Process for producing rare earth-iron-boron-type permanent magnets

Claim 1

What is claimed is: 1. A process for the preparation of permanent magnet materials of the Iron-Boron-Rare Earth type, which process comprises the steps of: (a) in a non-oxidizing or reducing atmosphere preparing a metallic powder having a mean particle size of about 0.3 to about 80 microns and a composition by atomic percent, consisting of, (i) a rare earth component comprising from about twelve percent (12%) to about twenty-four percent (24%) of the overall composition and comprising at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, praseodymium, lanthanum, cerium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, europium, samarium, gadolinium, promethium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, and yttrium, and wherein at least fifty percent (50%) of said rare earth component consists of neodymium, praseodymium or a combination thereof; (ii) a boron component comprising from about four percent (4%) to about twenty-four percent (24%) of the overall composition and comprising boron; and (iii) an iron component comprising at least fifty-­two percent (52%) of the overall composition and comprising iron; (b) compacting said metallic powder by: (i) dispersing the metallic powder in a suitable fluid; (ii) orienting the dispersed particles of metallic powder by application of an external magnetic field to produce an oriented dispersion; (iii) maintaining the orientation of the dispersion while wet-pressing the oriented dispersion to remove substantially all of the fluid and compact the metallic powder; and (iv) drying the compacted metallic powder to remove residual fluid; and (c) sintering the compacted metallic powder in a non-­oxidizing or reducing atmosphere at a temperature of from about nine hundred degrees centigrade (900°C) to about twelve hundred degrees centigrade (1200°C) to form a sintered body. 2. A process for the preparation of permanent magnet materials of the Iron-Boron-Rare Earth type, which process comprises the steps of: (a) in a non-oxidizing or reducing atmosphere preparing a metallic powder having a mean particle size of about 0.3 to about 80 microns and a composition consisting of, by atomic percent, (i) a rare earth component comprising from about twelve percent (12%) to about twenty-four percent (24%) of the overall composition and comprising at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, praseodymium, holmium, erbium, europium, samarium, gadolinium, promethium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium and yttrium, and wherein at least fifty percent (50%) of said rare earth component consists of neodymium, praseodymium or a combination thereof; (ii) a boron component comprising from about four percent (4%) to about twenty-four percent (24%) of the overall composition and comprising boron; and (iii) an iron component comprising at least fifty-­two percent (52%) of the overall composition and comprising iron; (b) compacting said metallic powder by: (i) dispersing the metallic powder in a suitable fluid; (ii) orienting the dispersed particles of metallic powder by application of an external magnetic field to produce an oriented dispersion; (iii) maintaining the orientation of the dispersion while wet-pressing the oriented dispersion to remove substantially all of the fluid and compact the oriented metallic powder; and (iv) drying the compacted metallic powder to remove residual fluid; and (c) sintering the compacted metallic powder at a temperature of from about nine hundred degrees centigrade (900°C) to about twelve hundred degrees centigrade (1200°C) while in a non-­oxidizing or reducing atmosphere to form a sintered body; and, (d) heat-treating the sintered body of step (c) at a temperature ranging from about three hundred fifty degrees centigrade (350°C) to about the sintering temperature of step (c) while still in a non-oxidizing or reducing atmosphere to produce a heat-treated sintered body.