During my first co-op, my company was trying to shift from using alnico magnets to rare earth magnets in order to make more powerful, compact magnetrons. In addition, switching to rare earth magnets would make it easier to fix magnetrons sent back by customers for repairs. My part in this transition was to design the magnet pack, which would serve as a template for future magnetrons of this type. The magnet pack goes around the rest of the magnetron and supplies the necessary magnetic field.

The magnet pack I designed uses eight neodymium magnets positioned so the upper portion of the magnet pack forms the north pole, while the lower portion forms the south pole. The design is held in place by using the neodymium’s magnetic forces to secure the magnets with other steel pieces. The steel pieces are then screwed onto a non-magnetic aluminum base for easy installation.