, and citrus fruits.  Continue reading →

Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year and want to find a way to get the kids involved? Keep them busy while you’re cooking by having them make these miniature pie magnets to give away as gifts to their aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and other loved ones! These also make a great quick decoration to make your kitchen feel a little more festive for the holidays. You only need a few items and a little creativity to make this DIY dream a reality! Since you don’t want your kids handling neodymium magnets, as they are dangerous around young children, save the magnets for the final step and add them on yourself.  Continue reading →

Creative designers and retailers in manufacturing companies are looking to create the most innovative and easy-to-use packaging for their products. Some companies want to take it a step further and create even more unique packaging that actually engages customers in its use. To do so requires them to experiment with new materials. In recent years, magnets have become a popular choice. Continue reading →

Silversea Cruises — a luxury cruise liner with headquarters in Monaco — has begun implementing powerful permanent magnets as a part of their effort to moor passenger excursion boats against the larger vessel. The goal is to deploy Zodiac boats safely, quickly, and efficiently, and return them to the cruise ship in the same manner.  Continue reading →

Do you know about the important role magnets play in the food and beverage industry? This is especially crucial during processing when metal contaminants can interrupt production, damage equipment, or lead to product recalls and consumer injury. Magnets are used to attract unwanted metal fragments (some as small as dust), whereas other methods of quality control (QC) — metal detectors and X-ray machines — are limited by how much they can accurately detect. Continue reading →

Motors are all around us! They are practically indispensable in almost every major industry and can be found wherever there is mechanical movement. In the average household, you will likely find electric motors in your washing machine, microwave, refrigerator, ceiling fans, hairdryers, electric razors, and the list goes on. On an even smaller scale, micro-motors can be found in your most-used electronics — computers, laptops, and cellphones.   Continue reading →