Ferrite (Ceramic) Magnet Material

Ferrite Magnets are corrosion resistant - they can be used in water with no corrosion at all. Although not as powerful as Neodymium Rare Earth  their high coercivity and relative low cost make them ideal for use in motors and high temperature motors.

  • Ferrite magnets are ideal for low cost applications.
  • Ferrite magnets are also electrically insulating - they do not allow eddy currents inside them.
  • Ferrite magnets are great for higher temperatures but not ideal in very cold applications.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Ferrite (Ceramic) Magnets

Advantages 

  • Do not corrode in water.
  • Can be used up to +250 degrees C (482F)
  • Sometimes up to +300 degrees C (572F) in special circumstances.
  • High coercivity (Hci) that increases as magnet heats up.
  • Electrically insulating.
  • Relatively low cost - good for cost saving projects.

Disadvantages

  • Not as strong as  Neodymium Rare Earth Magnets – typically offering around 1/7th the pull force of similarly sized NdFeB.
  • Specialised shapes can carry tooling charges.
  • When taken to around -20 degrees C (-4F) and colder, the Intrinsic Coercivity (Hci) falls to a level that risks the magnet possibly starting to demagnetise (depending on the shape and the application).

Typical Applications for Ferrite (Ceramic) Magnets

  • Motors and Generators
  • Meters
  • Marine applications
  • High temperature applications.
  • Lower cost pot magnets and clamping systems
  • Loudspeakers
  • Overband magnets

Example: A company was using NdFeB Neodymium magnets to clamp onto hot mild steel surface - the magnets were struggling to perform and cost was an issue. We supplied ferrite pot magnets which not only provided sufficient direct pull force but the pot magnets could handle the high temperatures, the magnets could not be damaged by being protected by the pot magnet design and the system was also cheaper and easy to maintain.