What is a Ceramic Magnet?
A ceramic magnet is one of the most popular materials, or group of materials, by which magnets are made. There are a number of advantages to using a ceramic magnet, including costs. However, there are also some disadvantages to the magnet. In some cases, they may not be suitable for all projects. A ceramic magnet, or ferrite magnet, is made using powdered magnetic materials, such as iron oxide and strontium carbonate. In most cases, they are hard and brittle. However, the powdered materials used can be applied to flexible fabric, which makes them ideal for many home uses. Even so, home uses, such as in decorative magnets, are only the beginning of their usefulness. A ceramic magnet is made by combining the two main materials. These are melted down to the point where they stick to each other. This process is called sintering. Once that happens, the material is cooled, pressed into a certain shape, dried and then sintered one more time. Types of ceramic magnets include those referred to
Ceramic magnets are also known as sintered ferrites and are composed of barium or strontium ferrites. Some ceramics can be unoriented or oriented and basic ferrites are made into slurry and pressed (sintered) into shape, fired in an oven and forced air dried at 100? C. After the magnets are completed they are cut or ground with wet diamond wheels for desired tolerances. Ceramic magnets can be shipped magnetized or unmagnetized. Ceramic particles can be imbedded into rubber or vinyl and can be used for refrigerator magnets and even magnets like the ones found on various models of Rickenbacker bass and guitar pickups. Ceramic magnets are often used on distortion and hotter pickups.
