the coercivity, impurities are intentionally added during the fabrication process. Production The alloys are typically machined in the unmagnetized state. Samarium–cobalt should be ground using a wet grinding process (water-based coolants) and a diamond grinding wheel. The same type of process is required if drilling holes or other features that are confined. The grinding waste produced must not be allowed to completely dry as samarium–cobalt has a low ignition point. A small spark, such as that produced with static electricity, can easily initiate combustion. The resulting fire produced can be extremely hot and difficult to control. The reduction/melt method and reduction/diffusion method are used to manufacture samarium–cobalt magnets. The reduction/melt method will be described since it is used for both SmCo5 and Sm2Co17 production. The raw materials are melted in an induction furnace filled with argon gas. The mixture is cast into a mold and cooled with water to form an ingot. The ingot is pulverized and the particles are further milled to further reduce the particle size. The resulting powder is pressed in a die of desired shape, in a magnetic field to orient the magnetic field of the particles. Sintering is applied at a temperature of 1100˚C–1250˚C, followed by solution treatment at 1100˚C–1200˚C and tempering is finally performed on the magnet at about 700˚C–900˚C. It then is ground and further magnetized to increase its magnetic properties. The finished product is tested, inspected and packed. Samarium can be substituted by a portion of other rare-earth elements including praseodymium, cerium, and gadolinium; the cobalt can be substituted by a portion of other transition metals including iron, copper, and zirconium. Uses Fender used one of designer Bill Lawrence's Samarium Cobalt Noiseless series of electric guitar pickups in Fender's Vintage Hot Rod '57 Stratocaster. These pickups were used in American Deluxe Series Guitars and Basses from 2004 until early 2010. In the mid-1980s some expensive headphones such as the Ross RE-278 used samarium–cobalt "Super Magnet" transducers. Other uses include: High-end electric motors used in the more competitive classes in slotcar racing Turbomachinery Traveling-wave tube field magnets Applications that will require the system to function at cryogenic temperatures or very hot temperatures (over 180 °C) Applications in which performance is required to be consistent with temperature change Benchtop NMR spectrometers Rotary encoders where it performs the function of magnetic actuator See also References Cobalt alloys Ferromagnetic materials Loudspeaker technology Magnetic alloys Samarium compounds