The 70,000 sq ft Minneapolis facility has a production capacity of more than five tons per year and defined manufacturing processes for Niron’s full-scale manufacturing plant.
Niron Magnetics has officially opened its commercial pilot plant in Minneapolis.
The facility produces a sustainable alternative to rare earth element (REE) permanent magnets, which are critical inputs to various technologies and industries, including electric vehicles, wind energy, consumer electronics, and data centre operations.
Niron’s magnet technology is the only commercially available magnet developed without REE. It is manufactured from iron and nitrogen sourced in the United States.
The 70,000 sq ft (6,500 sqm) Minneapolis facility has a production capacity of more than five tons per year and defined manufacturing processes for Niron’s full-scale manufacturing plant.
Commenting on the deal, Jonathan Rowntree, CEO of Niron Magnetics, said, “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 follows the announcement earlier this month that Niron 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 annually and is expected to come online in 2026.
Recycling rare earths from old electronics is incredibly difficult, and the supply chains/infrastructure to do that at scale for data centres are currently not market-ready. Alternative producers such as Niron fill a market gap for sustainably sourced non-REE magnets required in many technologies key to data centre operations.
