Nidec Motor Corporation and Noveon Magnetics have made a 5-year, binding off-take agreement with the potential to supply more than 1,000 tons of total off-take of finished sintered NdFeB rare earth magnets to support Nidec’s operations with deliveries beginning in 2025.
“As a leading global motor manufacturer, Nidec is excited to partner with Noveon to ensure we meet the needs of our customers while supporting efforts to develop a robust supply chain for critical components essential to our industries,” said Michael Briggs, president of Nidec Motion & Energy. “Noveon’s EcoFlux magnets deliver a sustainable, superior finished product for our business units, enhancing the high standard of performance and quality we deliver to our customers. This partnership further reinforces the importance of a strong U.S. manufacturing capability, and we are proud to lead the way in building a sustainable, resilient, and strategically vital domestic supply chain for our future.
“Securing a reliable and sustainable American-made source of rare earth magnets allows Nidec to enhance its operational resilience and competitive advantage while contributing to the broader effort to strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity in strategically important sectors,” said Mark Weisheit, Vice President of Procurement at Nidec Motion & Energy.
“This agreement is a critical step in strengthening America’s industrial base and ensuring the availability of advanced rare earth magnet technology for our nation’s most strategic industries,” said Scott Dunn, CEO of Noveon. “Together with Nidec, we are advancing a domestic solution to meet the growing demand for high-performance materials across critical sectors – industrial, automation, robotics, automotive, energy, and defense – while addressing the geopolitical and operational challenges posed by a reliance on foreign supply chains.”
At present, says Noveon, it is the only operational manufacturer of high-performance sintered NdFeB rare earth magnets in the U.S. Plants of others are due to come onstream soon, however, in a resurgence of magnet manufacturing in North America, also taking place in Europe. Noveon’s EcoFlux magnets are the product of a total magnet manufacturing capability which allows for beneficial use of recycled materials to directly support magnet manufacturing.
Designed and engineered with in-house technology which improves composition and microstructure, the company’s EcoFlux magnets are sustainably produced and able to meet requirements across the entire performance range with a special emphasis on high-growth, high-temperature applications. In short, says the company, we’re using our technology to disrupt the industry by manufacturing a superior quality product designed to exact specifications for a given application. It can be produced and delivered as block or finished pieces or supplied as assembly.
The magnets can be produced with everything from virgin materials to 100% recycled, end-of-life feedstock materials. They require 20% less heavy rare earth materials than traditionally produced magnetic materials. They can perform at high temperatures and in harsh environments, excelling in temperatures greater than 100°C. They lose less than 5% of irreversible losses at temperatures over 180°C, the company reports.
For earlier reports on Noveon, query for the company in Magnetics Magazine. Based in San Marcos, Texas, it began as startup Urban Mining Company and two years ago raised $75 million in venture financing. It has struck deals with manufacturers and recyclers to obtain feedstock for producing recycled magnets. For more info, see www.noveon.co and www.nidec.com.
