The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Lee Jeong-hwan), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, has established a foundation for self-reliance in the domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science announced on the 14th that the research team led by Dr. Lee Jeong-gu of the Magnetic Materials Research Lab of the Powder Materials Research Division succeeded in domestically producing a rare earth magnet with reduced heavy rare earth elements through support for expensive research and development facilities and technical advice that are difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to build.

Rare earth permanent magnets are key materials for eco-friendly industries such as electric vehicles and wind power generation. Recently, due to the competition for hegemony in the United States, securing a material supply chain has emerged as an important element of the future eco-friendly industry, and has been receiving much attention. However, domestic rare earth permanent magnets are entirely dependent on imports, and related domestic companies need to resolve this issue.

Seonglim Advanced Industry Co., Ltd. (CEO Gong Hung-seung), the only rare earth permanent magnet manufacturer in Korea, has been working towards domestic production since 2014, starting with its own development of permanent magnets for electric vehicles. Recently, through the technology project of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) Convergence Innovation Support Group, we are receiving technical advice on the ‘Anisotropic Rare Earth Bulk Magnet Manufacturing Technology’ from the research team of Dr. Lee Jeong-gu of the Korea Institute of Materials Science, and are spurring not only the establishment of a foundation for self-reliance in the domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets, but also the research and development of next-generation permanent magnets.

Seonglim Advanced Industry Co., Ltd. has secured the technology to produce domestically produced rare earth permanent magnets, but there were technical difficulties in the microstructure control process due to the reduction of heavy rare earth elements.

The research team led by Dr. Lee Jeong-gu of Materials Research Institute provided technical advice and support to optimize the characteristics of permanent magnets by applying a hot deformation process to refine crystal grains and suppress secondary phase formation based on its existing equipment infrastructure and technological know-how.

Through this, we were able to improve the quality of domestically produced rare earth permanent magnets, as well as contribute to stabilizing the domestic supply chain by leading to the localization and improvement of technological capabilities for permanent magnets.

Lee Jeong-gu, a senior researcher at the Korea Materials Research Institute, said, “We have stabilized the domestic supply chain of rare earth permanent magnets, a key material for electric vehicles, through the localization of rare earth permanent magnets and improved technological capabilities.” He continued, “As we expect to enter the global market in the near future, we urgently need not only joint research and development between research institutes and companies, but also customized on-site corporate technology advice and support from experts to play a key role in the global supply chain.”

Meanwhile, Seonglim Advanced Industry Co., Ltd. was selected as one of the 100 leading companies in materials, parts, and equipment in 2019. In 2020, it began supplying rare earth permanent magnets for hybrid vehicle drive motors to domestic global automakers, and in 2022, it succeeded in virtually complete domestic production. In order to manufacture all processes of rare earth permanent magnets domestically, it built a pilot mass production plant in the Hyeonpung area of Daegu and held a completion ceremony in October of this year. Through this, Korea has contributed to establishing itself as the third country in the world capable of producing rare earth permanent magnets on its own, following Japan and China.