By: Mike Guthrie, VP Engineering
SM Magnetics utilizes various custom designed testing machines for magnetic measurements. Below are two magnetic mapping systems outlined with descriptions as a combination of our engineering solutions.
Magnetic field mappers measure the field magnitude and direction over a predetermined range of positions. These measurements are made by accurately positioning a collection of three or more Hall Effect sensors and recording their output. A large bank of very many data points allows the evaluation of curls and trends with greater reliability. The resulting data can be manipulated for many purposes — from determining if a computer will demagnetize a hotel room key to determining if a phone mount will reprogram a heart pacemaker.
Brockhaus 460 Scanner
When field mappers first became commercially available, our company purchased the Brockhaus 460 Scanner to measure magnetic field amplitude, polarity, and direction in a 400 mm cube in 0.1 mm steps.
Senis MMS-1A-RS
Our newest field mapper is a Senis model MMS-1A-RS. It measures flux density inside a 135 mm cube, in 2 µm steps, with 0.1% accuracy. It can measure in standard X, Y, Z coordinates, or the magnet assembly can be placed on a rotating base to enable r, θ, Z positional coordinates for motor and rotational sensor data. Subprograms enable key data to be output in various ways.
How We Use Field Mapping Data
SM Magnetics engineers utilize field mapping data in many ways. We often evaluate a customer’s current product and use that data as a starting point for product improvement. We sometimes measure a product and compare to calculated values so that we can tune our evaluation methods for better design accuracy. And we sometimes use it, on complex assemblies, as a final inspection tool to evaluate the finished product. Field mapper data provides a wealth of information that cannot be obtained by any other equipment. To learn more about the other advanced testing equipment SM Magnetics uses, visit our quality page.
About SM Magnetics: SM Magnetics is a privately owned company providing assistance with permanent magnets, magnetic design and optimization, engineering support, and production. The magnetic field technique required may vary based on your need or application. If your application requires a dedicated analysis and has not been outlined above, please contact our engineering team for advice.