Abstract: The present invention provides: a Nd—Fe—B multilayer sintered magnet which is magnetically uniform, while having high magnetic characteristics; and a method for producing the Nd—Fe—B sintered magnet without performing a cutting step.

Abstract: A method for producing an NdFeB sintered includes forming a layer containing Dy and/or Tb on the surface of an NdFeB sintered magnet base material and then performing a grain boundary diffusion process for diffusing Dy and/or Tb from the aforementioned layer through the crystal grain boundaries of the magnet base material into the magnet base material by heating the magnet base material to a temperature equal to or lower than the sintering temperature thereof. In this method: a) the content of a rare earth in a metallic state in the magnet base material is equal to or higher than 12.7 at %; b) the aforementioned layer is a powder layer formed by depositing a powder; and c) the powder layer contains Dy and/or Tb in a metallic state by an amount equal to or higher than 50 mass %.

Abstract: There is provided a production method and a production device for producing each of the rare earth sintered magnet sintered bodies without carrying a mold in a sintering furnace. The method includes feeding an alloy powder into a mold having side walls divided into two or more sections; filling the alloy powder into the mold to prepare a filled molded-body; orienting the alloy powder in the filled molded-body by applying a magnetic field to the filled molded-body to prepare an oriented filled-molded-body; detaching the side walls of the mold from the oriented filled-molded-body and retrieving the oriented filled-molded-body from the mold; and sintering the retrieved oriented filled-molded-body. The filling step and the orienting step are performed at different locations. A pulsed magnetic field can be applied in the orienting step and inside of the mold can be partitioned into a plurality of cavities by partitions.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a NdFeB system sintered magnet capable of improving the magnetization characteristic. The NdFeB system sintered magnet is a NdFeB system sintered magnet with the c axis oriented in one direction, characterized in that: the median of the grain size of the crystal grains at a section perpendicular to the c axis is 4.5 ?m or less, and the area ratio of the crystal grains having grain sizes of 1.8 ?m or smaller on the aforementioned section is 5% or lower. The median of the grain size is decreased (to 4.5 ?m or less), whereby improve the coercive force is improved. Simultaneously, the area ratio of the crystal grains having grain sizes of 1.8 ?m or smaller is decreased (to 5% or lower) to reduce the number of crystal grains having no magnetic wall formed, whereby the magnetization characteristic is improved.

Abstract: A method for producing an RFeB system magnet with high coercivity by preventing a coating material from peeling off the surface of a base material during a grain boundary diffusion treatment is provided. A method for producing an RL2Fe14B system magnet which is a sintered magnet or a hot-deformed magnet containing, as the main rare-earth element, a light rare-earth element RL which is at least one of the two elements of Nd and Pr, the method including: applying, to a surface of a base material M of the RL2Fe14B system magnet, a coating material prepared by mixing a silicone grease and an RH-containing powder containing a heavy rare-earth element RH composed of at least one element selected from the group of Dy, Tb and Ho; and heating the base material together with the coating material. Improved coating and base materials adhesion facilitates transfer of RH into base material grain boundaries.

Abstract: A NdFeB system sintered magnet produced by the grain boundary diffusion method that has a high coercive force and squareness ratio with only a small decrease in the maximum energy product. The NdFeB system sintered magnet has a base material produced by orienting powder of a NdFeB system alloy and sintering the powder, with Dy and/or Tb (the “Dy and/or Tb” is hereinafter called RH) attached to and diffused from a surface of the base material through the grain boundary inside the base material by a grain boundary diffusion treatment, wherein the difference Cs-Cd3 between the RH content Cs (wt %) in the grain boundary reaching the surface to which RH is attached and the RH content Cd3 (wt %) in the grain boundary at a depth of 3 mm from the aforementioned attachment surface is equal to or smaller than 20 wt %.

Abstract: A NdFeB system sintered magnet produced by the grain boundary diffusion method and has a high coercive force and squareness ratio with only a small decrease in the maximum energy product. A NdFeB system sintered magnet having a base material produced by orienting powder of a NdFeB system alloy and sintering the powder, with Dy and/or Tb (the “Dy and/or Tb” is hereinafter called RH) attached to and diffused from a surface of the base material through the grain boundary inside the base material by a grain boundary diffusion treatment, wherein the difference Cgx?Cx between the RH content Cgx (wt %) in the grain boundary and the RH content Cx (wt %) in main-phase grains which are grains constituting the base material at the same depth within a range from the surface to which RH is attached to a depth of 3 mm is equal to or larger than 3 wt %.

