Inter Metalix Japan Starts Plant Construction for New Nd Magnet in Gifu

Inter Metalix Japan, a joint company of Daido Steel, Mitsubishi Corporation and Molycorp, started a plant construction for next-generation neodymium sintered magnet in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan to commence commercial operation in January 2013. The plant building will complete in June 2012 and installment of productive facilities will finish by September 2012. At the same time, Inter Metalix Japan opens a sales base in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan within March 2012 and launches sales activities for domestic and overseas automobile makers. The production of neodymium magnet is scheduled at approximately 500 tonnes per year in 2014.

Neodymium magnet is mainly consisted of rare earths such as neodymium and dysprosium which is applied to motors for eco-friendly cars. The demand is expected to expand for several environmental applications. Meanwhile, it is strongly required to reduce rare earth usage in the magnet since material supply is unstable. Inter Metalix Japan successfully established mass production technology for next generation neodymium magnet that reduced rare earth usage by 40% without lowering magnetic coercive and heat resistance.

The new plant will install a sintering furnace which can produce the magnet at 500 tonnes per year as well as a press-less process which can accept various shapes of the magnet at high yield. The plant building has a capacity for the second phase expansion up to 1,000 tonnes per year.