LG Innotek and Seonglim Advanced Industry Jointly Develop Eco-Friendly Magnets
Reduce rare earth metal usage by 40% to minimize supply shortage risk
Improved vehicle shape motors and smartphone camera performance


Eco-friendly magnets minimize the use of rare earth elements, which are highly valuable. They are essential materials for vehicle motors, smartphone cameras, audio speakers, wind turbines, and other devices. Installed in products requiring motion, they provide power through the magnetic pull and pull.

LG Innotek announced on the 13th that it had successfully developed an eco-friendly magnet with the world's strongest magnetic force in collaboration with magnet specialist Seonglim Advanced Industry.

This product significantly reduces the use of heavy rare earth elements in magnets by approximately 60% compared to previous models. Furthermore, it surpasses Japanese competitors and raises the performance of magnets for home appliances and vehicle steering motors to a world-leading 14.8 kG (kilogauss). The technical performance limit of these magnets is estimated at 15 kG, while current commercial Japanese products achieve performance levels of 14.2 to 14.3 kG.

Applying eco-friendly magnets to vehicle steering motors can increase motor output while reducing size, resulting in lighter products. This is ideal for electric and hybrid vehicles, where weight reduction is urgently needed to improve fuel efficiency due to increased battery weight. By reducing the size of the motor, the cost of raw materials used in the motor, such as copper, which has recently been on the rise, can also be reduced.

Recently, the size and weight of smartphone camera lenses for high-definition photography have increased, driving a growing demand for improved performance in actuator magnets. Conversely, smartphones are becoming thinner, increasing the demand for smaller, more powerful magnets. Eco-friendly magnets generate stronger magnetic force within the same size, potentially increasing actuator driving power by approximately 10%.

LG Innotek began developing eco-friendly magnets with reduced heavy rare earth elements in 2017, and since 2019, it has focused on achieving industry-leading performance. To achieve this, the company has joined forces with Sunglim Advanced Industry, a company with expertise in reducing heavy rare earth elements. The two companies developed a coating solution for eco-friendly magnets that uses fewer heavy rare earth elements while maintaining maximum magnetic strength across a wide range of products and temperatures. They then developed a new magnetic material optimized for the coating solution and launched this new product.

In particular, judging that it would be impossible to catch up with Japan's technological prowess in a short period of time using existing development methods, a machine learning-based simulation technique was introduced, shortening the development period to one year.

LG Innotek plans to strengthen its competitive edge by applying eco-friendly magnets to its products, including automotive steering motors and smartphone actuators. It also plans to promote the technology to global automakers, auto parts companies, and smartphone manufacturers. Applications are also expected to expand to include air conditioners, refrigerators, drones, urban flying cars, and generators.

In the future, we plan to accelerate the development of rare earth-free magnets that do not contain rare earth elements at all.