Recycling the magnets that power the green transition

SICAPERMA value chain

Old PM

PM Collection

Pilot 1

Forefront multisources recycling methods of PM raw materials

Pilot 2

Innovative manufacturing of PM from recycled materials

New PM

Pilot 3

Integration

Pilot 1 — Dismantling & Processing

What we aim for

Build a reliable, scalable system to collect, dismantle, sort, and pre-process end-of-life magnets (“urban mines”), with rigorous quality control and full traceability.

We work on HDDs, and small appliances, each with different magnet grades and coatings that we handle through dedicated protocols.

What we produce:

Ingots & flakes
(casting, melt-spinning) for sintered magnets

Powders & pellets
(crushing/milling, ultrasonic and gas atomisation)

Hydrogen-decrepitated (H₂) powders for both sintered and bonded routes.

Good precursors are the foundation for high-quality and profitable recycled magnets. Protocols are crucial to provide information on strategies for combining different types of devices (or not).

Pilot 1 — Production of sintered and bonded magnets

Demonstrate two complementary manufacturing routes using recycled precursors:

Sintered (hot-formed) magnets

Fast hot-press sintering on recycled powders/flakes to produce fully dense magnets suitable for demanding motors with high quality performance.

Bonded (injection-moulded) magnets

Powders compounded with polymers and injection-moulded. Bonded magnets are great for complex shapes, sensors, and auxiliary automotive systems, with lower performance and energy usage per part.

Pilot 3 — Integration

Demonstrate recycled-magnet performance in real applications and benchmark against conventional magnets to optimise Pilots 1 and 2.

Where we test:

Micro Wave-Energy Converter (WEC)

Bonded magnets in a harsh, salty environment; redesigns considered to optimise the performance/price balance.

Safety switches & robotic grippers

Bonded and sintered magnets assessed for locking force, durability and safety; large energy-saving potential vs non-PM grippers.

Traction motors (elevators)

Bonded magnets validated under motor test protocols and homologation procedures.

Axial electric motor

Sintered magnets in a high-demand traction-motor architecture, with bench and comparative tests.