Possible to modify a magnet to be more beamlike

[stalnakerz]

Possible to modify a magnet to be more "beamlike"

I've been wondering if it is possible to encase a magnet in something readily available that would give it more beam-like characteristics vs. field. Basically, I want to have the magnet encased so that I would get full magnetic pull on an object directly in front of the magnet but little or none when the object is not directly in front of the magnet.

 

[CaptainBarbosa]

Not that I know of. Magnetic field loops need to have a path from the south to the north pole, although if the field loops were mind-numbingly huge it might seem to act like you want...

 

[stalnakerz]

That's actually what' I'm looking for. The loop to be large on either pole but keep very close to the magnet itself on the sides.

 

[Video Eddie]

Mu metal will help but there is no way to totally shield a magnetic field. Magnetics Inc. sells it but it it expensive. Try making a shield out of a ferromagnetic metal and it will likely work about as well. A preformed iron or steel box with open ends will work pretty good.

 

[stalnakerz]

Actually, I've been looking around and I think that for my application I'll use a rod magnet wrapped in ferromagnetic material with a mu-metal shield around that. Hopefully that will allow the field loops to pass through the ferro material while limiting the spread of the field. As soon as I get the money up to buy all the materials I need, I'll reply to this thread and let everyone know how it's working.

 

[genneth]

Remember that the pull on an object (a magnetic dipole) by a magnetic field has nothing to do with the strength of the field as such, but with its gradient. Thus, a uniform field confined to a cylinder wouldn't actually pull anything.

 

[TVP45]

Unfortunately, really efficient "pull" requires a pancake shape coil and that will have little throw.

 

[Space_Cowboy]

http://www.correlatedmagnetics.com/

These people have specially polarized magnets that attract strongly when properly aligned but repel when slightly twisted or moved off-axis. Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for in a magnet but it's the closest commercially available product I know of that seems to match your description. Cheers.

 

[Vanadium 50]

This thread is 4 years old.