Alnico Handling

Alnico magnets are brittle and appropriate handling and packing is required. Most receiving departments are not familiar with magnet alloys and this can result in injury or broken parts. All personnel that may come in contact with this alloy should be made aware of the dangers of handling these magnets. The brittle nature of the alloy can lead to flying chips if the magnets are allowed to impact each other or a solid surface. Larger magnets can become a pinching hazard if caution is not exercised. We urge all customers to discuss handling techniques pertinent to their magnets with a Xinchang team member.

A technical overview of magnet handling is located in the engineering section under Technical Discussions.

Alnico Packaging

Alnico magnets are very susceptible to demagnetization. They will even partially demagnetize each other if like poles are forced together. To combat this effect Alnico magnets are usually packaged with keepers or attracting in rows. Some assemblies are magnetized in rows and the mild steel component of one assembly acts as a keeper to the neighboring assembly. It is imperative that magnets with keepers or that are attracting in rows be stored as such. This attracting condition should only be changed when the magnets are to be used or integrated into the end application.

The packaging methods of magnetized alloy are dependent upon the magnet size and the customer requirement. A brief overview of Xinchang Magnet standard packaging is listed below. Please alert your Xinchang contact if you require a deviation from these methods.

• Quarter sized or smaller magnets are usually put attracting in rows. They may or may not have plastic spacers between them in order to reduce the attracting force between the magnets. These rows may be wrapped in corrosion inhibiting paper (VCI) and the wrapped rows are arranged attracting in a brick. The bricks may be skin package on cardboard or wrapped in foam.
   
• Magnets up to 2”square will be arranged attracting in rows with sizable spacers and keepers on each magnet. The rows can be arranged attracting with spacers running the length of the rows or individually wrapped in foam. Smaller quantities of these large magnets can go into an appropriate cardboard box, but larger volumes must be crated.
   
• Large magnets, arrays, or assemblies will be packaged in wooden crates. Many times these products must be shipped via a LCL carrier.

Alnico Shipping

A majority of our products are shipped ground by UPS, Fed Ex Ground, or LCL carriers. FAA guidelines consider magnetized material as hazardous goods when the field density emanating from the package sides exceed a specified value. Many air carriers will not accept magnetized material for air shipments. Xinchang Magnet is able to ship via air, but a packing/handling charge may be applied for larger volumes. These charges are only applied in extreme cases to cover the cost of extra shielding and packaging material, labor, and necessary paperwork.

Alnico Storage

Although Alnico magnets are very inert, they should still be stored in a low humidity and mild temperature environment. The magnetized alloy will attract ferrous particle from the air and surrounding surfaces. These particles will accumulate and appear as small “hairs” on the surface of the magnet or packaging. To combat the accumulated debris, the magnets should be kept in closed, clean containers and left in their original XinChang wrapping. The magnets should remain in the attracting condition with all spacers and keepers intact. Metal shelving with poor clearance may cause the magnets to jump or shift as they are accessed. Do not store any magnetic material near sensitive electronics, equipment with cathode ray tubes (CRT), or magnetic storage media. Magnets which are not of the same alloy may need to be buffered from each other because of demagnetizing effects.