What is Rare-Earth-Free Technology?Why Are Magnet Manufacturers Paying Attention to It?

The technology of rare-earth-free magnets mainly involves the development of permanent magnetic materials with excellent magnetic properties without the use or with minimal use of heavy rare-earth elements (such as dysprosium, terbium, etc.). This technology has emerged due to the scarcity and rising prices of rare-earth elements and the demand for more efficient and environmentally friendly materials. Below is a detailed explanation of the rare-earth-free technology:

Definition and Background

Rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials refer to permanent magnetic materials that do not contain rare-earth elements such as neodymium, samarium, terbium, etc., or although they contain elements like neodymium, they are specially treated to reduce dependence on heavy rare-earth elements. These materials have many excellent physical and chemical properties, such as high coercivity, high energy product, and high stability, and have become one of the primary materials used in applications such as motors, generators, magnetic storage, and magnetic random-access memory (MRAM).

Technical Features and Advantages

High Coercivity and High Energy Product

Rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials have high coercivity and magnetic energy product, allowing them to maintain stable magnetic properties in various harsh environments.

Low Temperature Coefficient

The magnetic properties of these materials are less affected by temperature, enabling their use over a wide temperature range.

Excellent Mechanical Properties

Rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials typically have good mechanical properties, such as high strength and toughness, making them capable of withstanding various mechanical stresses.

Reduced Cost

Due to the reduced dependence on heavy rare-earth elements, the cost of rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials is usually lower, helping to reduce the manufacturing costs of related products.

Main Types and Applications

Bainitic Fe-Co-V Alloy

This is one of the most widely used rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials. It has high coercivity and excellent magnetic properties, making it an important material for manufacturing high-performance motors and generators.

NdFeB-Based Fe-Nd-B Alloy

This is a new type of rare-earth-free permanent magnetic material, with magnetic properties superior to traditional rare-earth permanent magnets. It has been successfully applied in magnetic storage and MRAM, achieving significant results.

Additionally, through formula optimization and strip casting structure optimization, the dependence on heavy rare-earth elements in high-performance magnets can be further reduced, leading to the development of more types of rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials.

Ningbo Ketian Magnet Co., Ltd. has long been committed to the research and production of sintered NdFeB magnets with rare-earth-free additives, mainly used in wind power generation and consumer electronics, or as diffusion substrates for high-performance grades of magnets.

Typical rare-earth-free grades developed by Ketian Magnet include 48SH, 45SH, 42SH, 52H, 50H, 48H, 45H, 54M, 52M, N58, N55, etc. These magnets feature low cost, high consistency, good machinability, and high corrosion resistance.

Development Trends and Challenges

With continuous technological advancements and increasing demand for high-performance materials, the future prospects for rare-earth-free technology will be even broader. However, this technology also faces challenges, such as how to further improve the magnetic properties of the materials, how to reduce manufacturing costs, and how to meet the specific requirements of particular application fields.

In summary, rare-earth-free technology is a technology with broad application prospects and significant importance. With ongoing research and development, it is believed that more types of rare-earth-free permanent magnetic materials will be developed in the future and widely applied across various fields.

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