Our laboratory is an expert in metallurgy and the analysis of alloys, particularly magnets, and offers its expertise in analysing the chemical composition and controlling the grades of metal alloys.
Your need: to carry out a magnet analysis
Analysis of magnet in the laboratory
Using advanced analysis techniques, our laboratory delivers accurate and reliable results for every magnet analysis.
Our teams provide a fast service that complies with current standards, ensuring the quality and safety of your magnets.
In metallurgy, a magnet is a metallic material or alloy capable of generating a permanent or temporary magnetic field. These are known as ferromagnetic materials, whose atomic structure allows the spontaneous alignment of the magnetic moments of the atoms.
There are several types of magnet, classified according to their chemical composition and physico-chemical characteristics:
Analysis of magnets and magnet alloys
Magnet alloys, such as ferrite, steel and Alnico, have a variety of properties and are used in many industrial sectors.
The FILAB laboratory carries out comprehensive analyses of the composition of magnet alloys to help optimise production and recycling processes or any other need you may have as an industrialist.
We identify alloying elements and measure concentrations to meet the technical specifications of each project.
Why choose the FILAB laboratory to analyse magnets?
Our magnet analysis methods
The FILAB laboratory provides magnet metallurgical analysis services to several hundred customers, some of which are COFRAC ISO 17025 accredited.
We use state-of-the-art analytical methods, such as optical emission spectrometry and ICP analysis, to provide highly accurate magnet and magnet alloy analysis results.
These techniques enable us to detect elements at very low concentrations and provide detailed reports.
Our analysis of metals and alloys
Iron: steel, steel 316l, stainless steel, cast iron
Cobalt : Cobalt Stellite Grade 6, Cobalt Stellite Grade 21
To see further: our expertise in magnet alloys
In addition to routine metallurgical analyses, the FILAB laboratory can provide you with expert metallurgical analyses and failure studies on your magnets:
Metallographic examination of magnet
Weld analysis on magnet
Study of fracture surfaces on magnet
Study of ageing (corrosion, surface alteration, etc.) on magnet
Thickness measurement of magnet
Study of corrosion resistance on magnet
Analysis and characterization of magnet surfaces (roughness, defects, etc.)
Analysis Alloy composition
Study of microstructures on magnet material
Examen métallographique sur un alliage d'aimant
Etude de résistance à la corrosion sur des aimants
Analyse et caractérisation de surfaces (rugosité, défauts,…) sur des aimants
Analyse d'inclusion sur pièce ou matière première
Analyse de soudure sur des aimants
Etude de faciès de rupture sur des aimants
Analyse Composition Alliage
Etude de rupture sur échantillon base métallique dont les aimants
Applications of magnet analysis
The analysis of magnets and magnet alloys has applications in a wide range of sectors, including the automotive, medical device and aerospace industries. Whether you need to check the purity of a magnet in electronic components or assess the mechanical properties of a magnet alloy in automotive parts, our laboratory puts its expertise to work for you.
FAQ
Three pure metals are ferromagnetic at room temperature:
- Iron (Fe)
- Cobalt (Co)
- Nickel (Ni)
They form the basis of many industrial magnetic alloys.
The hard (or permanent) magnet: retains its magnetic field (e.g. NdFeB, SmCo) whereas the soft magnet becomes magnetised under the effect of an external field and loses magnetisation when it is removed (e.g. soft iron, silicon steel).
These are materials designed to channel or amplify a magnetic field without retaining the magnetisation.
Examples include :
- Iron-silicon: used in transformers
- Permalloy (Ni-Fe): used in magnetic shielding
- Mu-metal: very high magnetic permeability, for shielding
A magnet can be affected by several types of defect.
First of all, it can suffer from demagnetisation, particularly when exposed to excessive temperature, repeated mechanical shocks or too intense an opposing magnetic field.
Corrosion is another common defect, particularly in neodymium magnets, which are very sensitive to humidity and often require a protective coating.
Internal cracks can also appear, generally due to inadequate shaping, poorly controlled mechanical stresses or premature ageing of the material.
Finally, some alloys may show surface oxidation, often visible to the naked eye, a sign of progressive degradation of the material over time or exposure to an uncontrolled environment.
