Consequences of China's rare earth export halt

[bannork]

Beijing has suspended the export of certain rare earth minerals and magnets that are crucial for the global automotive, semiconductor, and aerospace industries.

The New York Times stressed that stopping the export of magnets used to assemble so many products from drones to cars to missiles, was particularly troublesome as China produces 90% of the world market in magnets.

The goods are currently in Chinese ports pending the introduction of new regulations.

"Once in place, the new system could permanently prevent supplies from reaching certain companies, including American military contractors," notes the New York Times.

In addition, the Chinese government has forbidden Chinese companies from maintaining any contact with certain American entities, including those in the military sector.

 

China's rare earth export halt intensifies US trade tensions

[FriscoKid]

Bye-bye F-47s. 

[Cryingdick]

2 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

Bye-bye F-47s. 

Bye bye regulations that prevent the USA from mining them at home.

[MicroB]

38 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

Bye bye regulations that prevent the USA from mining them at home.

 

That's not the main bottleneck. The US has one major rare earths mine, Mountain Pass. Until quite recently, they had to send the mined ore to China for processingzero refining capacity, because the US had . But te efforts to domesticate refining rare earths have only focused on the light rare earths, and little attention paid to the heavy rare earth metals, such as terbium and dysprosium. These rare earths are not actually rare. A more efficient way to extract them is through bioleaching, which has the capabilities to spool up production more quickly that resorting to mining that essentially hasn't haved for thousands of years.  Use of bacteria to extract metals from mine waste, recycled components would make production of tje metals as simple as making beer. Well it would, except most of the DARPA scientists working on it were sacked.

 

The response to China is not to be like China. But to innovate; innovate to create the technologies to produce and refine rare earths pretty much anywhere, not just where a particular mine was located. We are surrounded by literal mountains of scrap electronics. China uses small kids to strip this material. The US has the means to do that differently. China builds vast factories, requiring vast logistical chains to supply one factory. The West, thanks to 200 years of Industrial Treasure, doesn't have to build anything. Our cities are full of under used industrial buildings, all of which can accomodate microfactory production, providing local manufacture of products people want. Additive manufacture combined with AI makes that possible.

 

https://www.industryweek.com/technology-and-iiot/emerging-technologies/article/21161158/microfactories-not-gigafactories-will-build-it-back-better

 

https://www.electropages.com/blog/2024/03/could-microfactories-be-the-future-of-electronics

 

https://www.rewo.io/de/microfactories-the-latest-trend-in-manufacturing/#:~:text=One of the most well known examples is the electric vehicle manufacturer Arrival.

 

It really is life imitating art (or the art forecasting these trends).

 

 

The backdrop for the scene was a downtown Lexus factory. The producers had done their homework; the barrels of sovents, tubs of aluminium, indicate additive manufacture (3D printing), and largely automated (our economies have transitioned to largely full employment service economies. We don't have an available workforce to work the factories, any more than we have people to pick the cotton.

 

 

[sharot724]

1 hour ago, Cryingdick said:

Bye bye regulations that prevent the USA from mining them at home.

Just can't get away with you people falling for the Simple Solutions but that works for some LOL

[Cryingdick]

20 minutes ago, sharot724 said:

Just can't get away with you people falling for the Simple Solutions but that works for some LOL

I don't care. If China wins that must be gre3t for you. 

[JAG]

51 minutes ago, MicroB said:

Use of bacteria to extract metals from mine waste, recycled components would make production of tje metals as simple as making beer

Rather an enlightening definition of most "canoe" beer, extracted from waste material using bacteria"!

[sharot724]

17 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

I don't care. If China wins that must be gre3t for you. 

why do you think China will sell at even lower price thanI already pay. I am not sure. Do you think this is the expectaions?

[Yagoda]

Just another topic for the haters to spew their Trump madness.

[Cryingdick]

2 minutes ago, sharot724 said:

why do you think China will sell at even lower price thanI already pay. I am not sure. Do you think this is the expectaions?

Because most of what they offer is not that rare, 

[frank83628]

14 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Just another topic for the haters to spew their Trump madness.

Started by one of the most prolific NON American posters.  

[placeholder]

35 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Just another topic for the haters to spew their Trump madness.

Just another mind-reading post making it about critics rather than content.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, bannork said:

Beijing has suspended the export of certain rare earth minerals and magnets that are crucial for the global automotive, semiconductor, and aerospace industries.

The New York Times stressed that stopping the export of magnets used to assemble so many products from drones to cars to missiles, was particularly troublesome as China produces 90% of the world market in magnets.

One wonders at how morons managed to be running the US for so long? If the magnets were so vital, surely even a stupid person could understand that not making them is not a good idea?

 

As for cars, most of the cars I drove in my lifetime had zero rare earth in them. If it means Musk can't make overpriced toy cars for rich luvvies any more, I could not care less.

 

If girls can't go into space with great hair and makeup, so be it- no loss.

 

No drones- great. I despise warmongers, and the less ability they have to wage remote war the better. Missiles, I doubt the missiles in the 1950s had rare earth in them, and they were able to destroy life on the planet.

 

However, if I cared, I'd go buy shares in a company that makes magnets.

[CallumWK]

20 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

One wonders at how morons managed to be running the US for so long? If the magnets were so vital, surely even a stupid person could understand that not making them is not a good idea?

 

One wonders how moronic someone has to be to not understand that you can't make something for which you don't have the raw material.

 

20 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

As for cars, most of the cars I drove in my lifetime had zero rare earth in them.

 

Everyone knows you're an old-timer, and probably haven't been able to afford a car in the last 2 decades, but do cars in NZ have a sticker "rare earth inside"?

 

The rest of your childish, ignorant comments aren't even worth to comment on.

[phetphet]

It's not just the supply of rare earth minerals. China is also the main processor for pretty much all rare earths. They are sent there from whichever countries they are mined, to be processed.

 

They only have to tell other countries that if you intend to supply the US, we won't process for you. That will really gum up the works for a while.

 

 

  

 

[FlorC]

Chinese should have halted the rare earth elements a long time ago.

Time to starve the military-industrial complex.

And EV's.