Samarium cobalt magnets

Samarium-cobalt magnets (SmCo), like neodymium magnets, are rare earth magnets. The disc magnets are manufactured in two alloys:

• SmCo5: 36 % samarium content
• Sm2Co17: 25 % samarium content and iron up to 18 % and copper up to 12 %

Due to a low, reversible temperature coefficient, the SmCo magnets are very temperature resistant - the maximum operating temperature is 250 ° C (SmCo5) and 350 ° C (Sm2Co17). An energy product of approx. 260 kJ7m³ is also achieved.
The samarium-cobalt magnets are quite resistant to demagnetizing magnetic fields and do not need to be protected against corrosion.

What are the disadvantages of samarium cobalt magnets?

The only disadvantage that Sm2Co17 magnets have compared to neodymium magnets is the higher price. One of the reasons for this is that both samarium and cobalt are only available to a limited extent. In addition, the manufacturing process is extremely complex - the magnets are correspondingly expensive. When you buy a SmCo magnet, you should therefore know exactly what you need it for.