Niron Magnetics, the world’s only producer of powerful rare-earth-free permanent magnets, today announced the grand opening of its commercial pilot plant in Minneapolis. The first-of-its-kind facility produces a sustainable alternative to rare earth permanent magnets that are critical inputs to a wide variety of technologies and industries including electric vehicles, wind energy, and consumer electronics.
Today, approximately 90% of all powerful permanent magnets are produced in China and this concentrated supply chain creates significant national security risks and environmental challenges for this important technology. These rare earth magnets contain neodymium and other rare earth elements, which are sourced using unsustainable and environmentally toxic mining practices.
Niron’s Clean Earth Magnet® technology is the first and only powerful permanent magnet that does not require any rare earth elements. Instead, it is manufactured from iron and nitrogen—two abundant, safe, and non-toxic materials—that can be sustainably sourced in the US and do not require new mining projects.
The opening of the 70,000 square-foot Minneapolis facility is a key milestone on Niron’s path to scaled production of its Clean Earth Magnet® technology and the company’s ability to bridge the acute supply and demand gap for permanent magnets that is projected before the end of the decade.
“Niron is advancing the magnet industry with an inherently sustainable technology developed right here in the US,” said Jonathan Rowntree, CEO of Niron Magnetics. “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.”
The opening of Niron’s commercial pilot plant created over 60 new jobs in the Minneapolis area, including roles in engineering, manufacturing, and research and development. The commercial pilot facility has production capacity of greater than 5 tons of Clean Earth Magnets® per year and defined manufacturing processes for Niron’s full-scale manufacturing facility.
“It was great to be back at Niron Magnetics to see the progress they’re making to strengthen our country’s supply chain for advanced magnets,” said U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. “I’ve worked with Niron to secure federal resources to support their cutting-edge research, and I’ll continue fighting to ensure we remain a state and country that makes stuff, invents things, and exports to the world.”
The grand opening of Niron’s commercial pilot facility closely follows Niron’s announcement earlier this month that it had selected Sartell, Minnesota as the site for its full-scale manufacturing facility. The Sartell facility will produce 1,500 tons of rare-earth-free magnets per year and is expected to come online in 2026 to meet the surging demand for rare earth-free permanent magnets.
About Niron Magnetics
Niron Magnetics is scaling the world’s first advanced manufacturing process for the mass production of permanent magnets powered by its breakthrough material formulation. The company’s proprietary Clean Earth Magnet technology based on Iron Nitride enables magnets that are inherently high magnetization, free of rare earths and other critical materials, and will drive innovation in various industries. For more information about Niron Magnetics and its technology, please visit https://www.nironmagnetics.com/.
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