Where could one buy an electromagnet for lifting 200kg

[ScurvySam234234]

Years ago my father had an electromagnet he used for children's science demos. It was powered by a little 9 volt battery. He would attach a rope to the magnet and another to a steel plate. He would then have the kids try to pull the magnet apart via tug-of-war. He also brought out his magnet at a dinner party with adults once; even with 5 grown men pulling each side, the magnet could not be separated from the plate.

Although its for a different purpose, I am looking for electromagnet which can lift in excess of 200kg (441 lbs) or so. However, almost all of the magnets I can find are permanent magnets; for instance, one can easily find strong neodymium magnets for sale. However, I do not want a permanent magnet. I suppose is okay if the electromagnet is a permanent one, as long as its fairly weak when unpowered, but I don't want a strong permanent magnet.

Any ideas where I could buy such a thing?

 

[berkeman]

Years ago my father had an electromagnet he used for children's science demos. It was powered by a little 9 volt battery. He would attach a rope to the magnet and another to a steel plate. He would then have the kids try to pull the magnet apart via tug-of-war. He also brought out his magnet at a dinner party with adults once; even with 5 grown men pulling each side, the magnet could not be separated from the plate.

Although its for a different purpose, I am looking for electromagnet which can lift in excess of 200kg (441 lbs) or so. However, almost all of the magnets I can find are permanent magnets; for instance, one can easily find strong neodymium magnets for sale. However, I do not want a permanent magnet. I suppose is okay if the electromagnet is a permanent one, as long as its fairly weak when unpowered, but I don't want a strong permanent magnet.

Any ideas where I could buy such a thing?

Welcome to the PF.

What size electromagnets did you find in your searching so far? And detachable permanent magnets (with internal mechanisms to facilitate the detachment) do exist...

http://3.imimg.com/data3/LY/GM/MY-10596874/permanent-magnetic-lifter.jpg

 

[russ_watters]

However, almost all of the magnets I can find are permanent magnets; for instance, one can easily find strong neodymium magnets for sale.

Did you type "electromagnet" into Amazon's search feature? I see several that meet your description, mostly related to door locks.

 

[jrmichler]

McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) is one of the best sources for all sorts of neat things if you live in the US. They have two pages of electromagnets, the strongest of which will lift 5,000 lbs.