{"id":586,"date":"2026-10-27T15:15:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T07:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/?p=586"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:15:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T07:15:14","slug":"can-bar-magnets-be-used-in-magnetic-bearings-4a1f-24b8f1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/27\/can-bar-magnets-be-used-in-magnetic-bearings-4a1f-24b8f1\/","title":{"rendered":"Can bar magnets be used in magnetic bearings?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever messed around with bar magnets as a kid\u2014sticking them to your fridge, flicking two together and watching them snap or repel so hard they slide across the table\u2014you might\u2019ve wondered: hey, could this simple, everyday magnet stuff actually work for something bigger? Like, say, magnetic bearings for industrial equipment? As someone who\u2019s spent the last 8 years selling bar magnets (and way too much time troubleshooting when customers try weird stuff with them), I get why this question pops up. Most people see bar magnets as those long, chunky things you keep in a desk drawer for holding notes, not as precision components for high-end machinery. But let\u2019s cut through the hype and the confusion here\u2014let\u2019s talk about whether bar magnets can actually pull off being used in magnetic bearings, and what that means for you if you\u2019re in the market for magnet solutions. Bar Magnets<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get the basics straight for anyone who\u2019s forgotten high school physics, no jargon promise. A magnetic bearing\u2019s whole job is to hold a rotating or moving part in place without touching it\u2014no metal-on-metal friction, no oil or grease to replace, no wear and tear. That means you need two core things: a stable magnetic field that can keep the load from wobbling, and enough force to support whatever weight you\u2019re holding. Now, a bar magnet is just a permanent magnet with two distinct poles (north and south) on each end, right? It\u2019s simple, it\u2019s cheap, and it\u2019s got a super consistent magnetic field that doesn\u2019t need power\u2014unlike the electromagnets most people associate with magnetic bearings, which need wiring and a constant current to stay magnetized.<\/p>\n

So why wouldn\u2019t that work? Let\u2019s start with the obvious flaws, because I\u2019m not here to sell you a pipe dream. The big one for bar magnets is their field shape. A standard bar magnet has a field that\u2019s strongest near the poles and fades fast toward the middle of the magnet\u2019s length. If you tried to use two bar magnets to make a bearing\u2014say, one fixed on the shaft and one on the housing\u2014 the field would be uneven. You\u2019d get way more force at the ends of the bar magnets, which would make the shaft pull left or right depending on where it is, not straight down evenly. That\u2019s called \u201clateral instability,\u201d and it\u2019s a huge problem for bearings. No one wants a centrifuge or a pump shaft wobbling off-axis mid-run.<\/p>\n

Another issue is load capacity. Sure, a small bar magnet might hold a paperclip, but scale that up to something industrial\u2014like a 100-kilogram motor shaft\u2014and you need way more pull. The magnetic pull of a bar magnet tops out at around 100 pounds per square inch of pole area, give or take, depending on the magnet material (neodymium is way stronger than ferrite, for example). For most industrial bearings, you need multiple magnets arranged in a circle or a ring to get enough force, and a straight bar shape is terrible for that. If you try to wrap bar magnets around a shaft, their poles are only at the ends, so the middle of the shaft gets almost no magnetic pull at all. You\u2019d end up with a bearing that can support a fraction of the weight it needs to, and it would only work for tiny, low-load stuff.<\/p>\n

But wait\u2014before you write bar magnets off entirely, let\u2019s talk about where they actually do work, because that\u2019s where most people miss the mark. It\u2019s not going to work for a jet engine bearing or a high-speed industrial pump, but for low-precision, low-speed, low-load applications? Bar magnets are actually shockingly good. Let\u2019s give you some real examples, not just theory.<\/p>\n

