U.S. magnet resilience timeline extends to early 2040s due to heavy rare earth separation constraints and Chinese export controls. (read full article...)
REEx Deep Research Forecast: When Does the United States Achieve True Mine-to-Magnet Resilience?
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Sorry but I beg to differ. One should never underestimate the US's ability to 'fast track' industrial development once 'Political will' is committed. One only has to look at the rapid rise in production capacity during WW2 or JFK's 'Space race' in the 60's, both achieved without the help of AI or robots. The eVac magnet plant in Sunter was a brown field in March 2024, today they are now shipping magnets. Yes, HREE's may be lagging NdPr, but the knowledge base is there, and the volumes required are only a fraction of the total.
I agree that all we need is the corporate or political will to do this. I have been involved in introducing CIX (continuous ion exchange) to various industries since 1985 and found that the mining industry, - that nurtured me in copper SX -, turns out to be, by far the most "pig-headed" in terms of considering that IX could challenge SX (China). A recent application WO2025019047A1 (WIPO) shows the promise. As with all major changes in direction it requires a strong industrial champion to espouse the idea and then move it into a commercial reality.