Can you make a special one for me, I turn a lot of aluminium and it would be really useful.

Put a rare earth magnet on some bronze and see what happens.

I used to get students to drop a steel slug down a piece of copper pipe and catch it, as it exited, with the same hand. Then substitute a neo magnet for the steel slug and show how easy it was to catch it!

In simple terms, lines of magnetic field crossing a conductor induce a current which, in turn, produces a magnetic field which opposes that of the magnet (and defeats gravity a bit). B

asics of motors and generators.

Hi Colin. Great tool at decent cost saving.
Surprising how your helpful post can attract the muppets

Well done!

* Danny M *

I think if you put a non magnetic conductor in an alternating magnetic field you get repulsion, not attraction.

Repulsion or attraction does it matter? the main thing there a force, the question is how can we use that force to move the swarf particles?

Hi Collin

I was thinking along the lines of a plastic tube probably double walled that had a series of electromagnets wound within it. If they were energized in order starting at the bottom, would small particles of material be propelled along the tube?

After I posted this question I did a little research: In the past I have seen a number of videos of DIY versions of so called rail guns, these however usually use sliding contacts and rather large capacitor banks to store enough energy to propel a projectile. Some appear to be quite dangerous. This is certainly not my intention here, I only want to move material at safe speeds.

I then stumbled upon what are called coilguns, these do not use sliding contacts they are more like a stack of solenoids see the link below.

**LINK**

From that link the following paragraph on non ferromagnetic projectiles

"Some designs have non-ferromagnetic projectiles, of materials such as aluminum or copper, with the armature of the projectile acting as an electromagnet with internal current induced by pulses of the acceleration coils." They are inducing eddy currents in the material.

So maybe there is a way to move non ferrous material slowly.

To be absolutely clear I have no interest and will not participate in any conversation about moving anything but swarf, waste or any other low speed material moving use.

I wonder if this is already done in industry?

Regards
J