Safety Measures For Lifting Magnets

The world is developing and thus, people have much more access towards knowledge rather easy access. If anyone is planning to make an investment, they have a lot of access towards gathering the information about the particular subject and thus, people who are interested in lifting magnets will find the article helpful. A lifting magnet is an electromagnet designed to pick up or lift metal objects. These magnets vary widely in size and can be as small as a credit card or as large as a twin-sized bed.

You can find various kinds of lifting magnets in the existing market. The most common ones are designed to lift heavy metal objects weighing several tons. Using a magnet to retrieve metal shards from a construction site can help prevent injury and damage to vehicle tires. Usually, larger lifting magnet is operated hung from a chain on a crane that is able to dangle the magnet into the location necessary to retrieve the desired object. While operating a lifting magnet, some of the guidelines must be followed about the materials being lifted assist in creating a safe operating environment around the lifting magnet.

Factors That Affect Lifting Magnet Operation:

Composition: While you are buying the lifting magnet, ensure that it is made using steel. Alloys may not be as magnetic as low-carbon steel.

Configuration: Use a straight edge to check flatness as the material requires being as much flat as possible. You should avoid materials with any waves or bows and dunnage between pieces could cause the material to sag at some points.

Weight: Verify the weight of the part before using lifting magnets check the weight by measuring through the formula: Steel weighs 0.238 lbs. per cubic inch. To determine the total weight of a steel part, use this formula: Length (in.) x Width (in.) x Thickness (in.) x 0.283 lb./in.3.

Thickness: Since thinner materials can’t accept all the lines of force, thinner materials are more challenging to lift than the thicker ones. The thinner materials cause reduced capacity and it is not a linear function. For example, if a magnet’s full capacity is needed to pick up 1-in.-thick material, that doesn’t mean that half the magnet’s capacity can pick up 0.5-in.-thick material.

Surface Condition: If the material is filled with elements of rust, dirt, ice, snow, oil or paint, it will create air gap and thus, a weaker pulling force. Make sure the full surface of the magnet is in contact with the material. The material surface must be as clean as any cutout in the piece being lifted affects the magnet’s lifting capacity requires complete exposure.

Many times lifting magnets can lose strength, depending on the magnet’s characteristics, thus, you need to ensure that all the properties match with your requirement and then only buy the lifting magnets. Permanent magnets do not lose their strength unless they are physically damaged (dropped and broken), subjected to extreme heat (200 degrees F), or subjected to a high electric field, such as welding.