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Bunting-Berkhamsted 2023 Review
By Paul Fears | 11 December 2023
Magnets and magnetic technology have been at the forefront of the energy efficiency drive in 2023. Many technological developments are focusing on harnessing the magnetic powers of permanent magnets such as neodymium. Subsequently, Bunting’s magnet experts have been involved in more development projects than ever before, working closely with industry on innovative ideas, making 2023 another exciting year for Bunting-Berkhamsted.
January
The year started by celebrating the success of 2022. Bunting’s Berkhamsted operation reported record sales, especially in bespoke magnet assemblies and magnetising equipment.
February
The ongoing growth resulted in changes to Bunting’s management team, with David Hocking taking up the position of General Manager at Berkhamsted. David had held a range of customer facing, purchasing and quality roles since joining Bunting in 2012. As Operations Manager, David oversaw modernisation and reorganisation of the shop floor to adapt to an increase in industrial magnetiser projects and to improve production efficiency.
April
The development of Bunting’s European management team continued with the appointment of Bradley Greenwood as the European Sales Manager. Bradley heads up a sales team and representative network covering the whole of Europe.
As a global leader in magnetic technology, Bunting has always worked closely with the international The Magnetics Show. In April, Alex Oliver and Troy Garrick, Event Director and Exhibition Manager, respectively, of The Magnetics Show North America, visited Bunting’s UK operations in Redditch and Berkhamsted. Alex and Troy were on a fact-finding mission about Bunting, the employer of one of the event’s founding advisory board members, Matthew Swallow.
During the year, we reviewed specific magnet applications such as sensors. Sensor applications using magnets is not new, although the application scope continues to evolve with developments and advances in magnetic materials and magnetising technology. In this specific sensing project, the magnets are used for non-contact position sensing, which is, perhaps, one of the unique ways in which magnets are meeting the changing demands of the sensor industry.
May
One of the highest profile projects in 2023 was designing and building a bespoke industrial magnetiser for the Ford Motor Company. The industrial magnetising system charges and tests a magnet rotor assembly in a prototype build area. The rotor forms part of a new Transit electric power unit presently under development.
June
Bespoke design again came to the fore in a project with Force Engineering. Bunting and Force Engineering have collaborated to design and build a novel magnetic brake for use on rollercoasters. During the two-year project, the project team considered different permanent magnet arrangements required to generate the braking force needed to slow and stop a rollercoaster cart. The final design used high-power, low-weight neodymium magnets.
September
Bunting signed up as a gold sponsor of REPM 2023, the 27th international workshop on rare earth and future permanent magnets and their applications (3-7 September, University of Birmingham, UK). The biennial workshop was co-organised by SUSMAGPRO partner University of Birmingham and brings together scientists and engineers working on rare-earth permanent magnets and their applications. During the event, Matthew Swallow, our Technical Product Manager and the Chair of the UK Magnetics Society, met Masato Sagawa, the inventor of Neodymium Iron Boron magnets.
The annual September exhibition circus continued at Coiltech Italia (20-21 September, Pordenone, Italy), where Bunting showcased advanced magnetising equipment and new magnetising techniques for enhanced magnetic component performance.
Bunting supports charity initiatives across all worldwide sites and announced their support of Press Officer, Paul Fears, and fellow Dads taking on the #BikeBoatBoot challenge for South Wales children’s hospice Tŷ Hafan. The #BikeBoatBoot challenge involves travelling the length of Wales on off-road cycle paths, mountain hiking trails, and kayaking along the whole length of Lake Bala. The estimated distance is over 200 miles, with the team climbing nearly 18,000 feet.
Following the visit by The Magnetic Show earlier in the year, it was announced that Bunting’s Matthew Swallow and John Ormerod would take up positions of advisory board members of the inaugural The Magnetics Show Europe 2024 (10-11 December, RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). The show aims to bridge gaps in the magnet supply chain and highlight the role of the magnet in an energy-efficient future.
Since acquiring MagDev in 2021, soft magnetics were added to Bunting’s product portfolio. Soft magnetic materials are those that can be easily magnetised and demagnetised and their primary use is to enhance and/or channel the flux produced by an electric current. The post reviewed the characteristics and applications of soft magnetics.
November
‘Interesting Magnetics’ was the theme for the UK Magnetics Society’s 2023 Ewing Event (The Exchange, Birmingham, UK – 29th November 2023). During the event, key speakers discussed hot industry topics such as magnet production, recycling, and innovation.
November turned into ‘Movember’ in 2023, with employees taking on a wide range of challenges to raise funds for the charity including growing moustaches, swimming 60km and walking 60km. Over £1,600 was raised, with an additional donation by Bunting.
2024
Innovation continues to drive business growth, with no change expected in 2024. Understanding complex applications enables our team of experts to design and develop magnet and magnetic based solutions for diverse applications in sectors including aerospace and automotive.
Magnet and Magnet Assembly Design
Bunting designs, manufactures and supplies a wide range of soft magnetics, magnets, magnet setters, magnetisers, and magnetic assemblies. Many are bespoke for specific applications. For further information on any of the products mentioned in this article, or for bespoke magnet assemblies and magnet designs, please contact us via:
Phone: +44 (0) 1442 875081
Email: sales.berkhamsted@buntingmagnetics.com
Via Bunting-eMagnets for online purchase of Magnets and Magnetic Technology
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