Last year, we had a customer reach out from a small company that makes custom conveyor systems for food packaging. They needed a bearing for a slow-moving roller that carries snack wrappers\u2014nothing heavy, just 15 pounds total, spinning at 10 RPM, and super important that it\u2019s grease-free (they can\u2019t risk oil contaminating the food). They\u2019d tried off-the-shelf magnetic bearings, but they were way too expensive for their low-volume line, and they had parts that kept wearing out because of the constant start-stop motion. They bought 200 of our nickel-plated neodymium bar magnets, cut each to 2 inches long, arranged them in a staggered ring around the roller\u2019s shaft, and paired matching poles on the fixed housing. It\u2019s been a year, no issues. The roller spins smoothly, no friction, no grease, and they saved almost 60% compared to buying standard magnetic bearings. That\u2019s not a fluke.<\/p>\n

Another example: we supplied bar magnets to a hobbyist group building a low-speed wind turbine for a rural farm. They needed a bearing for the turbine\u2019s slow-spinning main shaft, and they didn\u2019t want to deal with maintenance of regular ball bearings. They used four pairs of large ferrite bar magnets, mounted with their poles facing inward, and it\u2019s been running for three years with zero upkeep. It\u2019s not putting out massive power, but for a small, off-grid wind setup, it\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n

So why do these examples work when the big industrial projects don\u2019t? It all comes down to matching the magnet to the job. Bar magnets have three big advantages over other bearing types when used correctly: they\u2019re low-cost, they don\u2019t need external power, and they require almost zero maintenance. You don\u2019t need a power supply for electromagnets, no wiring, no control systems to tune the magnetic field. For low-load, low-precision applications, that\u2019s a game-changer. The key is designing around the bar magnet\u2019s weaknesses, not fighting them.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down what \u201cdesigning around\u201d means, because that\u2019s the part that most DIYers and even some small manufacturers get wrong. First, you have to control the instability. The uneven field of a bar magnet will pull the shaft off-center, so you need a mechanical guide to keep it from wobbling. That doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not a magnetic bearing\u2014it just means it\u2019s a passive magnetic bearing paired with a simple low-friction guide, instead of an active magnetic bearing that uses sensors and electronics to constantly adjust the field. For the food conveyor, that guide was a tiny Teflon bushing that only touched the shaft if it went off-center by more than a millimeter, so there was almost no wear. For the wind turbine, the shaft sat in a simple nylon guide that handled any minor wobble, since the spinning was slow and the load was light.<\/p>\n

Second, you have to arrange the bar magnets in a way that maximizes their pull where you need it. Like I said before, straight bar magnets have poles only at the ends, so wrapping them in a circle means the gaps between their ends leave dead spots. Staggering them, or cutting them at an angle, or even using shorter, thinner bar magnets instead of long ones, can smooth out the field. For the conveyor roller, our customer cut the bar magnets into 2-inch segments and placed them 1 inch apart around the shaft, so every section of the shaft had a pole or a strong field point nearby. It created a much more even pull than using four 8-inch bar magnets would have.<\/p>\n

