Less Common Metals recently welcomed researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Manchester to discuss the latest developments and projects with particular emphasis on rare earth free permanent magnets, highlighting LCM’s role in the EU-funded PASSENGER project.

LCM is working with a consortium of 20 partners, including other companies, but also universities, research organisations, and non-profit organisations situated across Europe, to develop rare-earth free permanent magnets that support Europe’s transition to a sustainable and resilient supply chain for critical raw materials. Within this project, LCM leads the Pilot Plant 1, which aims to scale up fabrication of the Mn-Al-C alloy by casting.

The day opened with a warm welcome and our Senior Process Engineer, Dr. Nik Tankov, led with a keynote on developing sustainable rare earth free permanent magnets, a pressing topic as the world seeks to reduce dependency on critical raw materials.

We were also pleased to host Dr. Leo Zhidong from the University of Liverpool, who presented his work on advanced 3D printing for functional and smart materials.

After a collaborative networking lunch, guests joined a guided tour of LCM’s facility, gaining insight into the processes behind our specialist alloys and materials. The afternoon continued with talks from Dr. Peng Gong (University of Manchester), who presented her work on hydrogen embrittlement in steels. Followed by Dr. Elisabetta Mariani (University of Liverpool) highlighting the Materials Innovation Factory which is part of the University of Liverpool, and her research on characterisation of critical raw materials and their sources.

Thank you to our speakers and we look forward to continuing conversations and collaboration with local universities.

For more information about our work in the PASSENGER Project, visit: PASSENGER Pilot Plant 1 – Less Common Metals.