The chemical element called Samarium (Sm) is a rare earth metal that is quite stable in air and has a silvery luster to its look. Cobalt (Co) is a hard chemical element that is found in various different types of mineral ore and also has a silverish metallic look. SmCo magnets are rare earth magnets that are made of samarium combined with cobalt.

These rare earth magnets have very strong magnetic chrematistics, but are physically very weak and are known to crack and/or chip quite easily. SmCo Magnets have been available since the 1970’s and although they are known to be less powerful and pricier than neodymium magnets, they are more useful for high temperature uses as they are more fire resistant. Ground up SmCo magnet powder can pose as a fire hazard though, since its dust has a very low ignition temperature, making it quite ease to catch on fire.

Like all magnets they can be dangerous if not handled properly, which is why you should always keep SmCo magnets away from children. This becomes even truer as you get into the more powerful magnet types and sizes. When storing magnets you should always keep them away from electronic devices like computer screens, as magnets can do irreversible damage to them.

SmCo Magnets are very strong for there size and this is due to there high energy output. They can also be quite expensive due to the use of cobalt, which is known to be quite pricy. These types of magnets are also very resistant to demagnetization. Magnets are usually demagnetized for recycling purposes, which makes SmCo magnets not very recycle friendly.

For more information on the SmCo Magnets we carry please visit our site at: www.magnet4less.com.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 1:20 pm and is filed under SmCo Samarium Cobalt Magnets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.