Patents Examined by John Sheehan
  • Patent number: 8177922
    Abstract: An R—Fe—B based anisotropic sintered magnet according to the present invention has, as a main phase, an R2Fe14B type compound that includes a light rare-earth element RL (which is at least one of Nd and Pr) as a major rare-earth element R, and also has a heavy rare-earth element RH (which is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Dy and Tb). In the crystal lattice of the main phase, the c-axis is oriented in a predetermined direction. The magnet includes a portion in which at least two peaks of diffraction are observed within a 2? range of 60.5 degrees to 61.5 degrees when an X-ray diffraction measurement is carried out using a CuK ? ray on a plane that is located at a depth of 500 ?m or less under a pole face of the magnet and that is parallel to the pole face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoori Odaka, Hideyuki Morimoto, Kohshi Yoshimura, Shigeru Takaki
  • Patent number: 8172956
    Abstract: A sintered soft magnetic powder molded body having a composition containing Fe, 44 to 50% by mass of Ni and 2 to 6% by mass of Si, or a composition containing Fe and 2 to 6% by mass of Si, wherein the Si is unevenly distributed among particles, is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Steel Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Unoki, Shoichi Yamasaki, Yuji Soda, Masakatsu Fukuda
  • Patent number: 8163106
    Abstract: An R—Fe—B sinlered magnet having on the surface thereof a vapor deposited film of aluminum or an alloy thereof and a method for producing the same. The vapor deposited film of aluminum or an alloy thereof comprises a columnar crystalline structure grown broader from the surface of the R—Fe—B sintered magnet body outward to the outer surface, which has a part within a region defined in the thickness direction of the film as taken from the surface of the R—Fe—B sintered magnet to ? of the film thickness, 5 to 30 intercrystalline gaps of 0.01 ?m to 1 ?m in width as counted per 10 ?m length in the lateral direction of the film. The method comprises controlling the average film formation rate such that it is slower up to a predetermined point and then is speeded up later thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Kikugawa, Koshi Yoshimura, Yoshimi Tochishita, Masanao Kamachi, Nobuhiro Misumi
  • Patent number: 8157927
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain a highly coercive R-T-B system sintered magnet by making the crystal microstructure of a raw material alloy prepared by strip casting more uniform, thereby making the crushed powder obtained from such raw material alloy more fine and making the size distribution more narrow. The present invention provides a raw material alloy for an R-T-B system sintered magnet containing grains of an R2T14B compound, wherein a P and/or S content is between 100 and 950 ppm. This raw material alloy preferably has a composition comprising 25 to 35% by weight of R, 0.5 to 4% by weight of B, 0.02 to 0.6% of one or both of Al and Cu, 5% by weight or less of Co, and the balance of Fe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Enokido, Chikara Ishizaka, Gouichi Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 8157889
    Abstract: A magnetic metal powder having fluidity is provided which is composed of FePt nanoparticles synthesized by the polyol synthesis method that possess fct (face-centered tetragonal) structure and exhibit crystal magnetic anisotropy from immediately after synthesis. Specifically, there is provided a magnetic metal powder having fluidity which is composed of magnetic metal particles whose main components and the contents thereof are represented by the following general formula (1): [TXM1?X]YZ1?Y??(1), where T is one or both of Fe and Co, M is one or both of Pt and Pd, Z is at least one member selected from the group composed of Ag, Cu, Bi, Sb, Pb and Sn, X represents 0.3˜0.7, and Y represents 0.7˜1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Dowa Electronics Materials Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Tohji
  • Patent number: 8157926
    Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a permanent magnet in which Dy and/or Tb adhered to the surface of a sintered magnet containing a lubricant can be efficiently diffused and in which the permanent magnet having high magnetic properties can be manufactured at good productivity. The permanent magnet is manufactured by executing a first step of adhering at least one of Dy and Tb to at least a part of a surface of a sintered magnet made by sintering iron-boron-rare earth based alloy raw meal powder containing a lubricant; and a second step of heat-treating the sintered magnet at a predetermined temperature to thereby disperse at least one of Dy and Tb adhered to the surface of the sintered magnet into grain boundary phase of the sintered magnet. At this time, as the sintered magnet, there is used one manufactured in an average grain size within a range of 4 ?m˜8 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nagata, Yoshinori Shingaki
