Alnico Magnets (AlNiCo)

Alnico magnets are a type of permanent magnet made from an alloy of aluminium (Al), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and often copper (Cu) and sometimes titanium (Ti). This alloy composition can vary, leading to different magnet grades and properties. The name “Alnico” is derived from the first two letters of aluminium, nickel, and cobalt. AlNiCo magnets can be classified to cast magnets and sintered magnets according to the manufacturing technology. Even to this day, AlNiCo is still serving for some specialty application due to its incomparable temperature characteristics. The composition of alloy magnets is typically 8-13wt% Aluminium, 13-28wt% Nickel, 5-24wt% Cobalt, and the balance is Iron.

It has a very good corrosion resistance and high max working temperature, can reach 550deg C. Although other materials offer greater energy and coercivity values, the high remanence and thermal stability of Alnico makes it the most cost-effective material for certain applications, like generator, microphone lifting, voltmeters and measuring instruments. It is widely applied in high stability fields as aerospace, military, automobiles and security system. It is usually weaker than NdFeB Neodymium at room temperature.