Manufacturing facility for rare-earth-free magnets opens in Minneapolis
Niron Magnetics claims it is a sustainable alternative to rare-earth permanent magnets and hopes to dilute the supply chain for these magnets that is currently reliant on China.
The site in Minneapolis, USA, deploys Niron Magnetics Clean Earth Magnet technology.
The magnets are manufactured from iron nitride, with resources that the firm says can be sustainably sourced from within the US.
The facility is over 6,500m2, has created more than 60 new jobs in the area and has production capacity of greater than 5t of magnets per year.
Permanent magnet applications are used in electric vehicles, wind energy and consumer electronics. A supply and demand gap for permanent magnets is projected before the end of the decade, and the company hopes to bridge that gap by providing an alternative to rare-earth devices.
