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TECHNOLOGY
Programmed magnets provide strength, safety, precision, and new magnet behavior
Correlated magnetics has been called the first fundamental breakthrough in magnetism since Faraday’s discovery of electromagnetism in the 1800s. The concept embodies the interaction of magnetic structures, each made up of geometric patterns of magnetic elements (maxels) imprinted into the magnet surface. These magnetic structures are called Polymagnets® and feature designs of magnetic elements varying in polarity, field strength, size, shape, location, and dipole orientation. By varying the patterns, Polymagnets can be engineered to produce precision-tailored magnetic fields and forces, and behaviors never seen before. Polymagnets interact with each other or with other ferrous metals, and can be created from any magnetic material including rare-earth based magnets, ferrites, ceramics, and flexibles.
SUPERIOR UTILITY
Increase performance, lower costs, reduce risk, enable innovation
Polymagnets offer far superior coupling forces compared to standard magnets. But shear and torsional forces can also be engineered to deliver performance at levels much greater than conventional “single-axis” magnets. Although these forces can be several factors greater than standard magnets, the structures can be made simultaneously stronger and safer by restricting the “reach” of the magnetic field. Polymagnets can provide repeatable precision alignment behavior for both rotational and translational positioning. New behaviors include magnets that attach firmly in a “locked” position, but when rotated they relax, release, or repel. Behaviors can be combined or layered to create magnetic structures that both attract and repel at the same time. Attach, fasten, connect, couple, align, index, lift, hover or transport… Polymagnets can.
LICENSING
Broad Intellectual Property portfolio, strong protection for your investment
Correlated Magnetics Research® is a technology licensing company with more than 60 patents issued in the area of correlated magnetics. This broad array of core patents are surrounded by foundational patents testifying to the fundamental innovation of this new technology and making up a robust, layered IP portfolio that supports unambiguous licensing and application development. In addition to field-of-use licensing opportunity for the core technology, CMR offers access to its proprietary Polymagnet manufacturing systems, design software, and metrology hardware. CMR licensing protects your application development investment every step of the way.
DEVELOPMENT & MANUFACTURING
Design, engineering, and manufacturing solutions
CMR provides the people, tools, and know-how to develop customized Polymagnet structures that can save money, time, and risk associated with new-product ideas. Our technical expertise in correlated magnet design and development can assist your product and process improvement ideas. CMR’s advanced computer modeling and code-pattern synthesis methods drive discovery and evaluation of working magnet designs. Rapid physical prototyping and proprietary test & measurement complete the proof-of-concept cycle. Polymagnets may be purchased by licensed users from licensed manufacturers. Alternatively, Magprinter manufacturing systems are available for lease, and can be designed to meet a range of production demands.
MaxField technology delivers dramatic savings in the cost of magnetic materials – enabling size, weight, and volume reduction compared to standard magnets, all while maintaining attach force performance. Alternatively, MaxField will provide improved attach performance (as much as 600%) for the same volume of magnetic material. MaxField optimization is possible for any magnetic materials: rare-earth, ceramics, flexibles, ferrites, and more.
SafeField technology increases the margin of safety associated with very large or very powerful magnetic devices. By constraining the reach or “throw” of the magnetic flux, SafeField magnets can reduce or eliminate the risk of data loss (in volatile magnetic storage media), credit card damage, interference with implants or health-safety devices, and even grave personal injury associated with metal objects in the presence of strong magnetic field. Magnets formerly too dangerous to handle for transport and assembly, and too unsafe for product design are now much safer magnets thanks to engagement-distance control made possible with correlated magnetics.
AlignField technology delivers unprecedented precision alignment and magnetic attachment capability. AlignField can be engineered to any level of tolerance, ensuring coupled parts align as intended. Bearings, pulleys, spindles, drive-shafts, gears, and other machine components as well as electrical connectors, workholding jigs, rollers, extruders, microscopes or any two objects that need to be aligned can benefit from AlignField technology.
Programmable magnet technology from CMR means that magnet force curves can be precisely tailored to fit desired functionality including complex hysteresis, non-contact attachment, and versatile attach-and-release functionality. Correlated magnets can offer a strong, firm hold, and release with a prescribed motion or series of movements. Twist-to-release, slide-to-release, or a combination of maneuvers can be designed in. Attach and relax, attach and release, or attach and repel as required by the specific application.
ShearField technology overcomes the deficiencies in shear strength that characterize a conventional magnetic attach device. While standard magnets exhibit strong magnetic holding forces in the tensile direction; i.e. where the lines of magnetic flux are normal to the magnet surface, they fail to deliver similar holding forces in the shear (orthogonal) directions – witness sliding refrigerator magnets. ShearField delivers magnetic attachment with stiffness in all directions to enable lifting performance and side-force holding power profoundly superior to ordinary magnets.
TorqueField technology offers the world’s highest torque transfer rate for a magnetic coupling device. Magnetic coupling can be tuned to accommodate load-slip requirements and thereby serve as a protective torque-limiting device. TorqueField transfers torque magnetically though an air gap, eliminating contacting mechanical parts, reducing vibration, and removing the possibility of wear.
MultiField technology allows for combining or layering correlated magnet behaviors. MultiField magnet devices can attract and repel simultaneously or deliver combinations of valuable functionality to produce tailored hysteresis, contactless attachment, mechanical energy storage, and more. MultiField devices exploit attract and/or repel forces at various spatial positions to achieve unique magnetic device behavior.
CMR’s MagPrinter is a proprietary magnetizing system comprising a patented magnetizing circuit, motion control subsystem, and design and driver software that enables the creation of virtually unlimited variety of coded magnetic devices. Correlated magnet design ideas can be rapidly prototyped and tested to support product innovation.
CMR’s MagLab system includes a comprehensive set of design, production, and evaluation tools to produce correlated magnetic devices from concept to finished prototype. MagLab comprises the MagPrinter system, code synthesis pattern-development software, finite-element simulation tools, and an extensive metrology studio including proprietary test & measurement equipment for design, analysis, and characterization of correlated magnetic