The key difference between neodymium and ceramic magnets is that a neodymium magnet is a metallic magnet, whereas a ceramic magnet is a non-metallic magnet.
A magnet can be defined as a piece of iron or some other material having its component atoms in an ordered matter where the material shows properties of magnetism, including the attraction of other iron-containing objects. Neodymium magnets are the most commonly used type of rare-earth magnet, while ceramic magnets are low-cost alternatives for metallic magnets.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Neodymium Magnet
3. What is Ceramic Magnet
4. Neodymium and Ceramic Magnets in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Neodymium vs Ceramic Magnets
What is Neodymium Magnet?
Neodymium magnets are the most commonly used type of rare-earth magnet. We can define it as a permanent magnet that is made from an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron, forming the compound Nd2Fe14B with a tetragonal crystalline structure.
These magnets are the strongest magnets that are available on a commercial scale. There are different manufacturing processes for these magnets, which leads to dividing them into two groups as sintered neodymium magnets and bonded neodymium magnets. These two types of magnets have many applications in modern industries, including electric motors in cordless tools, hard disk drives, and magnetic fasteners.
Neodymium metal tends to order into magnetic form only at low temperatures, where this metal tends to develop complex antiferromagnetic orders. There are some alloys of neodymium with transition metals that can order ferromagnetically with curie temperatures that are just above room temperature. Therefore, these alloys are mainly used to make magnets.
What is Ceramic Magnet?
Ceramic magnets are low-cost alternatives to metallic magnets. These magnets were developed in the 1960s and are also named ferrite magnets. These materials consist of iron oxide and strontium carbonate. However, these magnets are hard, brittle, and has a comparatively low strength. These properties tend to exclude these magnets from some applications. But these are very important in some other applications due to corrosion resistance, demagnetization resistance, and low price. This magnet is the first choice for most DC motors, magnetic separators, magnetic resonance imaging and automotive sensors.
The technology used for the preparation of a ceramic magnetic is powder technology. The primary raw material for this preparation is iron oxide and strontium carbonate. Usually, these two compounds are mixed together at high temperatures where there occurs a chemical reaction forming ferrite.
What is the Difference Between Neodymium and Ceramic Magnets?
Neodymium and ceramic magnets are types of materials having magnetic properties. The key difference between neodymium and ceramic magnets is that a neodymium magnet is a metallic magnet, whereas a ceramic magnet is a non-metallic magnet. Usually, neodymium magnets are made of alloys of neodymium metal, while ceramic magnets are made of iron oxide and strontium carbonate compounds. Moreover, the cost of production of neodymium magnets is very high, so these magnets are expensive as well. On the other hand, the cost of production for ceramic magnets is low; thus, these magnets are comparatively less expensive.
The below infographic lists the differences between neodymium and ceramic magnets in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Neodymium vs Ceramic Magnets
Neodymium magnets are the most commonly used type of rare-earth magnet. Ceramic magnets are low-cost alternatives to metallic magnets. The key difference between neodymium and ceramic magnets is that a neodymium magnet is a metallic magnet, whereas a ceramic magnet is a non-metallic magnet.
Reference:
1. Sachin. “What Are Ceramic Magnets and How Are They Made? ” Adams Magnetic Products Co., Adams Magnetic Products, 4 Jan. 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Neodymag” By Bloodshedder at en.wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by User:Wdwd using CommonsHelper. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Ferrite ring magnets” By Magnequench – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia