Highland, AR -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/16/2015 -- AZ Industries, a leading supplier of wholesale magnets and magnet-based products, published two new guides to neodymium rare-earth magnets. The strongest of all widely available permanent magnets, neodymium magnets are used in a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics to sophisticated medical imaging equipment. Since 1972, AZ Industries has been one of the world's leading sources for custom magnets of all kinds.

"An important reason for our long record of success here at AZ Industries," company President Jim Adam said, "is our consistent focus on ensuring that every customer gets exactly what they need for a given project or product. In addition to always working hard on our own in this way, we also believe in the value of educating others about our offerings. Our new guides to Neodymium Material Grades and Wholesale Neo Magnets in general will make for valuable reading for anyone with an interest in magnets."

In contrast to temporary sources of magnetism like electromagnets that are dependent on the flow of electricity for their power, permanent magnets retain their magnetic action independently, a trait that can be useful in many different applications. Up until around 50 years ago, the permanent magnets available to manufacturers and researchers were of kinds fundamentally similar to the naturally occurring ones that people had been familiar with for thousands of years. Metallurgical developments had improved their magnetic strength, workability, and other characteristics, but a continued focus on iron oxide in the alloys used meant that these advances could only go so far.

In 1966, U.S. Air Force researchers discovered that a different class of materials like yttrium and cobalt could be alloyed to create permanent magnets of previously unthinkable strength. Further research into this new family of "rare earth" magnets produced the 1982 development of the neodymium magnet, one made from an especially abundant material and which remains the strongest commercially available of all.

The two newly published AZ Industries guides detail the properties and applications of this crucially important kind of magnet. The first guide compares neodymium magnets to those made from a mixture of samarium and cobalt, detailing the characteristics and many strengths of this kind of permanent magnet, including an overview of the commonly available coatings.

The second guide details the industry-standard grading system used for neodymium magnets. That system provides at-a-glance information about their magnetic strength and temperature tolerance and is therefore important to understand for anyone working with such magnets.

The two new guides to neodymium magnets add to an extensive collection of similarly informative articles at the AZ Industries website. Visitors to the site can also browse the company's online store or request a free quote for any magnet-related need.

About AZ Industries
From the smallest projects to the largest and most demanding, AZ Industries is a one-stop shop for magnets of all kinds, providing top-quality products and industry-leading customer service since 1972.