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Design Considerations
Because Alnico is hard and brittle and not suitable for drilling, tapping or conventional machining operations, it is not usually used as a structural component in product design. We recommend selecting simple shapes when possible, fitting into slots rather than holes. Cross sections of less than .125" (3.18 mm) should be avoided. Finishing increases cost, so if your application can use “as cast” or “as sintered” then cost will be lower.
For holding applications requiring mounting, or to protect the magnet, alnico assemblies such as rotors or magnetron magnets may be supplied with aluminum housings. Alnico may be painted for aesthetic reasons, like the ever popular red horseshoe magnet.
Demagnetization Curves
A second quadrant demagnetization curve provides information about the magnetic characteristics of a magnet, including the magnetic field strength and how resistant it is to demagnetize. How it is used in a magnetic circuit will affect its performance. When a permanent magnet is fully magnetized, its magnetic domains are aligned. Certain conditions such as temperature and reverse magnetic fields can cause some of the domains to lose this alignment and reverse, triggering the magnet to lose some or all of its magnetic field.
