Electro-permanent lifting magnet: complete guide 2025

Complete guide to electro-permanent magnets 2025: 95% energy savings, comparison with electromagnets, prices, applications. Free quote.

Electro-permanent lifting magnets are transforming industrial handling with their hybrid technology. These magnetic systems combine energy efficiency, enhanced safety and operational autonomy to transform your handling operations.

Electro-Permanent Lifting Magnet: Definition and Operating Principle

An electro-permanent lifting magnet is a hybrid magnetic device that combines permanent magnets with electrically controlled coils. Unlike conventional electromagnets, this lifting equipment only requires electricity to activate and deactivate the magnetic field. It therefore maintains its lifting force by means of the integrated permanent magnets.

Technology and components of electro-permanent magnets

Electro-permanent magnet technology is based on several essential components:

• Neodymium permanent magnets: provide the main magnetic force
• Electrical switching circuit: enables reversal of the magnetic field
• Intelligent control system: manages precise activation/deactivation
• Reinforced protective housing: withstands demanding industrial environments
• Long-life battery: autonomy of up to 1000 cycles per charge

Electro-Permanent vs Electromagnet: Complete Comparison

Each magnetic technology offers specific advantages depending on the intended industrial handling application. This comparison will help you identify the optimal solution for your magnetic lifting requirements.

**Specific advantages of electromagnets
**Electromagnets excel in several application areas thanks to:

• Magnetic field dynamically controllable by a DC controller
• Ability to generate a deep-penetrating magnetic field (useful for picking up several stacked plates)
• Exceptional shock resistance
• Ideal for demanding applications on hot products (>150°C)

**
Specific advantages of electro-permanent magnets
**Electro-permanent lifting magnets offer considerable advantages for industrial handling:

• Energy efficiency: 95% savings vs conventional electromagnets
• Enhanced safety: loads are held automatically, even in the event of a power failure
• Operational flexibility: operation without a continuous power supply

Once activated, the magnet holds the load by means of its permanent components, ensuring passive safety without continuous power consumption.

Identified **Limitations
**

• Electromagnets: continuous power consumption, risk of overheating, need for a permanent power supply.
• Electro-permanent magnets: shallower magnetic field, reduced efficiency above 80°C, less suited to frequent variations.

Usage Recommendations by Application

Choose electromagnets for:

The electromagnet is your best ally when handling high-temperature materials or working in extreme conditions. If you work with steel at temperatures of up to 600°C, the electromagnet will deliver the magnetic performance needed to hold your load.

It is also the recommended choice when direct contact with your parts cannot be guaranteed: presence of paint, oxidation, impurities or a large working distance (air gap greater than 2-3 mm). Overhead cranes and fixed cranes particularly benefit from this technology.

Application examples: steelmaking, foundries, demolition cranes, sorting conveyors, handling of uncleaned raw parts, unloading of raw materials.

Choose electro-permanent magnets for:

The electro-permanent magnet excels when you are looking for energy efficiency and working on finished or semi-finished parts at ambient temperature. If your work cycles involve holding plates for long periods (machining, assembly, storage), this technology will deliver up to 95% energy savings, as it only consumes power during activation and deactivation.

Direct contact with clean surfaces maximises its magnetic efficiency. Mobile lifting beams and autonomous lifting equipment are particularly well suited to this technology.

Application examples: handling of finished plates, precision assembly, industrial robotics, portable maintenance equipment, lifting of machined metal parts.

Return on Investment

Several scenarios are possible:

You use chains or slings:

Handling is slow, as 4 points must be attached, the operator must leave the area and the load must then be moved with your overhead crane or jib crane. The load must then be detached manually. There is not only a risk of pinching and of the load falling, but also the need to check the condition of the slings.

You use a lifting electromagnet:

Because it requires a permanent power supply, your crane must be equipped with a dedicated electrical cabinet, a cable reel and backup batteries that take over in the event of a power failure. Installation costs must be taken into account in addition to the cost of the equipment and its power consumption.

You use an electro-permanent solution:

This technology requires a single pulse to magnetise. The HBEP unit is autonomous in every sense of the word and needs recharging from a standard socket (220 Vac) between once a week and once a month, depending on the number of lifts you perform.

Find out how much you could save!

Maintenance of Electro-Permanent Magnets

Simplified preventive maintenance

Electro-permanent magnets require minimal maintenance with periodic checks:

• Visual inspection
• Regular cleaning of the magnetic contact surfaces (underneath the magnet)
• Battery charge check (integrated LED indicator) for HBEP and HBEPP models
• Annual statutory inspection of the WLL in accordance with standard EN 13155 (safety factor 3)

Service Life and Reliability
An industrial-grade electro-permanent magnet can operate for more than 10 years with appropriate maintenance. HBEP models allow more than 1000 cycles on a single charge, and their robust design withstands demanding industrial environments. Periodic checks ensure that magnetic performance is maintained.

FAQ: Electro-Permanent Lifting Magnets

What is the difference between an electromagnet and an electro-permanent magnet?

An electromagnet requires a permanent electric current to maintain its magnetic force. As soon as the power supply is cut, the load is released. An electro-permanent magnet, on the other hand, only consumes electricity at the moment of activation and deactivation. Once activated, it holds the load by means of its integrated permanent magnets, even without a power supply.

Can both technologies be used in the same installation?

Absolutely! Many industrial workshops intelligently combine the two technologies depending on the workstation: electromagnets for fixed production lines with a secured power supply, and electro-permanent magnets for mobile workstations, self-propelled cranes or environments where a continuous power supply cannot be guaranteed. Overhead cranes can therefore be equipped with both systems as required.

What happens in the event of a power failure?

This is where the major advantage of the electro-permanent magnet lies: it automatically retains the load thanks to its passive safety. With a conventional electromagnet, the load may be released instantly if no backup safety system is provided.

What is the service life of an electro-permanent magnet?

A quality electro-permanent magnet can operate for more than 10 years with appropriate maintenance. Recent HBEP models allow more than 1000 cycles on a single charge, and their robust design withstands demanding industrial environments.

Can these magnets be used on hot parts?

Electro-permanent magnets lose their properties above 80°C. For high-temperature applications (up to 600°C), electromagnets should be preferred.

Conclusion: Choosing Between an Electromagnet and an Electro-Permanent Magnet

Both technologies can coexist within the same industrial installation, each optimising specific workstations. The shift towards electro-permanent magnets is part of a drive for energy efficiency and enhanced safety, without systematically replacing electromagnets in the areas where they excel.

A customised technical analysis remains essential to determine the optimal solution for your specific operational constraints, whether for fixed or mobile lifting equipment.

Make the right choice with our experts

This article helps you better understand electro-permanent magnet technologies, but our experts travel throughout France and abroad to analyse your specific magnetic lifting requirements and recommend the optimal magnetic lifting solution for your industrial application.

**A Global Reference in Industrial Magnetism

****LENOIR-MEC**, which has specialised for nearly 80 years in the development of custom industrial magnetic applications, is your trusted partner for electro-permanent magnetic lifting solutions.

Contact our team of experts for a personalised demonstration and benefit from a free technical audit tailored to your industrial handling requirements.

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