How Does a Permanent Lifting Magnet Work?

A lifting magnet is a type of permanent magnet capable of producing a stronger magnetic field than the normal magnet. This is because they are made of rare-earth metals and alloys such as ferrite. These lifting magnets find applications in various industries to lift metallic items or heavy objects. Certain electro-permanent magnets can be switched on and off. So, when the object picked by the magnet is transferred to the required place, one can switch off the magnet. If you require to lift items such as metallic plates, tubes, disks, and so on, using a lifting magnet is an extremely efficient and cost-effective solution. This post discusses the working of a lifting magnet and its benefits.

Lifting Magnet

How Lifting Magnets Work

There is no doubt that lifting magnets need to be powerful with a good weight-bearing capacity. They are made of specific magnetic materials such as iron alloys with precise configurations to achieve all the required properties. Also, they require an on and off feature. A permanent lifting magnet has a block with the main body and a rotor. It has two magnets in the main body and rotor each. These two magnets, when positioned in the same direction, produce magnetic flux that reaches the metallic objects to be lifted. When we change the direction of the magnet in the rotor, the load is released as there is no magnetic pull. An important point is, the adhesion of objects to the magnet should be absolutely close and tight, without any air trapped in between.

Permanent lifting magnets are different from electro-permanent lifting magnets. In the latter, an electric coil is wound around the magnet, which passes electric current to switch on the magnet. They also use magnetic energy to lift objects. The electric current is only used to switch the magnet on, and is disconnected later.

Steps to Operate a Lifting Magnet

It is easy to operate the lifting magnet to lift and release loads in industries. Here are some of the steps the operator has to carry out:

The operator needs to adjust the magnet to the required position and move away for safety reasons. However, right now there is no magnetic flux.

The operator needs to switch the ON button, to generate electromagnetic energy from the magnet in the rotor to the one in the main body, which is transferred to the objects to be lifted. This enables the objects to get attracted toward the magnet.

The operator then needs to move the load to its destination.

The operator needs to press the OFF button so that the magnetic flux stops and the load is released in the right place.

This is completely safe as even if the operator presses the OFF button while moving the load, it does not fall off immediately owing to the applied tension.

Benefits of Permanent Lifting Magnets

Apart from their huge application across industries, these magnets offer the following benefits:

These magnets are durable and low on maintenance as they use only magnetic energy.

Overall, they are cost-effective as they do not require any expensive infrastructure.

They are easy to use and operated manually, hence there is no need to extensively train the workforce on their operation.

As long as the operator follows all the proper steps, there are no safety issues.

Do you require lifting magnets for your industrial application? If yes, ensure the type of magnetic materials used in them and their capacity. Also, it is essential that you source them from an authentic and reliable manufacturer and supplier. Woodward Fab is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of high-quality sheet metal fabrication tools and hand tools required in industries. The company also provides industrial lifting magnets in various capacities.

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