Do You Know the History of Magnet Assemblies?

Magnetic assemblies are used to hold, lift or separate magnetic materials of a specific kind. The force of a magnetic assembly can be increased by combining certain types of magnets in the assembly.

1. Application of magnet components

Magnetic components can have many customers in industry and manufacturing. The functions they perform include installation, fixing, water treatment and lifting of sheet metal and metal parts. Our wholesale magnet assembly can also be used for light paper holding, like refrigerator magnets.

Other systems and products that make extensive use of magnetic components include motor activation, eddy current use, blood detection and separation, linear actuators, ignition timing systems, power meters, welding equipment, TV monitors, sensors, speakers, MRI, automotive, electronics, biological medical, aerospace, film and software disk programming and erasing.

2. The history of magnet components

Modern customised magnetic assemblies are derived from lodestones, which are naturally magnetized fragments of iron ore that ancient people used as compasses. The earliest magnetic compasses were used by ancient Greeks, ancient Chinese sailors and ancient Indians. The word magnet entered English as a member of Late Middle English. It is taken from the Latin word magnetum. It became famous because by the 12th and 13th centuries the magnetic compass was used by sailors all over the world. However, while they used magnetism, they didn't necessarily know how it actually worked.

The first person to study magnetism in detail was William Gilbert, who in 1600 discovered how temperature affects magnetism, and some ways of making magnets. He even discovered that the earth is magnetic. He published his findings in his treatise De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (On Magnets and Magnets, and the Great Magnet of the Earth).

In 1819, Danish scientist and professor Hans Christian Ørsted accidentally discovered that placing a magnet near an electric current could generate a magnetic field. After that, many other scientists conducted their own experiments to learn more about magnetism and electromagnetism. Based on their findings, scientists and engineers in the 1800s were able to build some simple machines that rely on magnets and basic electromagnetic generators.

In the 20th century, following discoveries by scientists such as JJ Thomson and James Clerk Maxwell, engineers were able to create more modern magnetic components. For example, superconducting magnets were theorized in 1911, but were not properly fabricated until 1954. Things really took a turn in the late 20th century, when scientists discovered rare-earth magnets. Rare earth large neodymium arc magnets are one of the most powerful industrial magnets. In 1982, a group of scientists from General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals developed neodymium magnets as a more cost-effective alternative to samarium cobalt magnets.

Since the discovery and development of rare earth magnets, magnet manufacturers have been able to create more powerful and diverse assemblies. In 2010, manufacturers harvested more than 129,000 metric tons of rare earth metals. Today, custom magnet assemblies are an extremely important element in our world as they help power machines, electronics, automobiles, airplanes, medical devices, and more.

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