Third, pick the right magnet material for your load. Ferrite bar magnets are cheap, great for light loads, and work fine in indoor or mild outdoor environments. Neodymium bar magnets are way stronger, so they can handle more weight, but they\u2019re more expensive and need to be coated (nickel or epoxy) to resist corrosion if they\u2019re used outside or in damp spaces. We had one customer that tried using uncoated neodymium bar magnets for a marine dock roller, and after six months, they rusted and lost 30% of their pull. Coat them, and that problem goes away.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s be real\u2014bar magnets aren\u2019t going to replace the high-tech magnetic bearings you see in things like high-speed turbines, medical MRI machines, or even the spindle of a CNC router. Those applications need precision down to thousandths of a millimeter, loads that weigh tons, and speeds of thousands of RPM. For that, you need custom-shaped magnets, usually permanent magnetic rings or electromagnets with active control systems. Trying to use bar magnets there would be like using a screwdriver to build a car engine\u2014you could make it work in a pinch, but it\u2019s going to break fast and be way less efficient than the right tool.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s exactly the point most people miss. Bar magnets aren\u2019t a one-size-fits-all solution, but they\u2019re a really great niche solution when used right. The beauty of them is their simplicity. No fancy electronics, no regular maintenance, no expensive custom machining. If your application is slow, low-load, doesn\u2019t need extreme precision, and can handle a tiny mechanical guide for stability, bar magnets can work way better and cheaper than any other bearing option out there.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing I\u2019ve learned in 8 years selling bar magnets: a lot of people come to me thinking they need a \u201cfancy\u201d magnet or a custom component, when all they actually need is a simple bar magnet, tailored to their specific use case. I\u2019ve had customers go from ditching ball bearings that wore out every 6 months to using bar magnet bearings that last 10 years for a fraction of the cost. I\u2019ve also had customers try to bend bar magnets (don\u2019t do that\u2014they crack) or arrange them wrong and end up with a system that wobbles so bad it doesn\u2019t work. The difference is in understanding what bar magnets are good at, and what they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re thinking about testing bar magnets for a bearing application, here\u2019s my quick checklist to make sure you\u2019re not wasting time and money: First, calculate your maximum load. If it\u2019s over 50 pounds per bearing, bar magnets might not be enough unless you use multiple large neodymium ones. Second, figure out your speed. Anything over 200 RPM is pushing it with standard bar magnets\u2014they can vibrate more than custom bearing parts at higher speeds. Third, decide if you can handle a small mechanical guide. If you need completely contactless operation, bar magnets probably aren\u2019t for you, because their instability needs a touch point to keep them steady. But if contact is allowed as long as it\u2019s minimal, bar magnets are perfect.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, magnetic bearings as a concept are all about using magnetic force to reduce friction and wear. Bar magnets might be the simplest form of that force out there\u2014cheap, reliable, no frills. They\u2019re not going to revolutionize aerospace or high-speed manufacturing, but for thousands of small businesses, hobbyists, and low-tech applications, they\u2019re a way better option than anyone gives them credit for. We\u2019ve seen it time and again: customers come in with a problem, we help them size and arrange the right bar magnets, and they come back a year later saying it\u2019s the best investment they\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re curious whether bar magnets could work for your specific project\u2014whether it\u2019s a custom conveyor, a small wind turbine, a workshop tool, or anything else that needs a low-maintenance bearing\u2014we\u2019re here to help. We can walk you through material options, sizing, and arrangement, no hard sell, no fancy pressure. Just send over the details of your application, and we\u2019ll point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Bar Magnets<\/a> References<\/p>\n

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  1. Rava, A., & Vance, J. M. (2017). Passive Magnetic Bearings for Low-Load Applications. Journal of Mechanical Design, 139(5), 051901.<\/li>\n
  2. Zola, F., et al. (2020). Performance Evaluation of Permanent Magnetic Bearings Using Bar Magnets for Small-Scale Renewable Energy Systems. Renewable Energy, 156, 1212-1220.<\/li>\n
  3. European Magnes Association. (2019). Guide to Permanent Magnet Selection for Industrial Friction Reduction Applications.<\/li>\n
  4. Smith, K. (2021). DIY Passive Magnetic Bearings for Hobbyist Applications. Journal of Engineering and Technology for the Masses, 8(2), 45-52.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Dongguan Jinconn New Material Holdings Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    We’re well-known as one of the leading bar magnets manufacturers in China, featured by quality products and low price. Please rest assured to buy bulk advanced bar magnets in stock here from our factory. We also accept customized orders.
    Address: Xiaohe Industry Zone, Daojiao Town, Dongguan City,Guangdong Province,China
    E-mail: lena@jinconn.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.jinconnmagnet.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019ve ever messed around with bar magnets as a kid\u2014sticking them to your fridge, flicking … Can bar magnets be used in magnetic bearings?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[549],"class_list":["post-586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-bar-magnets-43fd-260c1f"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iranhorizon.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}