GE & Sumitomo metals - Invented Neodymium magnets. World over there is a shortage in supplies. Must be sad for the inventing engineers & scientists to see that in 43 years their own countries do not have adequate access.
Wonder how this will drive up prices of speakers. With neo mags being highly sought after by wind power, electric motors for transportation, transducers in robotics etc, scientific work and other uses that have a larger budget allocation.
go back to using hiperco for top & bottom pates and Alnico / Stronitium mags - but hiperco too is expensive and difficult to source.
There is no shortage, the only issue currently is that China halted all exports globally of raw neodymium magnets in response to tariffs. But that only applies to just the raw magnets, as they are still exporting assemblies with magnets in them. If you do R&D here on US soil with Chinese neo, this will affect you. But if you are ordering neodymium speaker motors, nothing changes. This by itself will have no affect on the price of speakers as it has not disrupted the supply chain, the only price increase will be from tariffs getting passed on to the consumer.
I first heard of Neodymium magnets as rare earth magnets. Putting them in every electric car was going to be a problem. We might have the raw materials here in North America but we might have to dig up a state to get it.
inventive people make motors (for electric cars) without rare earth materials.
And maybe there is some acceptable substitution for loudspeaker neodym. Price gets a bit up....
We profited long time from cheap prices. But had our golden age in times where electronics was more expensive.
And maybe there is some acceptable substitution for loudspeaker neodym. Price gets a bit up....
We profited long time from cheap prices. But had our golden age in times where electronics was more expensive.
Yeah they need copper which is also becoming scarce 🙂 Apart from the power they need to be magnetical (power deducted from the total power/range!), the heavy required iron and the required electronics with losses to drive them in e-cars. If one looks in detail e-cars depend on many things by just a few producing countries. It seems we choose for dependence deliberately in a way.
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Yes I am sure when there is a need - we will think of many ways - I need engineering support to help me with a patent to do away with magnets all together and retaining the other parts (not using elctro-magnetism) significantly increasing power and lowering costs - specially without any type of dependency on mineral mining and their associated processing.
I made a mistake of patenting a new product idea by myself it was very difficult process and project - but I was able to do it inclusive of putting in personal finances aong with time - but without a partner the new product has not got off the design board.
The processing is another bottle neck in the minerals mix - as a good amount of Lithium deposits were found in my country about 1 - 2 years back, I believe this is accessible and the mining process itself does not need rocket science specially for a country mining iron ore etc.
However we do not have the processing plant - and there is no news of any progress on setting up the processing plant - and the time line of actually obtaining battery grade Lithium was put at another 8 years - 8 years !!! - when I believe the government has sufficient money to throw at the project, so does who so ever may be interested in investing, as a billion consumers are right there waiting (maybe all wont use cars - but will use batteries in their phones etc).
@hunter audio
heard that inventors are the least having profit from their good ideas. Its very difficult to transform the idea to money because of lack of possibilities of investment.
Someone told me patenting is just telling the others the new good idea and they copy it then - impossible to protect the idea.
He told me if you know how to do something dont tell anybody just try to make money with it.
heard that inventors are the least having profit from their good ideas. Its very difficult to transform the idea to money because of lack of possibilities of investment.
Someone told me patenting is just telling the others the new good idea and they copy it then - impossible to protect the idea.
He told me if you know how to do something dont tell anybody just try to make money with it.
They are called rare earth metals only in name. It doesn't actually mean that they are actually rare in quantity.
Rare as in where to find them. Rare as in who is going to mine them. Rare as in "we don't have em".
So True > Just like the real inventors of Neo mags - GE & Sumitomo metals do not have it now 😀
To make money from it - one needs to
1. Identify where the minerals are available
2. Mining is a very cost intensive process - therefore get into long term agreements
3. Fund the mine - and get a share of the output - win - win for both the mine owner and the buyer.
That is put your money - where your mouth is - show good intention - in profit and loss
4. Set up - or aid - how the raw mineral will be transported to the refinery.
Fund this or - provide long term contracts - or invest in the share of profit / loss > again put your money where your mouth is
5. Get the technology for Refining, Set up refinery
6. Refine and get the final product.
Find buyers and the market.
While doing this navigate 100s of regulations and set up the chain in a sustainable way that is not stopped due to cutting corners and all of it in a cost effective to put the final product in the market in a way that the common man has access to the final product.
No wonder there are only a handful of winners.
I am in Brazil - anyone wants direct links to mine owners for all the rare earths I can set it up. I think the mineral only is not the challenge - the challenge is the entire process.
As someone else mentioned, rare earths really are not rare. They are extremely difficult to refine, occur at very low concentrations and historically very toxic chemical processes. No one wanted them in their back yard. There was a mine/refiner in the Tahoe area years ago. But too dirty/expensive and was closed. There are some newer refining techniques coming online like ReElement that promises lower cost/less toxic. It will take time and perseverance. Something the US is not good at. I am surprised more recycling doesn't happen though. I know I'll tear the magnets out of old HDD's. Those things are fantastic if you need a magnet for something. And very cool the way they use a buck magnet to minimize the stray field. Instead stacks of those things end up in the dump.