Magnet Facts

When there’s an E. coli outbreak, we all hear about it. A less common—but still serious—concern is the potential for foreign metal particles to slip into our food. These particles could come from anywhere along the supply chain, including the machinery used to process food and wire meshes used to filter ingredients. If you’ve never heard of something like that happening, it’s likely because these are usually one-off events. Unlike a bacterial strain that can infect an entire production line, a stray piece of metal will typically impact only one package of food.  Continue reading →

You have probably seen them speeding down the highway or stuck beside you in traffic – cars covered in magnetic advertisements. This kind of marketing is growing in popularity, and for good reason. It costs less than it does to paint a car, is far less permanent, and transfers easily from one vehicle to another or into storage. Before you jump into the world of magnetic marketing and mobile advertising, however, we want you to be aware of all the potential perks and drawbacks so that you can make an informed decision. Continue reading →

Permanent magnets are wonderful tools, but they have an inherent drawback depending on the application: you can’t turn their magnetism “on” and “off” with ease. Unless the magnet becomes too hot or is demagnetized by a nearby force, it will generate a magnetic force indefinitely. Continue reading →

By eleventh century AD, the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Chinese all recorded their discovery of a seemingly magical rock that attracted iron and other stones: the naturally occurring lodestone. After its discovery, it didn’t take long for the Chinese to develop the first compass between 400 and 200 BC. Thus began the history of the magnet.  Continue reading →

Magnes the Shepherd might be the very first of the Magnetic Personalities! Origin stories were popular in numerous ancient cultures and it seems like every aspect of human life has a legend associated with it. This is particularly true of the ancient Greeks. Pandora’s Box explains how evil came into the world. Your voice’s echo is really just a mountain nymph responding to you. Even the passing of the seasons is tied up with the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. Continue reading →

When you think of a dot matrix printer, you might think of that distinctive, repetitive whine so many of them seem to have. Though that noise might take you down memory lane, the truth is you probably passed a matrix printer the last time you were at the grocery store.  Continue reading →

Today, we use the phrase “animal magnetism” as a figure of speech. It’s often used to convey someone’s congeniality or attractiveness. Believe us, when we’re looking for the latest magnetic news, it can get a little tricky with all of the metaphorical headlines. However, this wasn’t always the case. The term “animal magnetism” was coined in a very literal sense by Austrian physician, Franz Mesmer (hence the term mesmerizing). Although his ideas were a little (ok, really) outlandish, Mesmer paved the way for a lot solid magnetic research. Continue reading →

Rare earth magnets are a common feature in tons of household appliances. You’ve probably noticed that we carry them here at Apex Magnets in the form of our neodymium and samarium cobalt magnets. These permanent magnets sure sound fancy, but what sets them apart from other magnets? Let’s first dig into their history. Continue reading →

If your car breaks down, one of the first things you’ll do is pull out your cell phone and dial for help.  Did you know you have magnets to thank for that phone call? Maybe you think we’re talking about the tiny magnets inside your phone, but this blog is actually about something even more impressive. There are magnets miles away from you that make it possible for your call to travel from your phone to AAA. Continue reading →

We’ve all had that one cabinet door that wouldn’t stay shut. Maybe the hinges were on an angle or maybe the cabinet itself was unlevel. Regardless of the reason, the door was a constant hazard for bumping your head or knee as you moved around the kitchen. Modern cabinet fixtures have a solution to this problem: Magnets. So even if you make the rash decision to install the cabinet on the ceiling, there’s no chance of the door opening on its own.  Continue reading →