Samarium cobalt magnet, also called samarium cobalt permanent magnet, is a powerful permanent magnet made of two basic elements: samarium and cobalt. Like NdFeB, it also belongs to the rare earth magnet category. Currently, it mainly consists of SmCo5 and Sm2Co17.
The magnetic ratio between samarium cobalt and neodymium iron boron. Although the magnetic force is not that strong, samarium cobalt has two obvious advantages, namely, a higher temperature range and greater corrosion resistance. Therefore, they provide the best value when comparing performance and size in high temperature environments or applications.
The samarium cobalt magnets introduced in the 1970s were the first commercial rare earth magnets. Their introduction was revolutionary, tripling the maximum energy product of any other magnet at the time. Before the introduction of samarium cobalt magnets, the standard in magnetism was Alnico alloy magnets. It was not until increasing production costs led engineers to search for cheaper alternatives that neodymium magnets were developed and are now the strongest magnets in the world.
Advantages of samarium cobalt permanent magnets
Samarium cobalt magnets are not as powerful as super strong neodymium magnets, but they have some significant advantages. Samarium cobalt magnets have a wider operating temperature range, superior temperature coefficients, and greater corrosion resistance. And it starts to outperform special high temperature neodymium magnets at 150℃.
Samarium cobalt magnets not only perform well at high temperatures but also maintain their magnetic properties even at temperatures below absolute zero (-273°C), making them popular in cryogenic applications.
Because most grades of samarium cobalt contain virtually no iron, they have excellent corrosion resistance.
Disadvantages of samarium cobalt magnets
On the downside, samarium cobalt magnets can be more expensive compared to neodymium magnets due to the cost of producing cobalt (the cobalt market is price sensitive). Like other rare earth magnets, they are also very brittle and therefore best suited for use in applications that do not require direct impact.