  • Patent number: 8152936
    Abstract: There is provided a rare earth magnet with excellent Br and HcJ values. The rare earth magnet according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by being composed mainly of R (where R is at least one element selected from among rare earth elements including Y), B, Al, Cu, Zr, Co, O, C and Fe, wherein the content of each element is R: 25-34 wt %, B: 0.85-0.98 wt %, Al: 0.03-0.3 wt %, Cu: 0.01-0.15 wt %, Zr: 0.03-0.25 wt %, Co: ?3 wt % (but not 0 wt %), O: ?0.2 wt %, C: 0.03-0.15 wt % and Fe: remainder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Taeko Tsubokura, Makoto Iwasaki, Makoto Nakane, Fumitaka Baba
  • Patent number: 8147622
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to an Fe-based amorphous magnetic alloy and method that includes 4 at. % or less of a low temperature annealing-enabling element M and 10 at. % or less of nickel (Ni). The total amount of the low temperature annealing-enabling element M and nickel (Ni) may be 2 at. % or more and 10 at. % or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Alps Green Devices Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisato Koshiba, Keiko Tsuchiya, Kinshiro Takadate
  • Patent number: 8142573
    Abstract: An R-T-B based sintered magnet includes both a light rare-earth element RL (which is at least one of Nd and Pr) and a heavy rare-earth element RH (which is at least one of Dy and Tb) and Nd2Fe14B type crystals as a main phase. The magnet has a first region, which includes either the heavy rare-earth element RH in a relatively low concentration or no heavy rare-earth elements RH at all, and a second region, which includes the heavy rare-earth element RH in a relatively high concentration. The first and second regions are combined together by going through a sintering process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroya Kobayashi, Futoshi Kuniyoshi
  • Patent number: 8133329
    Abstract: One embodiment includes compacting a powder material using at least a first magnetic field to form a compact and selectively sintering a first portion of the compact and leaving a second portion of the compact unsintered to form a component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Shekhar G. Wakade
  • Patent number: 8128760
    Abstract: By eliminating the necessity of a prior step for cleaning a sintered magnet before adhering Dy and/or Tb to the surface of the sintered magnet S, the productivity of a permanent magnet having diffused Dy and/or Tb into grain boundary phase is improved. Iron-boron-rare earth based sintered magnet (S) disposed in a processing chamber (20) is heated to a predetermined temperature. An evaporating material (V) which is made of a hydride containing at least one of Dy and Tb is disposed in the same or in another processing chamber and is evaporated to cause the evaporated evaporating material to the surface of the sintered magnet. Metal atoms of Dy and/or Tb are diffused into grain boundary phase of the sintered magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nagata, Kyuzo Nakamura, Takeo Katou, Atsushi Nakatsuka, Ichirou Mukae, Masami Itou, Ryou Yoshiizumi, Yoshinori Shingaki
  • Patent number: 8128758
    Abstract: An R—Fe—B based rare-earth alloy powder with a mean particle size of less than about 20 ?m is provided and compacted to make a powder compact. Next, the powder compact is subjected to a heat treatment at a temperature of about 550° C. to less than about 1,000° C. within hydrogen gas, thereby producing hydrogenation and disproportionation reactions (HD processes). Then, the powder compact is subjected to another heat treatment at a temperature of about 550° C. to less than about 1,000° C. within either a vacuum or an inert atmosphere, thereby producing desorption and recombination reactions and obtaining a porous material including fine crystal grains, of which the density is about 60% to about 90% of their true density and which have an average crystal grain size of about 0.01 ?m to about 2 ?m (DR processes). Thereafter, the porous material is subjected to yet another heat treatment at a temperature of about 750° C. to less than about 1,000° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Nozawa, Takeshi Nishiuchi, Satoshi Hirosawa, Tomohito Maki
  • Patent number: 8128759
    Abstract: By causing at least one of Dy and Tb to be adhered to the surface of an iron-boron-rare earth based sintered magnet of a predetermined shape, and is then to be diffused into grain boundary phase, a permanent magnet can be manufactured at high workability and low cost. An iron-boron-rare earth based sintered magnet is disposed in a processing chamber and is heated to a predetermined temperature. Also, an evaporating material made up of a fluoride containing at least one of Dy and Tb disposed in the same or another processing chamber is evaporated, and the evaporated evaporating material is caused to be adhered to the surface of the sintered magnet. The Dy and/or Tb metal atoms of the adhered evaporating material are diffused into the grain particle phase of the sintered magnet before a thin film made of the evaporated material is formed on the surface of the sintered magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nagata, Kyuzo Nakamura, Takeo Katou, Atsushi Nakatsuka, Ichirou Mukae, Masami Itou, Ryou Yoshiizumi, Yoshinori Shingaki
