World's first manufacturing plant for rare-earth-free magnets opening in Minneapolis.

Approximately 90% of the world's industrial permanent magnets are produced in China, leaving the supply chain open to significant disruption with environmental, economic, or national security risks.

Permanent magnets containing neodymium and other rare earth elements are essential components in a wide variety of technologies and industries, including MRI machines, electric vehicles, wind turbines, extensive applications in consumer electronics, and high power-density defense systems.

Niron Magnetics, the pioneering manufacturer of iron nitride-based "Clean Earth Magnets," has announced the grand opening of a first-of-its-kind 70,000-square-foot commercial pilot plant in Minneapolis, Minn.

The company's new plant will produce permanent magnets manufactured from iron and nitrogen – domestically abundant and affordable materials that can be sustainably sourced in the U.S. without the need for new mining projects – that do not require rare earth elements.

Frank Johnson, Niron's chief technology officer, emphasized permanent magnets as a key product using rare earths in an interview with National Defense Magazine.

"What we've developed is a magnetic compound and a product, a magnet, that does not contain any rare earth element and thus is not subject to those supply constraints," Johnson said. "It's also a more magnetically powerful compound, so it can potentially outperform rare [earth] magnets," he added. Niron's alternative magnets promise improved temperature stability as well, which is critical for automotive use.

"The details depend on what application it is – how much power is needed – but we foresee that we can displace a lot of the need for rare elements in defense applications, or we can also free up the supply of rare earth elements if we can substitute for rare earth magnets in more civilian applications," Johnson said. "As a metallurgist, it's just a real treat to be able to see this come from early stage [research and development] – where it was in the early part of my career – to something that we're going to bring into the market in the near future."

The commercial pilot facility's production capacity is more than five tons of Clean Earth Magnets per year and demonstrates manufacturing processes for Niron's full-scale manufacturing facility.

Niron has raised $33 million in additional funding from GM Ventures and Stellantis Ventures, as well as previous investment funds from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the University of Minnesota, and Volvo Cars Tech Fund.

"Nearly 40 years ago, GM's R&D team discovered and commercialized the world's first high-powered, rare-earth permanent magnet material. GM Ventures' investment in Niron's Magnetics brings our rich history in specialized magnet innovation full circle," said Anirvan Coomer, president of GM Ventures. "Niron's Clean Earth Magnet could help GM make more affordable EVs for its customers out of more abundant materials."

"We were drawn to invest in Niron by the impressive sustainability benefits that its Clean Earth Magnet technology offers for vehicles and the inherent scalability of their solution," said Adam Bazih, managing partner at Stellantis Ventures. "Making powerful magnets from plentiful commodity materials decouples new production from rare earth mine development and lowers overall environmental impact, which directly aligns with Stellantis' commitment to reach carbon net zero by 2038."

"We are thrilled that local organizations like SMSC and UMN continue to support Niron's growth, and that GM and Stellantis both see the potential for Niron's technology to help drive the automotive industry's transition to EVs," said Jonathan Rowntree, CEO at Niron. "We look forward to collaborating closely with all of our investors and partners to work towards enabling a rare earth-free future in magnetics."

"Niron is advancing the magnet industry with an inherently sustainable technology developed right here in the US," said Rowntree. "With the official opening of our commercial pilot plant, we've taken a significant step towards establishing a reliable, domestic supply of high-performance magnets critical for US national security, while launching the next generation of clean energy technologies and sustainable manufacturing."

In a separate announcement, Niron named the city of Sartell, Minn., as the site for its second manufacturing facility, which the company expects to break ground on early next year, followed by production in 2026.

In addition to automobiles, Niron's Clean Earth Magnet technology is slated for use in consumer electronics and audio technology, industrial motors, pumps, compressors, wind turbines, and more.