Neodymium Permanent Magnets in the United States
Read about the first manufacturing operation ready to deliver neodymium permanent magnets in the United States.
I have co-authored previous articles on Magnetic Materials for the Loudspeaker Industry with Salvador Magdaleno (Salvador Consultant), a noted magnetic and electromagnetic consultant, who was instrumental in sharing his work on introducing Niron to our readers, for his magnetic simulations in numerous articles, along with his contribution to the design of most of the magnetizers currently in US speaker factories.
Most of us assume that neodymium ore must only come from China and that is how they have achieved a monopoly on neodymium (neo) magnets. And it is true that China is the dominant supplier of neo magnetics, globally controlling 87% of the global permanent magnet market, and thanks to its control of most of the world's rare-earth production, it is also the low-cost producer.
Pricing on neodymium seems to be determined by China. Yet, about 20% of the ore sourced by China comes from California (from the Mountain Pass deposit near the border with Nevada off Hwy 15), and another 20% from Australia.
