UPGRADE

Context and topic

Sintered Nd-Fe-B-type permanent magnets (PM) are essential components of electrical machines that require a high energy product/volume ratio for weight reduction and better reliability. However, to compensate the decrease in magnets coercivity with temperature, substitution of Nd by heavy rare earths (HRE) is widely used at industrial scale. This approach seriously increases the dependence on these critical raw materials in EU magnet industry.

Goal

UPGRADE aims at upscaling the Strip Casting process allowing to obtain alloys with refined microstructure for new permanent magnet (PM) grades designed for growing markets (automotive, electric power generators) with low content of critical raw materials (Tb, Dy). The refinement of the produced material flakes offers the production of sintered magnets of equal grades while saving material and process costs.
 

Funding code

The UPGRADE project is funded by EIT RawMaterials.

Duration

01.01.2019 – 31.12.2021
 

Affiliated partners

• Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) – Coordinator
  Grenoble, France
• Centro Ricerche Fiat S.C.p.A. (CRF C.R.F.)
  Orbassano (TO), Italy
• Fraunhofer IWKS
  Hanau, Germany
• Less Common Metals Ltd.
  Cheshire, United Kingdom
• Technical University Darmstadt, Department of Materials Science
  Darmstadt, Germany
• Vacuumschmelze GmbH & Co. KG
  Hanau, Germany