Abstract: An applicator for grain boundary diffusion process that uniformly applies an RH powder without excess or deficiency onto a predetermined surface of a sintered compact with a given thickness and in a given pattern, the applicator being automated and performed on many sintered compacts during the production of a NdFeB system sintered magnet. The applicator includes a work loader and a print head, located above the work loader. The work loader includes: a laterally movable base; a lift being vertically movable with respect to the base; a frame that is attachable to and detachable from the lift; a tray that is attachable to and detachable from the frame; a supporter provided on the upper surface of the tray; and a vertically movable magnetic clamp. The print head includes: a screen having a passage section; and a movable squeegee and a backward scraper that maintains contact with the upper screen surface.

Abstract: A method for producing an RFeB system sintered magnet according to the present invention includes: a process (S1) of preparing a lump of HDDR-treated raw material alloy that contains a polycrystalline substance including crystal grains having an average grain size of 1 ?m or less in terms of an equivalent circle diameter calculated from an electron micrograph image, by an HDDR treatment including steps of heating a lump of RFeB system alloy containing 26.5 to 29.5% by weight of the rare-earth element R, in a hydrogen atmosphere at a temperature between 700 and 1,000° C., and changing the atmosphere to vacuum while maintaining the temperature within a range from 750 to 900° C.; a process (S2) of preparing a lump of raw material alloy having a high rare-earth content by heating the lump of HDDR-treated raw material alloy at a temperature between 700 and 950° C.

Abstract: A method for producing a NdFeB system sintered magnet. The method includes: a hydrogen pulverization process, in which coarse powder of a NdFeB system alloy is prepared by coarsely pulverizing a lump of NdFeB system alloy by making this lump occlude hydrogen; a fine pulverization process, in which fine powder is prepared by performing fine pulverization for further pulverizing the coarse powder; a filling process, in which the fine powder is put into a filling container; an orienting process, in which the fine powder in the filling container is oriented; and a sintering process, in which the fine powder after the orienting process is sintered as held in the filling container. The processes from hydrogen pulverization through orienting are performed with neither dehydrogenation heating nor evacuation each for desorbing hydrogen occluded in the hydrogen pulverization process. The processes from hydrogen pulverization through sintering are performed in an oxygen-free atmosphere.

Abstract: A mold which is inexpensive and easy to process and does not embrittle. Also provided is a process by which a sintered NdFeB magnet can be produced using the mold without suffering bending or deformation. At least part (e.g., a bottom plate) of the mold is made of a carbon material. Carbon materials have lower friction with a sinter during sintering than metals. The mold hence enables a sintered NdFeB magnet to be produced without suffering the bending or deformation caused by friction due to sintering shrinkage. Carbon materials are inexpensive and easy to process. The mold does not embrittle even when repeatedly used. Such effects can be significantly produced when a carbon material is used as the bottom plate, on which the load of the sinter is imposed during sintering.

Abstract: An RFeB system sintered magnet which does not contain a heavy rare-earth element RH (Dy, Tb and Ho) in a practically effective amount and yet is suited for applications in which the magnet undergoes a temperature increase during its use. The RFeB system sintered magnet contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nd and Pr as a rare-earth element R in addition to Fe and B while containing none of Dy, Tb and Ho, the magnet having a temperature characteristic value t(100-23) which satisfies ?0.58<t(100-23)<0, where t(100-23) is defined by the following equation: t ( 100 - 23 ) = H cj ? ( 100 ) - H cj ? ( 23 ) ( 100 - 23 ) × H cj ? ( 23 ) × 100 using Hcj(23) which is the value of the coercivity at a temperature of 23° C. and Hcj(100) which is the value of the coercivity at a temperature of 100° C.

Abstract: Producing an RFeB system sintered magnet with high corrosion resistance and low loss of energy in an RFeB system sintered magnet with high magnetic properties produced by a grain boundary diffusion process. A paste prepared by mixing an organic matter having a molecular structure including an oxygen atom and a metallic powder containing a heavy rare-earth element which is at least one element selected from the group of Dy, Ho and Tb, is applied to the surface of an RFeB system sintered compact composed of crystal grains whose main phase is R2Fe14B containing, as a main rare-earth element, a light rare-earth element which is at least one element selected from the group of Nd and Pr. A heating process for a grain boundary diffusion treatment is performed. As a result, a protective layer containing an oxide of the light rare-earth element is formed on the surface.

