Since 2020, Voice Coil and audioXpress magazines have tracked the development of the world's first high-performance, rare-earth-free permanent magnets, which are considered to be the biggest innovation in magnet technology in 40 years. Composed of abundant materials — Iron and Nitrogen — these magnets were developed from research at the University of Minnesota and are known commercially as Niron Magnetics’ Clean Earth Magnet technology. This breakthrough is a game-changer for the audio industry.
Niron's Clean Earth Magnets offer several advantages over NdFeB, AlNiCo, and Ferrite magnets. Unlike neodymium or cobalt, Niron's ingredients and processes are both abundant and highly scalable, with planned manufacturing in all regions, solving the current permanent magnet supply chain resilience challenges. Clean Earth Magnets are the most stable permanent magnet from -40°C to 160°C, virtually unchanged in both flux and coercive force over that range. They are also largely electrically non-conductive and thus resistant to eddy currents.
While processing costs dominate the manufacturing price of Clean Earth Magnets, the cost of raw materials — namely nitrogen and iron sources — are historically low and stable, supporting long-term pricing agreements. With a patented, scalable process, Niron has developed the first commercial mass production process for its proprietary Iron Nitride permanent magnets.
Neodymium (neo) replacement studies conducted by Menlo Scientific and Salvador Consultant on the generation 1 Clean Earth Magnets maintain the same topology as neo magnets, but with an aspect ratio more like AlNiCo, as the pot return structure is slightly deeper to accommodate the longer magnet slug. A less obvious implication of a deeper pot is higher excursion before the voice coil bottoms out. This impacts not only woofers, which can play louder, but also improves smartphone audio quality, allowing for a more natural voice sound due to extended response further down in the voice range.
The Clean Earth Magnet is also a viable substitute for ferrite-based subwoofers, a clean alternative to musical instrument AlNiCo, high-power speakers that benefit from the high-temperature tolerance of iron nitride magnets and select microspeakers and haptic transducers.
While Niron is not publishing its BH curves at this time, there will be an Iron Nitride focus session during the upcoming ALTI Audio Summit event, where industry leaders across the audio landscape will share results and design considerations when working with the first available grades of the Clean Earth Magnet technology — you won’t want to miss it.
With these benefits, there is a receptive market ahead. But what about magnet samples and production quantities? Since Niron’s processes cannot simply convert an existing ferrite or rare earth production line, a whole new facility is required. Where will the investment for this come from? Let’s consider what the future may hold.
After decades of unstable pricing and geopolitical challenges, the need for a stable and plentiful alternative for magnets in electric motors has led to investments from GM Ventures, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, and Stellantis (Fiat/Chrysler Automobiles and French PSA). By the end of 2023, Niron Magnetics had raised $100 million in funding. However, to reach large-scale production, additional investment was necessary, and Samsung, Magna, Allison Transmission, and other previous investors contributed an additional $25 million in early 2024.
Moving Forward with the Investment Funding
On October 10, 2024, Niron Magnetics hosted the grand opening of its commercial pilot plant. The opening of the 70,000 square-foot Minneapolis facility is a key milestone in 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.
The event included attendees and speakers from all types of industries and backgrounds, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Representative Pete Stauber, Representative Betty McCollum, Senator Amy Klobuchar, GM Ventures Principal Daniel Bouie, and Deputy Director of Technology at ARPA-E Dr. Daniel Cunningham. They even played the US National Anthem on the world's first electric guitar made using pickups with Niron Magnetics’ Clean Earth Magnet technology. The stunning custom guitar was built by Derry Woodworking, Vig Guitars handwound the Clean Earth Magnet pickups, and MISCO provided the Little Walter amp featuring its Tone Speak guitar speaker for this performance.
