Engaging and Disengaging Magnetism

[Sjuan]

Hi,

I need a little help trying to determine the possibility of magnetizing and demagnetizing an object. My question is as follows:

Is it possible to line two different slabs of thick glass with magnetic strips that can be magnetized to one another for the purpose of holding them together where they do not separate without great opposing force but that can also be demagnetized for the purpose of pulling the two slabs apart?

If there is a way to demagnetize these slabs to allow them to be separated, by what process is this achieved? Is it a reaction that could be activated and deactivated by a button?

I am curious as to whether it is indeed possible for them to be disengaged by using a button and whether electromagnets are strong enough to hold two thick panels of glass together without them separating or repositioning.

Would they separate if the panels were to be dropped or would they stay in place? I ask because I have a very unique design concept for a device which would incorporate two different glass panels. I must add a microchip layer between the glass panels so as to incorporate a chargeable battery and an SD card. However, in using two glass panels as the back and front of the device, accessing the battery and SD card between these two panels must be as easy as accessing a battery or SD card on most smartphones today. This is why I am curious as to whether electromagnets would be strong enough to hold these two panels together without them coming apart or repositioning. This is also why I am curious as to whether dropping it would separate the pieces or whether they can be electronically demagnetized by button to provide easy access.

I would truly appreciate any insight and thank you for your time!

 

[duffy]

Without telling us weights, surface area, thickness of the glass, available power, or much of anything, there's no way to guess at most of what you are asking.

It's pretty safe to say you are not going to be magnetizing and de-magnetizing high coercivity magnetic materials with enough remanence to hold more than a few paper clips using something like a cell-phone battery.

However, because the magnets aren't actually touching due to the thickness of the glass, you might employ a trick used in some latching solenoids where a permanent magnet can be momentarily driven away from a ferromagnetic material by applying a reverse polarity to the latter through windings. So the magnet attracts the steel through the glass, then you switch on a coil wrapped around the steel to repel the magnet. The coil can't stay on for long, but it may work if you just need it to let go while you lift up on the glass.