Material handling magnets (often referred to as lifting magnets) are used to move ferrous materials such as steel plates, coils, tubes and other struactural steels. Handling these materials with magnets is very convenient as it eliminates the need for lifting equipment such as slings or chains. Lifting magnets allow one person to handle huge and heavy steels. They are used in steel casting, automotive, railway, engineering and other industries that use a lot of steel.
Considerations when selecting material handling magnets
Lifting capacity
When handling different types of steel, we should select different types of material handling magnets. Each magnet has its own lifting capacity. If the weight of your steel far exceeds the safe lifting capacity of the magnet you have purchased, it is very dangerous. Even if you can barely hold the material, it can easily fall and cause a safety accident. This is why it is important to choose the right brand of material handling magnets. Make sure that the magnet has full lifting capacity and a high level of safety.
Contact area
When using material handling magnets, the contact area between the magnet and the steel is very important. Without sufficient contact area, even the strongest magnets can easily fall off the steel. Therefore, when handling round steel pipes, bars and other round steel, you may need a custom-made magnet with a curved or large V-shape. And when lifting steel plates, it is usually necessary to choose the lifting magnet with a reasonable magnet modules distance apart so that the plates are evenly loaded. This is especially true when handling thin steel plates, which are prone to warping and slipping. A uniform force can ensure that the steel plate is lifted safely without slipping.
Safety
It is important to work safely when handling steel. Although electromagnets are now widely used, they are not safe enough. Coils that are energised for a long time can accumulate a lot of heat, which can reduce the magnetic strength. And in the event of an electrical failure, the electromagnet will lose its magnetism and cause the steel to fall.
This is why the safer electric permanent magnets(EPM) are highly recommended. HVR MAG’s EPM material handling magnets only use current for a few seconds during magnetisation and demagnetisation. The current switches the direction of the magnetic field of the internal permanent magnet material. No current is needed to maintain the magnetic field during handling. Therefore, using an electro-permanent magnet is not only very energy efficient, it also generates no heat and there is no need to worry about electrical failure. With an EPM lifting magnets you do not have to worry about steel accidentally falling.
In addition, material handling magnets of HVR MAG have a landing detection and a safety lock. You can only demagnetise when the steel is safely on the ground. If you accidentally press the demagnetisation button while handling the steel, don’t worry. Cause the safety lock button and the demagnetisation button must be pressed simultaneously to initiate demagnetisation. These two features prevent the steel from being dropped due to incorrect operation.
If you are looking for material handling magnets, you can browse our product page and contact us.