In addition to its pilot scale facility coming online, Niron announced its plans to stay in Minnesota for its first high-volume plant. Niron selected Sartell, MN, to build its 150,000 square-foot manufacturing facility (Plant 1), which will produce 1,500 tons of rare-earth-free magnets per year and is expected to come online in 2026. This facility is also expected to create 175 full-time jobs.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 10, Jonathan Rowntree, Niron’s CEO stated, "We are putting down our roots and expanding into our next phase. Sartell’s investments in creating a livable, sustainable community align perfectly with our values and vision for supporting GreenTech businesses in Minnesota. We look forward to working with our partners at the City of Sartell to usher in the next phase of American clean energy and manufacturing growth."
Meanwhile, Niron has announced participation as a Keynote Speaker at the ALTI Audio Summit 2025, which will take place in Scottsdale, AZ, from March 5-7, 2025 at Embassy Suites by Hilton. ALTI Association's event - promoted as The Marketplace for Global Supply Chain Diversity And Practices - will focus on the diversity and resilience of supply chains and will feature a series of presentations on magnets and materials. Niron Magnetics will not only be presenting at the event, but it will also be presenting new opportunities to project sustainable sourcing for the audio industry, while helping our environment at the same time.
Audio Industry Support
The Niron Magnetics facility is located northwest of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, where another US audio industry stalwart is based: MISCO Speaker Company. Founded in 1949 as Minneapolis Speaker Company (MISCO), the company is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and not surprisingly has been cooperating with Niron Magnetics and participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the first commercial pilot facility.
"MISCO has been pleased to work with Niron Magnetics for the past two years, providing our insight and experience of what magnetic technology is needed in the loudspeaker industry. We were especially thrilled that our ToneSpeak brand guitar speakers could be the speakers of choice in demonstrating Niron Magnetics' first-ever magnetic guitar pickups," stated MISCO’s CEO Dan Digre.
"Niron’s Clean Earth Magnet technology has the potential to greatly change the loudspeaker industry’s reliance on rare earth magnets, which are both expensive and subject to cost volatility. And for those of us who build drivers in America, this will give us a domestic source of magnets. Not only domestic, but clean and green domestic magnets, not coming out of mines."
Digre also announced that “both MISCO and their acoustics test lab Warkwyn will be exhibiting at the ALTI Summit. In discussion with Niron's CEO Jonathan Rowntree, our plan is to build a functioning pair of high-quality, full-range single driver hi-fi speakers using Niron’s magnets and display them at the event." There will be a magnetics (group therapy) session at the Summit and Digre will be on the panel.
Other confirmed initiatives have already been confirmed with Faital S.p.A, an ALPS Alpine company, as an early audio partner pioneering Clean Earth Transducer designs with the Clean Earth Magnet. A long-established Italian autosound OEM and professional audio speaker stalwart (Faital Pro), Faital S.p.A is dedicated to pioneering a new age of eco-friendly speakers.
Niron Magnetics has also recently received Logitech’s distinguished recognition in “The Future Positive Challenge” contest. This program was conceived to find breakthrough, disruptive innovations that are integral to advancing lower carbon impact technologies. Logitech continually looks for groundbreaking, next-generation materials, components, and processes to boost the company’s Design for Sustainability efforts. Logitech’s Future Positive Challenge searches the globe for cutting-edge solutions to engineering and process design challenges in electronic devices. Winners were selected from a wide candidate pool and represent an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and innovators. Each company will be offered the opportunity to work with Logitech on a Proof-of-Concept collaboration project.
Niron’s award from Logitech was for its creative engineering combining nanomaterial engineering with metallurgical methods in its development of high-performance, rare-earth-free permanent magnets. The next step is harnessing and scaling these solutions within Logitech’s products and across the tech ecosystem to drive the change necessary for a positive future.
Several reports published in audioXpress and Voice Coil about Niron's Clean Earth Magnet technology are available online. Read the article available online.
For more information about Niron Magnetics and its technology, visit www.nironmagnetics.com.
I would like to thank Salvador Magdaleno Adame (Salvador Consultant) for his always valuable contribution to this article. Salvador offers services in the design and analysis of magnetic and electromagnetic devices, as well as consultancy for seeking engineering solutions in this field.
This article was originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter, (#491), November 7, 2024.
