Magnets are cool

[MIL-TFP-41]

Although I see this stuff daily, I thought this one was pretty cool. That bore you see under the magnet is only 15" or so deep...rest is only a 3" hole. In other words...this damn thing was heavy.

 

[Sticky]

Let's see a picture with you under it

[BFleeger]

I magnets ARE cool !!!! -- we are saying that around here right now.

 

I trim fiberglass parts on a 5 axis CNC and the vacuum was a pain to hold the parts in the fixture.

I did some looking and got some "Rare Earth" Magnets (2" x 1" x 1/2" ).  That little magnet has

more holding power on my parts than the vacuum ever did.

Just be careful not to have your skin between 2 of them when they try to jump to each other..... (guess who has found out -- more than once

[Roger]

I would check the rating on that strap (for that type of lift). (Single-leg vertical).

[jeff]

 (guess who has found out -- more than once

:: raises hand  

Guilty!

[jlw™]

Magnets make life so much easier. We have one that will lift 6600lbs and I've seen it lift it. Still a little scary tho.

[Watcher]

Banned in our organization worldwide due to accidents.

[FROZEN]

Banned in our organization worldwide due to accidents.

Was it the magnetics fault or the operator???

[JacobRahdarian]

I wholeheartedly concur,

 

Industrial magnets are certainly much more convenient than traditional rigging devices (i.e. straps, IWRC, chains, etc.), however, to Watcher's point, they can be very dangerous as well. We have many magnets whose capacities range as high as 10,000 lb. and I cannot tell you how many times I've seen them drop parts whose weight was far less than the magnet's capacity. There are many variables to consider that will affect your lifting capacity such as load thickness (the magnetic flux flowing from a magnet into a load increases as the thickness of the load increases; for every lifting magnet, there is a critical load thickness where all of the magnet's available flux flows into the load and the lift capacity reaches maximum), load alloy (many alloys of iron do not accept magnetic flux as easily as low carbon steels), and last but not least, load surface conditions (anything that creates an air gap or separation between the magnet and the load reduces the flux flowing from the magnet into the load, which further reduces its capacity; i.e. a sub-par surface finish, dirt, rust, paint, and especially scale, produce such gaps). As a former physics major who specialized in Superconducting Magnets, I find it interesting that the magnets frequently utilized in manufacturing environments are technically referred to as, "permanent magnets." What I found so fascinating about the name, "permanent magnet," is that the magnetic field of a lifting magnet can be negated if the alignment of its electrons becomes compromised. This phenomenon can occur if the magnet is introduced to a magnetic field greater than its own, or, if it is exposed to a significant thermal change. The best advice I can give to anyone who is using these types of magnets regularly is to ALWAYS keep the thought in your mind that the load being lifted can potentially fail/fall at any time; be cognizant of the fall zone and keep yourself and others clear of it-NEVER lose that, "healthy fear." 

 

Best Regards, 

[gcode]

We use magnets here.. and they scare the he!! out of me.

We have a fixture that's a big piece of steel plate.

We've picked it up with a magnet hundreds of times.

This particular time, it had been stored outside, the wind had been blowing and it had

a nice coat of dust on it.

The operator didn't wipe it off before he picked it up.. that cost him 2 toes

[Watcher]

Was it the magnetics fault or the operator???

 

Magnets... Our EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) leaders have told us that the statistics about them tell they´re not reliable and lifetime can greatly vary from brand to brand and even batches from the same vendor.

 

Makes them hard to manage and thus unsafe... But hey... we´re in Oil&Gas and here everything concerning security is taken very seriously, sometimes more than it should if you ask me. But in regards magnets, I think we´re doing the right thing. I don´t trust them.

[Watcher]

Was it the magnetics fault or the operator???

 

Realistic speaking, there´s no such thing like an operator mistake when you talk about safety. Of course human error can lead to it, but modern safety practices avoid by all means to hold people responsible for an incident. The humans are in most case the weak links any way, this is taken for granted.

 

In lifting operations specially, if you have any solution that can easily fail due to a human mistake, even a basic one, than it cannot be considered remotely safe.

 

For example: Magnets dropping parts because of dust? That´s an accident waiting to happen. Safe measures don´t allow this kind of thing to be a variable.

[SlaveCam]

The biggest problem here with magnets is the wavering up/down movement with the crane when under load. For that reason I never lift more than half of the magnets allowed mass.

[Ewood42]

I've used them before as well, but always follow that cardinal rule of assuming that the load could fall at any point... so stay the #### out from under it, as you would with any load, regardless of the lifting device.

 

Another thing I've seen people overlook that can lead to a dropped load, is not cleaning any chips off the face of the magnet that may be there from previous uses. IMO, no worse than using a vacuum to lift a load. (Assuming all the proper check valves are installed to make sure vacuum is maintained, at least temporarily, if there is a loss of power to the pump).

 

They all have their uses.

[jeff]

 

Another thing I've seen people overlook that can lead to a dropped load, is not cleaning any chips off the face of the magnet that may be there from previous uses. 

That's just common sense, and some people just don't have it. 

[Ewood42]

That's just common sense, and some people just don't have it. 

 

Yeah, definitely a misnomer.