Monday, August 8, 2011

Industrial Magnets Do More Than Hold Notes On A Refrigerator

Magnets have probably been in existence since time began on earth. In a 4th century, Chinese book there is a reference to lodestone, a rock that makes iron come to it. As science and technology progressed, uses and applications for magnets increased as well. As our world enters the 21st century, man has continued to develop new and creative uses for magnets that make our life easier and more efficient. Magnets have changed in size, strength, appearance, and physical properties. Some are small and lightweight and are useful for holding recipes on your mom's refrigerator, while some plate magnets are so strong and powerful they could easily hold the refrigerator itself!


Industrial magnets are large and have powerful magnetic pull force. They get their name because of the important job they perform in the field of industry; manufacturing plants, warehouses, and transit systems are just a few of the places that rely on these heavy magnets of industry. These large magnets are created using special materials and specific procedures to create incredible metal attraction. These powerful magnets perform so well that they have found a permanent place in many of the large scale procedures found in factories and businesses around the globe. Consider three of the typical functions performed by industrial magnets.




Another common application for industrial plate magnets is to sift and check conveyors for any metal filings or debris that would possibly damage the machines. These large magnetic plates are placed at strategic locations over the conveyor so that the metal will not possibly damage the product or the production line. Many food product assembly lines will also use the magnets to make certain that metal scraps and filings stay off the conveyor assembly.


Heavy lifting and transportation can be easily accomplished with industrial magnets. Some of these magnets are strong enough to lift up to 3,000-4,000lbs. These strong lifting devices can pick up large metal machines, plates, or cylinders and safely transport them to where they need to go, whether onto to a truck for shipment or over to another area of the warehouse for storage. These lifting magnets often take twenty minutes to do a task that would have taken ten men most of the day to complete.


Magnets are also used in industry to provide clean up of metal debris. Magnetic sweepers, drags, and rakes can be moved across roads, warehouse buildings, parking lots, and factory floors with the ability to pick up hundreds of pounds of scrap metal, nails, and steel shrouds as these devices are pushed over the clean up surface. These devices can also function underwater. Magnets have enabled manufacturers to work faster and more efficiently, and experts in industry continue to look for viable uses for these metal attracting tools. From plate magnets to sweepers, these industrial strength giants will not be replaced any time soon.