Permanent magnet materials are believed to be composed of small regions or "domains" each of which exhibit a net magnetic moment. An unmagnetized magnet will possess domains that are randomly oriented with respect to each other, providing a net magnetic moment of zero. Thus a magnet when demagnetized is only demagnetized from the observer's point of view. Magnetizing fields serve to align randomly oriented domains to give a net, externally observable field.

Objective of Magnetization

The objective of magnetization is initially to magnetize a magnet to saturation, even if it will later be slightly demagnetized for stabilization purposes. Saturating the magnet and then demagnetizing it in a controlled manner ensures that the domains with the least commitment to orientation will be the first to lose their orientation, thereby leading to a more stable magnet. Not achieving saturation, on the other hand, leads to orientation of only the most weakly committed domains, hence leading to a less stable magnet.

Anisotropic magnets must be magnetized parallel to the direction of orientation to achieve optimum magnetic properties. Isotropic magnets can be magnetized through any direction with little or no loss of magnetic properties. Slightly higher magnetic properties are obtained in the pressing direction.

Magnetizing Equipment

Magnetization is accomplished by exposing the magnet to an externally applied magnetic field. This magnetic field may be created by other permanent magnets, or by currents flowing in coils. Using permanent magnets for magnetization is only practical for low coercivity or thin sections of materials. Removal of the magnetized specimen from the permanent magnet magnetizer can be problematic since the field cannot be turned off, and fringing fields may adversely affect the magnetization of the specimen.

The two most common types of magnetizing equipment are the DC and capacitor discharge magnetizers.

DC Magnetizers

DC magnetizers employ large coils through which a current is applied for a short duration by closing a switch. The current flowing through the coil produces a magnetic field, which is usually directed by the use of iron cores and pole pieces, and magnets are placed in the gap between the pole pieces. DC magnetizers are only practical for magnetizing Alnico materials, which have a low magnetizing force requirement, or small sections of Ceramic materials.

Capacitor Discharge Magnetizers

Capacitor discharge magnetizers employ capacitor banks that are charged, and then discharged through a coil. Provided the coil has a resistance, R, which is greater than , where L is the inductance and C the capacitance, the current flowing though the coil will be unidirectional. Extremely high magnetizing fields (in the range of 100 KOe) can be achieved using special coils and power supplies.

Saturation Fields Required

Some Rare Earth magnets require very high magnetizing fields in the 20 to 50 KOe range. These fields are difficult to produce requiring large power supplies in conjunction with carefully designed magnetizing fixtures. Isotropic bonded Neodymium materials require fields in the high 60 KOe range to be fully saturated. However, fields in the 30 KOe range may achieve 98% of saturation. Ceramics require fields in the order of 10 KOe, while Alnicos require fields in the range of 3 KOe for saturation. Because of the ease by which Alnico 5 can become inadvertently demagnetized, it is preferable for this material to be magnetized just prior to or even after final assembly of the magnet into the device.

Multiple Pole Magnetization

In certain cases, it may be desirable to magnetize a magnet with more than one pole on a single pole surface. This may be accomplished by constructing special magnetizing fixtures. Multiple pole magnetizing fixtures are relatively simple to build for Alnico and Ceramic, but require great care in design and construction for Rare Earth materials.

Magnetizing with multiple poles will sometimes eliminate the need for several discrete magnets, reducing assembly costs, although a cost will be incurred for building an appropriate magnetizing fixture. Multiple pole fixtures for Rare Earth magnets may cost several thousand dollars to build, depending on the size of the magnet, the number of poles required, and the fields necessary to achieve saturation.

The Orientation Direction

Some applications require magnets oriented in a particular direction with a high degree of accuracy. This direction may or may not coincide with a geometrical plane of the magnet. For anisotropic materials the orientation direction can normally be held within 3° of the nominal with no special precautions. However, more precise requirements may need special measurement and testing. This is achieved by the use of Helmholtz coils, which measure the total flux in various axes, and thence calculating the resultant magnetic moment vector. Materials must be cut and machined taking into account the actual angle of orientation to achieve the required accuracy. Isotropic materials may be magnetized in any direction, and therefore pose no problem in this regard.