SUSMAGPRO
(Sustainable Recovery, Reprocessing and Reuse of Rare-Earth Magnets in a circular Economy) - This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The aim of this project is to develop a recycling supply chain for rare earth magnets in the EU and to demonstrate these new materials on a pilot scale within a range of application sectors.
This project will identify, separate, recycle and demonstrate recycled magnets at a pilot scale with several highly skilled professionals, based in different locations across the EU. They will target three of the main application sectors including automotive, electronics and wind turbines.
For more detail about the project you can view the website here.
SecREEts
To establish a stable and secure supply of critical rare earth elements based on a sustainable extraction from European apatite sources used in fertiliser production.
Pilot processes will be developed for the innovative extraction, separation and transformation of rare earth elements. SecREEts pilots will focus on the metals Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd) and Dysprosium (Dy) used in permanent magnets, as these are extremely critical for the European economy. These REEs will be supplied to application areas like automotive (electric vehicles), industrial motors (advanced manufacturing) and, potentially, clean energies (wind turbines).
You can view the progress here.
3DREMAG
This project aims to upscale and introduce to the market a new NdFeB powder better suited for 3D printing technology. NdFeB magnets contain around 30 wt-% of Nd and Dy, both classified as critical raw materials by the EU.
The developed powder enables 3D printing of optimized magnet configurations for e-drives needed in future mobility applications with reduced waste. This will be the first high performance spherical NdFeB powder in the market tailored for use in 3D printing.
For more detail about the project you can view the website here.
UPGRADE
The goal of the UPGRADE project is to design and achieve a fine microstructure in the strip-cast ribbons that leads to high coercive NdFeB permanent magnets. Once the microstructure and homogeneity of the ribbons will be optimized for one or several compositions, the up-scaling and transfer of the strip-casting conditions will be performed.
Preliminary results from the UpMagnet fast track project in 2017 have demonstrated the potential coercivity increase achievable with fine-grained NdFeB magnets based on optimized ribbons. The complete value chain of the magnet industry will be present in the international consortium including research institutes and alloys supplier, a magnet manufacturer and an end user for assessment.
For more information visit: https://eitrawmaterials.eu/project/upgrade/
SCALE
The SCALE project sets about to develop and secure a European Scandium (Sc) supply chain through the development of technological innovations, which will allow the extraction of Sc from European industrial residues. This will be achieved through the development of a number of innovative extraction, separation, refining and alloying technologies that will be validated in an appropriate laboratory and bench scale environment to prove their technical and economic feasibility.
For more detail about the project you can view the website here.
UK RE Magnet Base
We are extremely pleased to announce Less Common Metals has been awarded funding to conduct a feasibility study to identify the requirements for a fully integrated supply chain for Rare Earth Permanent Magnet production in the UK.
The funding has been awarded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas.
The project will allow LCM to evaluate raw material sources, production of concentrates and separation into individual rare earths, prior to processing into metals onsite, and then alloys for supply to a magnet production facility.
PASSENGER
The project aims to develop innovative pilot plants to address high economical, technological, social, and environmental relevance: a solution for the EU dependency on rare-earth raw materials for permanent magnets, avoiding bottlenecks in the material supply chain, and diminishing the environmental impact.
Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, a total of €8.9m will assist the development and innovative research. With the consortium comprising of20 partners (14 companies) from eight European countries, the project’s applications in e-mobility will have a huge contribution to the EU Green Deal objectives of zero emissions and clean urban transportation.
LCM will up-scale the production of alloys developed in the consortium in an industrial environment. This will include casting, crushing, and milling of alloys to close compositional tolerances, microstructure, and particle size for permanent magnets.
MultiMag
LCM is pleased to announce that they have joined forces with companies from 9 different countries within Europe to research and develop multi-functional, multi-material components and structures for electrification.
This three-year project brings together raw material suppliers, end-users, and RTOs for the joint development of novel solutions in the field of magnetic applications and electric machinery.
LCM’s role in the project is to participate in magnet material development and recycling, in addition to producing tailored alloy compositions via ingot and strip casting.
Visit the project website for more details: https://multimag-project.eu/