What is a Magnetic Field and Why Does it Matter for Your Products? | Functional Coatings | Mueller Corporation

A wide range of metallic parts require coatings to help control the magnetic power of the metals. Some products require a strong magnetic pull while others require just the opposite. Mueller can provide functional coatings to coat your manufactured parts to provide the magnetic reaction you require for your products when they interact with a magnetic field.

What is a magnetic field?

A magnetic field is formed when electrons move in a certain way around a metallic object. Both poles of the object attempt to pull in their opposing electrons, be them negative or positive.

The size of a magnetic field and its power depend on a variety of factors. The number of electrons and the size of the metal object will greatly change the power of the field. Magnetic fields can be large or small, strong or weak.

When a magnetic object exists, it always pulls or repels depending on the pole. Even if the magnet doesn’t seem to be pulling or pushing another object, it is still doing so, just on a very low scale.

Why do magnetic fields matter in manufacturing?

Certain products require a magnetic push or pull while other products require no magnetism. If a metal part within your device is magnetic, it could interfere with the electricity flowing through the device. This might be just what you need or it might force your product to fail.

Coatings can change the power of a magnet

At Mueller, we can add metallic coatings to any part that we manufacture. These coatings can affect the magnetism of the part. Using the right materials, we can ensure that your metal parts are coated correctly for your specific use.

Some of our clients need a magnetic object within their products in order for them to function correctly. However, they also need to coat these magnetic parts to help them resist corrosion. Our team can add coatings that allow for the maximum amount of magnetism while also providing a protective barrier that will help maintain the metal part and its magnetism.

Some of our clients need metal parts that have no magnetic properties at all. In these instances, we can use a variety of coatings at a variety of thicknesses to protect the parts. We’ll make sure that the magnetism is not strong enough to harm the product.

The perfect balance of durability and magnetism

Magnets are famously brittle and susceptible to corrosion and breakdown. They need some kind of coating that can protect them for long-term use but also allows enough of the magnetism to flow through the coating.

Even a few millimeters of coating can greatly reduce the power of a magnet. At Mueller, we have the technology to apply coatings that are less than 1 millimeter thick. Using the right tools and metals for the coating, we can protect the magnets while ensuring their strength.

 

Make sure that the magnetic parts you need for your products will still be magnetic when manufacturing is complete. Contact Mueller today to learn more about our metallic coating options and processes.

 


About Mueller Corporation

Founded in 1955, Mueller Corporation offers customers a diversity of vacuum metalized and industrial coatings to satisfy any decorative or functional finishing needs. Mueller Corporation maintains the highest customer satisfaction and quality assurance by continuously investing in its products and its people. With an emphasis on developing innovative coatings through research and development and continual improvement of our process through emerging technologies and applications, Mueller Corporation remains the leader in functional and decorative coatings for brands across the globe.