Energy Fuels announced that high-purity neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide produced at its White Mesa Mill in Utah has been successfully manufactured into commercial-scale rare earth permanent magnets (REPMs).
NdFeB alloy sintered blocks (45H grade) using Energy Fuels’ NdPr oxide; Sintered blocks are REPMs prior to milling and magnetization.
The work was completed by South Korea’s largest manufacturer of drive unit motor cores, under a previously announced MOU, and passed all quality assurance and quality control benchmarks for use in electric vehicle (EV) drive unit motors supplied to major automakers.
The process included the conversion of Energy Fuels’ NdPr oxide into NdPr metal, neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) alloy sintered blocks (45H grade), and final high-performance REPMs.
With this milestone, Energy Fuels’ NdPr oxide has now been validated for use in high-temperature drive units for EV and hybrid vehicles manufactured in North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea.
The 1.2 metric tonnes of NdPr oxide supplied earlier this year were processed into approximately three metric tonnes of REPMs, enough to power around 1,500 new electric and hybrid vehicles.
Energy Fuels’ NdPr was produced from monazite concentrates mined in Florida and Georgia by The Chemours Company and processed at the White Mesa Mill. This is the only licensed US facility currently capable of producing high-purity rare earth oxides.
Filed Under: Electric Motor, Technology News