Current Status and Future Development of the Magnetic Materials Industry in China

Abstract

Recently, the economy in developed countries has got rid of the shadow of recession that took place during the last decade: economic recession in Japan began in the early 1990s, whereas in Europe the recession has not been as strong as expected, and the US economy has been weakened somewhat since the end of 2000. The only exception is China, where the economic boom has continued from the middle of the 1980s with a GDP growth of around 9% per year. These economic developments have had a strong impact on the structure of magnet industries in the world. Owing to the rising cost of manufacturing and a drop in the price of sales, the production of magnets in developed countries has become extremely difficult. As a consequence, western magnet manufacturers produce magnetic assemblies with higher added values, while their magnet production has been partially shifted to developing countries, including China. Product quality in China has been steadily improving during the last decade. From this point of view, Part I of this contribution deals with the macroeconomy aspects of the present and future trends. Part II of this contribution deals with the current status and future trends of the hard magnet industry. Depending on their coercivity or their ability to keep magnetization over long times, magnets are divided into two groups: Soft magnetic materials lose their magnetic moment completely if the applied magnetic field is removed. Hard magnetic materials keep their magnetic moment over many years without applying a magnetic field. Three main types of hard magnetic materials are available: Alnico, hard ferrites, and rare‐earth magnets (SmCo, NdFeB, etc.). Along with the full dense sintered magnets, bonded magnets are also developed in China. Presently, the hard ferrites are the majority of commercially available magnets, but rare‐earth‐based magnets are developing rather fast, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Analyzing the situation of the global magnet industry more deeply and precisely, it turns out that since 1985 the structure of the global magnet industry has changed considerably: Western magnet manufacturers have started to produce downstream devices, such as higher‐valued assemblies, while their magnet production has been reduced or has shifted to developing countries, including China. In Part II, the current status and future trends of the hard magnet industry are reviewed on the basis of statistical data.

Identification of candidate genes and genomic prediction of soybean fatty acid components in two soybean populations

“…Furthermore, SA has significant value not only in the food industry but also in widespread applications in the industrial sector (Luo Y 2007). As an indispensable raw material in rubber and plastic processing industries, SA demonstrates the diversity and importance of fatty acids in different domains.…”