Mind-Blowing Magic Magnets - Smarter Every Day 153
Why Physics Stack Exchange recommends it
Physics Stack Exchange users link it as the standard visual introduction to printed or programmable magnets when asking or answering questions about magnetic domains, magnet design and possible applications.
Recommended by 0 people across 0 different months, 2016 to 2018.
What it is
A Smarter Every Day episode by Destin Sandlin on Polymagnets, magnets whose pole patterns are 'printed' as many small magnetic pixels so that attraction and repulsion can be tuned by distance. He demonstrates pull tests, spring-like latches and other behaviors, and frames it as a manufacturing breakthrough.
What people said
Cites Ulad Kasach · 2016-06 · Physics Stack Exchange · on “'Printing' magnetic polarity into a material”
There is a company out there that 'prints' magnetic pixels, a.k.a. maxels, into a material. In doing so, they're able to choose the distance of effect of magnetic fields they create, independently of the magnitude of the field, leading to some really interesting properties. Can anyone shed some light upon how theyre able to 'print' a 'maxel' into a material? Here is a good video by Smarter Every Day [this video] about this company and their process.
Cites toshiomagic · 2017-05 · Physics Stack Exchange · on “Can polymagnets be used to make a more efficient electric generator?”
I work for a very large industrial automation company. When polymagnets came out, I was very excited. I've thought of tons of uses for them. [LINK] [this video] One of the uses I thought about was making more efficient power generators (and, obviously, motors). I ran this idea by a senior manager (been in the industry for a long time) at my office and he said that we've basically reached the peak efficiency of permanent magnet generators. This guy is pretty pessimistic about everything in general. He said that whether or not you used polymagnets, the only way to increase the efficiency was to get higher flux magnets, and we don't have anything better than NdFeB. He also said that eventually you g
Cites Sean E. Lake · 2018-02 · Physics Stack Exchange · on “What is the Shape of the Quadrupole Magnets Used for Beam Focusing?”
I believe they're just circular rings and the magnetization of the domains alternates. For an example of even more complicated manipulation of domains, see: magnetic hard drives, and the sort of magnets produced by Polymagnet and covered in this video [this video] .