Hitachi Metals America, Ltd. offers solutions to high prices and supply risks for dysprosium, a heavy rare-earth element used in the automotive industry. In response to industry needs, the company has developed alternative strategies. First, it has accelerated development of reduced-dysprosium NEOMAX series Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets enabled by DDMagic, a dysprosium vapor deposition diffusion technology. DDMagic technology has been used in the NEOMAX series for automotive applications such as traction motors for hybrid-electric vehicles/electric vehicles (HEV/EV) and electric power steering (EPS) motors. In addition, the company recently developed new technologies to further reduce dysprosium use and currently is running a sample evaluation program with key customers. Full commercialization of the NEOMAX series with new dysprosium reduction technologies is scheduled for 2014. Second, Hitachi Metals has developed the NMF 12 series sintered ferrite magnets, high-performance ferrite magnets—alternatives to neodymium sintered magnets for some applications. A next generation of ferrite magnets is also under development. North American production of the NEOMAX series Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets is slated to begin in April.