Abstract: An RFeB system sintered magnet wherein heavy rare-earth element RH which is at least one kind of rare-earth element selected from Dy, Tb and Ho is diffused into base material through the grain boundaries of base material made of a sintered compact of an RFeB system magnet containing RL, Fe and B, where RL represents a light rare-earth element which is at least one kind of rare-earth element selected from Nd and Pr, wherein: size of the RFeB system sintered magnet at smallest-size portion is greater than 3 mm; the amount of heavy rare-earth element RH contained in RFeB system sintered magnet divided by volume of RFeB system sintered magnet is ?25 mg/cm3; and the difference between local coercivity at the surface of the smallest-size portion and in the central region of the smallest-size portion is equal to or less than 15% of local coercivity at the surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sintered NdFeB magnet having high coercivity (HcJ) a high maximum energy product ((BH)max) and a high squareness ratio (SQ) even when the sintered magnet has a thickness of 5 mm or more. The sintered NdFeB magnet is produced by diffusing Dy and/or Tb in grain boundaries in a base material of the sintered NdFeB magnet by a grain boundary diffusion process. The sintered NdFeB magnet is characterized in that the amount of rare earth in a metallic state in the base material is between 12.7 and 16.0% in atomic ratio, a rare earth-rich phase continues from the surface of the base material to a depth of 2.5 mm from the surface at the grain boundaries of the base material, and the grain boundaries in which RH has been diffused by the grain boundary diffusion process reach a depth of 2.5 mm from the surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sintered NdFeB magnet having high coercivity (HcJ) a high maximum energy product ((BH)max) and a high squareness ratio (SQ) even when the sintered magnet has a thickness of 5 mm or more. The sintered NdFeB magnet is produced by diffusing Dy and/or Tb in grain boundaries in a base material of the sintered NdFeB magnet by a grain boundary diffusion process. The sintered NdFeB magnet is characterized in that the amount of rare earth in a metallic state in the base material is between 12.7 and 16.0% in atomic ratio, a rare earth-rich phase continues from the surface of the base material to a depth of 2.5 mm from the surface at the grain boundaries of the base material, and the grain boundaries in which RH has been diffused by the grain boundary diffusion process reach a depth of 2.5 mm from the surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sintered NdFeB magnet having high coercivity (HcJ) a high maximum energy product ((BH)max) and a high squareness ratio (SQ) even when the sintered magnet has a thickness of 5 mm or more. The sintered NdFeB magnet is produced by diffusing Dy and/or Tb in grain boundaries in a base material of the sintered NdFeB magnet by a grain boundary diffusion process. The sintered NdFeB magnet is characterized in that the amount of rare earth in a metallic state in the base material is between 12.7 and 16.0% in atomic ratio, a rare earth-rich phase continues from the surface of the base material to a depth of 2.5 mm from the surface at the grain boundaries of the base material, and the grain boundaries in which RH has been diffused by the grain boundary diffusion process reach a depth of 2.5 mm from the surface.

Abstract: A method for producing RFeB system sintered magnet composed of at least two unit sintered magnets bonded to each other at flat bonding surfaces, each unit sintered magnet composed of crystal grains whose main phase is made of R2Fe14B containing, as a main rare-earth element R, light rare-earth element RL wherein at least one element selected from the group of Nd and Pr. Paste prepared by mixing organic matter and metallic powder containing at least one element selected from heavy rare-earth elements RH of Dy, Ho and Tb is sandwiched between neighboring unit sintered magnets, and a grain boundary diffusion treatment is performed. Coercivity is improved by this grain boundary diffusion treatment. Since an oxide or similar compound of RH and/or RL is formed at boundary of unit sintered magnets, the influence of eddy current during a period of use is suppressed, and unit sintered magnets are strongly bonded together.

Abstract: A NdFeB system sintered magnet produced by the grain boundary diffusion method and has a high coercive force and squareness ratio with only a small decrease in the maximum energy product. A NdFeB system sintered magnet having a base material produced by orienting powder of a NdFeB system alloy and sintering the powder, with Dy and/or Tb (the “Dy and/or Tb” is hereinafter called RH) attached to and diffused from a surface of the base material through the grain boundary inside the base material by a grain boundary diffusion treatment, wherein the difference Cgx-Cx between the RH content Cgx (wt %) in the grain boundary and the RH content Cx (wt %) in main-phase grains which are grains constituting the base material at the same depth within a range from the surface to which RH is attached to a depth of 3 mm is equal to or larger than 3 wt %.

Abstract: A method for producing an RFeB system magnet with high coercivity by preventing a coating material from peeling off the surface of a base material during a grain boundary diffusion treatment is provided. A method for producing an RL2Fe14B system magnet which is a sintered magnet or a hot-deformed magnet containing, as the main rare-earth element, a light rare-earth element RL which is at least one of the two elements of Nd and Pr, the method including: applying, to a surface of a base material M of the RL2Fe14B system magnet, a coating material prepared by mixing a silicone grease and an RH-containing powder containing a heavy rare-earth element RH composed of at least one element selected from the group of Dy, Tb and Ho; and heating the base material together with the coating material. Improved coating and base materials adhesion facilitates transfer of RH into base material grain boundaries.