Patent ID: 9281108
Filing Date: 2016-03-08
CPC Classification: B21J,B23Q,B25B,B25J,H01F

Claim Text:
1. A method of clamping a stack, the method comprising: positioning permanent magnets against a first surface of the stack; placing a flux-conducting structure against a second surface of the stack; and applying external magnetic field pulses to the permanent magnets to magnetize and demagnetize the permanent magnets, wherein applying external magnetic field pulses to the permanent magnets to magnetize the permanent magnets comprises promoting magnetic domain alignment within the permanent magnets sufficient to clamp the stack between the permanent magnets and the flux conducting structure; wherein applying external magnetic field pulses to the permanent magnets to demagnetize the permanent magnets comprises demoting magnetic domain alignment within the permanent magnets sufficient to reduce a clamping force applied to the stack by the flux-conducting structure and the permanent magnets; wherein applying external magnetic field pulses is performed in a first direction for magnetizing the permanent magnets; and wherein applying external magnetic field pulses is performed in a second direction for demagnetizing the permanent magnets, the second direction being opposite the first direction.