Safety guidelines for the handling of magnets

Magnets can attract one another at significant distances. With larger magnets this results in a risk of injuries.

All sintered permanent magnets are hard and brittle. When they come together with any force they can split into many sharp parts due to the strong magnetic attractive force. Appropriate safety measures must be taken (protective gloves, goggles).

The magnetic fields surrounding a permanent magnet at all sides can affect and even destroy sensitive electronic devices and measuring instruments. Please observe sufficient distance (e.g. over 2 m) also from computers, monitors and all magnetic data storage media (e.g. credit cards, disks, audio and video tapes).

Persons using pacemakers must avoid magnetic fields at all costs!

Magnets may never be used in an explosive atmosphere. On impact magnets may develop sparks.

When processing rare earth magnets in particular, please note that dust and chips produced from grinding are selfigniting and can burn at high temperatures. Never process magnets dry. Especially for SmCo the legal relations regarding the handling of Co-containing dust have to be obeyed. We recommend to wear protective gloves for the handling of uncoated SmCo magnets.

High-energy magnets, especially those made of NdFeB, must be stored dry as this material has a high affinity with oxygen. Even unprotected use in a damp environment can result in corrosion and ultimately in the destruction of the magnets. To protect NdFeB magnets from corrosion the surfaces will be coated i.e. by electroplating. Coatings must not be damaged even minor cracks may result in corrosion.

The use of magnets in a hydrogen atmosphere or at radioactive radiation is to be avoided at all costs. This will result in the destruction of the magnets.

Observe the maximum usage temperature for the relevant material and it´s size. In general the magnetic properties decrease with an increase in temperature.

In addition, there are no known negative effects of the magnetic fields of permanent magnets on the human body. It can be assumed that persons who are allergic to ceramic or metallic materials will also be allergic to similar magnetic materials.

We would be happy to provide any advice you need for more complex queries.