Gluing Rare Earth Magnets: A Sticky Situation

If you search the Internet for advice on how to glue rare earth magnets, you’ll find as many questions as you will answers. From message boards on hobby sites to industrial manufacturing FAQs, there seems to be no consensus on the most effective way to glue a neodymium magnet, or on how to do so in an efficient and economical manner.

The choice of adhesive is only one issue. How should the surface be prepared? Must it be cleaned first? Does sandblasting help or hurt adhesion?

Adams has a new white paper on gluing rare earth magnets that answers many of these questions, and lists the pros and cons of the adhesive options currently available.

Of course, we also offer our own TabMAG™ neodymium magnets with an easy-pull adhesive liner. If this solution works with your application, problem solved. But for other applications, we hope this white paper offers some helpful advice.

If you’d like to receive a copy of our white paper, please contact us.

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VAC Current Sensors: The Advantage of Accuracy

Adams Magnetic Products has been proud to serve as a distributor for VAC nanocrystalline cores since 2010. We are very excited to have just expanded our offering to include VAC current sensors.  We now have a wide range in stock at our Elmhurst, IL warehouse, ready for quick delivery. Continue reading

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Loving the Latch Magnet

Latch magnets are among the most versatile products we offer.

As a replacement for standard latch hardware on a door, latch magnets have a cleaner look and can be installed in any number of ways depending on preferred use and appearance.

Whether it’s a door lock or a doorstop, Adams has latch magnets that hold metal doors in place or use steel strikers attached to non-metallic surfaces. For the quick and easy approach, our snap-in designs install in minutes, using just a single mounting hole.

Latch magnets are also used in a wide range of additional applications, from cabinets on boats and RVs or entertainment centers, to closures for boxes or presentation folders. They are found in industrial enclosures and on signs and exhibits. They can also help to child-proof a home. Some magnetic latches are powerful enough to hold many times their own weight, making them ideal for use as tool holders or clamps.

Adams latch magnets are available in different sizes, shapes and widths, and we can create custom sizes as well – just let us know what you need.

Read more about latch magnets here.

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What is a Strong Magnet?

Manufacturers and consumers researching specific magnet types may come across the term “strong magnet” in their search. At first, this sounds like an attribute that should be necessary for any magnet – who would buy something called a “weak magnet”?

Alnico magnets are strong enough for several industrial applications, while ceramic magnets offer versatility and cost savings in addition to their strength.

But are they strong magnets?
Continue reading

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Can you really erase your hard drive with a magnet?

We are often asked if we sell magnets that will erase hard drives.  This is not one of our target applications, and most of our engineers report that they prefer a sledge hammer to a magnet when looking for external forces to disable the storage device.  Magnets often distort more than erase the data.

Here’s how to wipe them clean:  Read about all the best options in this great blog post by Gizmodo, pick your favorite and begin!

 

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New 3P1 material for high current inductors: competes toe-to-toe with CSC Megaflux

Ferroxcube has created a new range of SiFe alloy powder cores in brick and rod shapes for customer use in building large UU, UI, UR, EE, EI, and custom core configurations.  These new shapes will use the new generation of 3P1 material, and will operate at about  one third of the core loss density of the previous generation of 3P1.

Performance improvements of the new 3P1:

  • Improved bias capability with the new permeability of 80 vs. former 110.
  • Much improved loss factor at 100 kHz (400×10E-6 vs. 300×10E-6).
  • Pv at 10 kHZ, 100 mT, 25°C at <90 mw/cm³ vs. the previous > 250 mw/cm³.
  • Bsat stays similar at >1.5T. Continue reading
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Adams serves up a strong Magnet Sandwich

Just what is a magnet sandwich at Adams? A ceramic magnet is “sandwiched” between two plated steel pole pieces to form a powerful latch magnet assembly held together by glue or rivets.  The best part is that all four small, exposed magnet sides have magnetism.  Our 1″ by 2″ model will hold up to 50 pounds!

Sandwich Magnets are commonly used  for door latches, or in mounting displays, signs, mounts, and more.  We can make custom sizes, colors and strengths of sandwich magnets or other magnet assembly styles upon customer request.  Try it Mikey, you’ll like it!

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Planar transformer design tips as told by Ferroxcube

Planar transformers can be built as stand alone components, with a stacked layer design or a small multilayer PCB, or integrated into a multilayer board of the power supply.

Important advantages of planar magnetics include:

  • very low profile
  • excellent thermal characteristics
  • low leakage inductance
  • excellent repeat ability of properties

Ferroxcube offers a fabulous brochure presenting a fast and easy method to make designs for planar transformers.  Download your copy of Ferroxcube’s Planar Transformer design paper here.

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Transformer cores design tools organized

Adams’ new site section on industries and applications includes summary information on top industries we serve including special focus on the power conversion industry.

Designing with soft magnetic cores can be challenging given the many factors involved in selecting the optimum core for a given design.  If you are trying to decide on the best core for your new design, please visit our Transformer Cores page to see all the latest tools Adams offers to assist engineers at all levels of the design process.

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What are the advantages of using flexible magnets for signage?

Used in signage and displays, the advantages of Adams’ flexible magnets include:

•    Enhance design as better, different, cooler, more attractive; whether invisible or visible
•    Offer nearly limitless potential for customization at almost any stage in the design process Continue reading

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