Elettronica
Nd-Fe-B Permanent Magnet developer wins 2022 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize)
Dr Sagawa was announced as the winner of the 2022 QEPrize – awarded annually to celebrate the critical role that engineering plays in global society – by Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation.
Dr Sagawa pioneered the development of a sintered rare-earth permanent magnet, the sintered neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnet. His breakthrough innovation was the creation of a new compound formed by replacing scarce and expensive cobalt and samarium with more abundant and cheaper iron and neodymium, and at the same time introducing boron to improve the magnetic properties – the first step in delivering high performance to a mass market.
Dr Sagawa then led the research and development in the 1980s and early 1990s to successfully overcome the issues of sudden reduction of magnetic coercivity at high temperature, most notably by adding dysprosium (Dy) to improve heat resistance. This resulted in the development of high-volume manufacturing techniques which successfully commercialised his innovation. For even wider applications, he continued to develop novel techniques for reducing the amount of dysprosium or even eliminating its use to help preserve natural resources.
The result was a new magnet for the mass market that almost doubled the performance of the previous best and successfully turned Nd-Fe-B magnets into a viable industrial material with wide applications. The new magnet has a significant advantage in high-efficiency and high-torque density applications, such as motors and generators for electric vehicles and wind power generation, and in more general applications where small powerful magnets are required, including robots, automation systems and domestic appliances.
Not only is the Nd-Fe-B market predicted to be worth over $19.3 billion by 2026, but this type of permanent magnet is also essential to the value chain of 8.5 million electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles in use globally, demonstrating a prolific impact on the entire economy.
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Dr Sagawa will be formally honoured at the QEPrize presentation ceremony later this year. He will receive £500,000 and a unique trophy, designed by the 2022 Create the Trophy winner Anshika Agarwal , aged 17 from India .
Marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the QEPrize, Dr Sagawa becomes the first laureate since it was announced that the Prize will be awarded annually, rather than bi-annually. Reflecting the increasing pace of engineering innovation, this step change will offer further opportunities to recognise excellence across the whole field of engineering.
To find out more about this year's winning innovation, visit www.qeprize.org/winners
For more information or to request an interview with any of the judging panel please contact qe@edelman.com or: