Output of anisotropic bonded NdFeB magnets on steady rise

Key players lead initiatives to grow the high-end category and complement the mainstream selection of isotropic units.

Major suppliers of bonded NdFeB magnets in China continue to pursue the development and manufacture of anisotropic varieties to build up the category amid climbing demand. This is expected to increase local output by more than 20 percent in end-2015. The type, however, is still a minority to conventional isotropic kinds, which represent more than 90 percent of yield.

Galaxy Magnet, the largest bonded NdFeB magnet maker in the country and a key one globally, acquired independent intellectual property rights in the preparation of anisotropic variants. It began batch production in 2014 as scheduled, and is on track to meet the 300-ton target annual capacity in two years.

Guangzhou Zhongci, which entered the anisotropic segment in 2014, has introduced an injection molded MJMN1330-grade model. The unit has 8,230Gs residual flux density, 6,780Oe coercivity, 13,680Oe intrinsic coercive force, and 15.10GMoe maximum energy product. It supports up to 100 C operating temperature. The applications are sensors, linear actuators, microphone assemblies, magnetic separators, and DC and servo motors.

In the years ahead, uptick in requirement is anticipated to attract more players. The local pool remains small with fewer than 10 manufacturers due to the venture's high technology and investment. The outlay for equipment, in particular, is still prohibitive, spurring the majority of suppliers to stay focused on mainstream isotropic variants.

Anisotropic magnets are made using hydrogenation, disproportionation, desorption and recombination, through which technique up to 300nm crystallites can be realized. Compared with isotropic counterparts, they have higher magnetic performance by 30 to as much as 100 percent. As such, the advanced type contributes to greater miniaturization, lighter weight and enhanced precision in application products. In addition, the technology allows substitution of pure neodymium with praseodymium-neodymium alloy for better anti-oxidation and mechanical performance. The latter metal is only 80 percent the cost of the other material. With these advantages, the magnet type is forecast to gain more traction upstream in coming years.

NdFeB magnet hub

China is the biggest production base for NdFeB magnets, generating up to 80 percent of the global volume. The rest comes from Japan and the US. Neomax, Shinetsu, TDK and Hitachi Metals are among the key companies in the first.

The domestic pool has 200 suppliers, mostly small and midsize operations. Only about 20 makers boast annual manufacturing capacity surpassing 100 tons. Fewer than 50 offer bonded types, while themajority concentrate on sintered kinds. The last accounts for 90 percent of local output for the line.

Companies are confident the industry in China will bounce back to two-digit output growth in coming months. Besides rising demand, they cite declining expenditure as spur because input sourcing options are now wider with the expiration of a Magnequench patent last year. The latter development is also expected to strengthen the bonded NdFeB magnet sector, which has not expanded as fast as the sintered category due to material cost challenges.

In the next one or two years, the consumer electronics, wind power and electric vehicle segments will be among the top applications for this line in China, particularly the last two, according to the China Industry Information. Installed generation capacity for the second industry will exceed 20 million kW in 2015, climbing nearly 20 percent YoY, opening up more opportunities for the line. For the EV market, the projected requirement for NdFeB magnets will hit 2,879.1 tons by end-2015 from about 1,801.7 tons last year. In 2020, this may reach 30,000 tons.

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