  • Patent number: 8123874
    Abstract: A soft magnetic material, a dust core, a method for manufacturing the soft magnetic material, and a method for manufacturing the dust core that can improve DC bias characteristics are provided. A soft magnetic material includes a plurality of metal magnetic particles 10 whose coefficient of variation Cv (?/?), which is a ratio of a standard deviation (?) of a particle size of the metal magnetic particles 10 to an average particle size (?) thereof, is 0.40 or less and whose circularity Sf is 0.80 or more and 1 or less. The metal magnetic particles 10 preferably have an average particle size of 1 ?m or more and 70 ?m or less. The soft magnetic material preferably further includes an insulating coated film that surrounds a surface of each of the metal magnetic particles 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Ishimine, Toshihiro Sakamoto, Toru Maeda, Naoto Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8114225
    Abstract: An article including a monolithic body including iron, cobalt, and nitrogen is provided. The monolithic body includes a matrix phase and a plurality of particles disposed within the matrix phase. The particles include a phase comprising nitrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Luana Emiliana Iorio, Pazhayannur Ramanathan Subramanian, Michael Francis Xavier Gigliotti
  • Patent number: 8110049
    Abstract: An RE-containing alloy, which is represented by a compositional formula of RrTtAa (wherein R represents at least one rare earth element selected from among La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Tm, Yb, Gd, and Lu; T collectively represents transition metal elements containing at least Fe atoms, a portion of the Fe atoms being optionally substituted by at least one species selected from among Co, Ni, Mn, Pt, and Pd; A represents at least one element selected from among Al, As, Si, Ga, Ge, Mn, Sn, and Sb; and r, t, and a have the following relationships: 5.0 at. %?r?6.8 at. %, 73.8 at. %?t?88.7 at. %, and 4.6 at. %?a?19.4 at. %) and having an alloy microstructure containing an NaZn13-type crystal structure in an amount of at least 85 mass % and ?-Fe in an amount of 5-15 mass % inclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventor: Kenichiro Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8105446
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method for producing alloy flakes for rare earth sintered magnets, which makes uniform the intervals, size, orientation, and shape of the R-rich region and the dendrites of the 2-14-1 phase, and alloy flakes for a rare earth sintered magnet obtained by the method. A rare earth sintered magnet employing the alloy flakes is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Santoku Corporation
    Inventors: Kazumasa Shintani, Ryo Murakami, Kazuhiko Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8105443
    Abstract: A method for the production of pressed permanent magnets comprises the following steps: A mixture of at least one magnetic powder and a thermosetting binder is provided and pressed to produce a moulded body. In order to obtain a permanent and particularly reliable protection against oxidation and corrosion, the moulded body is impregnated with an acid and solvent mixture in an impregnating bath before the cure of the thermosetting binder, whereby the entire surface of the permanent magnet is coated with a reaction layer [FIG. 1].
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Georg Werner Reppel, Volker Zellmann
  • Patent number: 8105444
    Abstract: A process for producing a highly anticorrosive rare earth permanent magnet, characterized by sequentially subjecting an R—Fe—B sintered magnet to surface finishing involving cutting and/or polishing, plating pretreatment, nickel electroplating to a given plating thickness, immersion in an aqueous solution containing a phosphoric salt, washing with water and heat treatment at 150° to 400° C. for 1 to 24 hr in an atmosphere of 1.3×103 Pa or higher oxygen partial pressure so as to form a thin nickel oxide layer at the surface layer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuo Tamura
  • Patent number: 8092615
    Abstract: The invention concerns powder compositions consisting of electrically insulated particles of a soft magnetic material of an iron or iron-based powder and 0.1-2% by weight of a lubricant selected from the group consisting of fatty acid amides having 14-22 C atoms. Optionally a thermoplastic binder such as polyphenylene sulphide may be included in the composition. The invention also concerns a method for the preparation of soft magnetic composite components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Höganäs AB
    Inventors: Lisa Kjellén, Åsa Ahlin, Lars Hultman, Ola Andersson