Linear permanent magnet brakes are a fail safe, power free, deceleration system that is used in conjunction with a metal reaction plate. Ceramic or rare earth magnets are bonded to a steel back iron plate. No input power is required.
The principal of operation is quite simple. As an electrically conductive reaction plate moves thru a permanent magnet field at some velocity, eddy currents are produced in the plate. These Eddy currents, in conjunction with the magnetic field, produce a force that opposes the driving force of the plate. The result is a braking action on the conductive plate. The amount of braking is proportional to the velocity; the higher the relative velocity, the greater the breaking force, the lower the velocity the lower the braking force. The net result of all of this is a very smooth, very controlled deceleration of the payload.

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