Japan finds alternative to China's rare earth metal stranglehold

[Modbert]

Japan finds alternative to China's rare earth metal stranglehold - Ferrite is might | TechEye

China's got the upper hand on the world with its rare earth metals, which are required for fancy technology we take for granted, and as recently as June this year said it doesn't want to hand them out willy-nilly. Japanese manufacturing giant Hitachi doesn't like the idea of being under the thumb and has developed a kind of motor which uses ferric oxide, a cheaper and easier to find alternative to the likes of dysprosium and neodymium.

It will use these in hybrid car manufacturing - which until now it was estimated that it takes between 1 and 1.5kg of rare earth metals to build. Hitachi reckons its ferrite magnet motor will do just the trick though a bit of technical and engineering wizardry was needed to get it up to scratch. At first its magnetic force was about 50 percent weaker than the standard rare earth model, reports Nikkei (subscription), but Hitachi managed to make improvements on the motor structure around the rotator to magnify its power.

Hitachi now claims that its home grown alternative works at almost the same performance level - but with power consumption running at 10 percent lower. At the moment the motor isn't large enough for vehicles, but Hitachi's on the case. In the meantime it is planning to begin implementing its ferrite motors in smaller kit like air conditioners.

This is excellent news considering China's stranglehold on rare earth metals that are used in everything from magnets to cars to missiles. At the current rate of consumption, China alone will run out of their own supply by 2012-2014 leaving the rest of us on our own.

Of course, it doesn't help matters about the fear of China flooding the rare metals market like they did previously to keep prices down, therefore driving out the rest of the competition again.

 

[william the wie]

Very good news indeed.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZsppOw2Mxk]YouTube - I Just Want to Celebrate - Rare Earth[/ame]

 

[loosecannon]

So neodymium is in short supply?

You can still buy it here at dirt cheap prices K&J Magnetics - Strong Neodymium Magnets, Rare Earth Magnets . Very useful for any number of projects.

Neodymium (pronounced /ˌniː.ɵˈdɪmiəm/ NEE-o-DIM-ee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is a soft silvery metal which tarnishes in air. Neodymium was discovered in 1885. It is present in significant quantities in the ore minerals monazite and bastnäsite. Neodymium is not found naturally in metallic form or unaccompanied by other lanthanides, and it is usually refined for general use. Although classed as a "rare earth" it is not rare as compared with many metals, and is widely distributed in the Earth's crust. The bulk of the world's neodymium, however, is presently mined in China.

Neodymium is never found in nature as the free element; rather, it occurs in ores such as monazite and bastnäsite that contain small amounts of all the rare earth metals. The main mining areas are China, United States, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and Australia; and reserves of neodymium are estimated at about 8 million tonnes. Although it belongs to "rare earth metals," neodymium is not rare at all - its abundance in the Earth crust is about 38 mg/kg, which is the second among rare-earth elements after cerium. The world production of neodymium is about 7,000 tonnes per year.[6] The bulk of current production is from China, whose government has recently imposed strategic materials controls on the element, raising some concerns in consuming countries.[7]

Neodymium typically comprises 10 to 18% of the rare earth content of commercial orebodies of the light rare earth element (LREE) dominant minerals bastnasite and monazite.[citation needed] With neodymium being the most strongly colored trivalent lanthanide, that level of neodymium can occasionally dominate the coloration of rare earth minerals, when competing chromophores are absent, and provide a pink coloration. Outstanding examples of this include monazite crystals from the tin veins of Llallagua, Bolivia, ancylite from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, or lanthanite from the Saucon Valley of Pennsylvania. As with neodymium glass, such minerals change color under the differing lighting conditions. The absorption bands of neodymium interact with the visible mercury vapor emission spectrum, such that unfiltered shortwave UV light causes neodymium-containing minerals to reflect a distinct green color. This can be observed with monazite-containing sands or bastnasite-containing ore.

Neodymium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't think it is rare or likely to be depleted anytime soon.

 

[loosecannon]

BTW, I really get a kick out of this disclaimer:

You are looking at the largest, most powerful, most dangerous magnet we carry. At over 1200lbs of pull force, it is likely the strongest magnet available anywhere! These HUGE blocks are no joke. They are extremely powerful and very dangerous, and as such must be handled with extreme caution.

They will pinch hard enough to break the skin and could even crush if you get between two of them or one and a piece of metal. Much worse than getting a hand slammed in a car door. They are heavy, sturdy, and unbelievably strong. Once a block this large is attached to a metal surface it will be impossible to remove it.

This magnet is not a toy and should only be handled by professionals. We recommend always having at least one other person help you handle this massive block. (smaller than a sandwich) We use a team of at least three.

You must read and understand our Neodymium Magnet Safety Page before ordering these magnets. You must also agree to our Terms and Conditions prior to purchasing. THESE ARE VERY DANGEROUS!

Due to the special manner in which this magnet must be shipped and the danger in returning it to us, we will NOT accept returns on this item. Please be sure you know what you are getting into before ordering.

GROUND SHIPPING ONLY on this item.

i can attest, having purchased magnets from this supplier only 1/8th the strength, that they are remarkably powerful. I accidentally destroyed a PC by placing one such magnet on my file cabinet 30" away.

Unbelievable strong.