Pyshma Experimental Plant - Progress

Pyshma Experimental Plant - Progress (Russian: ПОЗ-Прогресс, OOO «POZ-Progress») is a Russian machine-building enterprise located in the city of Verkhnyaya Pyshma in Sverdlovsk Oblast, on the territory of OAO URALREDMET. The company specializes in the production of high-energy rare-earth permanent magnets based on SmCo (samarium-cobalt) and Nd-Fe-B (neodymium-iron-boron) alloys. In addition to manufacturing magnets, it develops and produces magnetic systems incorporating permanent magnets and provides consulting services in the field of magnetic system design. The company's permanent magnets are included in the registry of Russian industrial products, a designation that supports their use in domestic industrial supply chains. Its product range covers permanent magnets, magnetic systems, master alloys (ligatures), and services. POZ-Progress is also a special sponsor of the annual International Conference on Permanent Magnets held in Suzdal, reflecting its role in the Russian magnetics research and industrial community. The enterprise traces its technological roots to Soviet-era research into rare-earth permanent magnets. In the late 1960s, the Problem Laboratory of Permanent Magnets at Ural State University (UrGU) collaborated with the Pyshma Experimental Plant, which at that time possessed technologies for obtaining pure rare-earth metals and smelting alloys of specified composition. A laboratory technology was developed during 1968, and from 1969 an experimental section for permanent magnet production was organized at the plant. Over the following decades the plant developed sintering, pressing, machining, measurement, and magnetizing technologies that formed the basis of a stable production operation by the early 1980s. Today POZ-Progress operates as a limited liability company (OOO) and continues to serve industrial customers requiring high-energy rare-earth magnets and custom magnetic systems. Its official website presents its capabilities in NdFeB and SmCo magnet manufacturing and magnetic system engineering.

The history of POZ-Progress is closely tied to Soviet research into rare-earth permanent magnets. In 1966-67, publications appeared describing fundamentally new high-energy magnetically hard materials based on rare-earth metal (REM) alloys with cobalt, which significantly exceeded the magnetic characteristics of known alnico magnets. These publications prompted research in the USSR, including joint work between the Problem Laboratory of Permanent Magnets at Ural State University (UrGU) and the Pyshma Experimental Plant, which at that time possessed technologies for obtaining pure rare-earth metals and smelting alloys of specified composition. During 1968 a laboratory technology was developed, and from 1969 an experimental section for permanent magnet (PM) production was organized at the plant. The first magnets were pressed, unsintered fine powders. They had energy (BH)max = 8-9 MGs×E, coercive force 14-16 kOe, residual induction 0.55-0.65 T, and stable properties from minus 70 to plus 150 °C, but low mechanical strength and a shelf life of only 1-2 years. Starting in 1970, plant specialists, UrGU scientists, and the Institute of Metal Physics of the Ural Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences conducted intensive research to find sintering regimes for PM blanks. In August 1971 an original method of sintering PM blanks was developed, and from September 1971 the plant began supplying mechanically strong magnets with maximum magnetic energy above 15 MGs×E and operating temperature up to 150 °C. Magnets were supplied to customers in various configurations — plate, disk, ring — and later more complex shapes were required, such as spherical surfaces, trapezoidal forms, and sectors. The plant developed various press-mold designs allowing pressing at high pressures (up to 16 tf/cm²). Customers also specified requirements for dimensional accuracy and surface finish. For machining blanks, a separate PM machining section was organized in 1972-1973. The first grinding machines were purchased and put into operation, grinding wheels and tooling were selected, and grinding regimes were developed. The development of technology and supply of experimental magnet batches allowed designers of magnetic systems and devices to conduct necessary research on magnets they had not previously encountered, determine their behavior under various physical influences, and optimize magnetic system parameters using rare-earth PMs. To meet customer requirements, the plant concluded contracts with dozens of organizations, expanded the experimental-industrial PM production section, and organized a section for producing tooling for magnet manufacture (press molds, non-standard equipment, etc.), which allowed magnet output to reach 500 kg in 1972. Between 1969 and 1973 a large number of research works were carried out, many of which were protected by inventor's certificates. The research significantly improved the magnetic characteristics of products, and the introduction of developed technologies into production led to a significant increase in yield, productivity, and quality. At the beginning of production, only direct (uniaxial) pressing in a metal die was used for forming PM blanks (the directions of the texturing magnetic field and pressing force coincided). However, it is known that the use of isostatic pressing (in a metal die with an elastic element) increases the degree of texture by 10-15%, and magnetic energy increases by 20-25%. Therefore, tooling was developed, regimes were worked out, and equipment was selected for 'isostatic' pressing. This technology was successfully introduced into production and is still used today. One of the most important production issues is the measurement of magnetic characteristics and product certification. The first measurements were made using a vibrating magnetometer on spherical samples made from pieces of sintered magnets. The measurement process was low-productivity and quite labor-intensive. Plant specialists, together with MPEI, created an automatic static hysteresis loop recorder (ARSPG-4), which allowed more reliable and prompt certification of manufactured magnets. In addition, teslameters were used to measure magnetic induction on the surface of magnets and in the center of ring magnets. After the introduction of installations for measuring the flux linkage of the magnet field with Helmholtz coils, manufactured magnets began to undergo reliable 100% inspection. Magnetization of the first PMs was performed in an electromagnet, which often led to incomplete magnetization of products. Therefore, in accordance with increasing production requirements, plant specialists developed a design and then manufactured and installed a unit for magnetizing PMs with a pulsed magnetic field reaching 60 kOe. As a result, by the early 1980s a stable production operation had formed. Today POZ-Progress operates as OOO «POZ-Progress» and continues to produce high-energy rare-earth permanent magnets based on SmCo and Nd-Fe-B alloys, develop and manufacture magnetic systems, and provide consulting services in magnetic system design. Its magnets are included in the registry of Russian industrial products, and the company is a special sponsor of the annual International Conference on Permanent Magnets in Suzdal.

• 1980

  By the early 1980s a stable production operation had formed.

• 1972

  Magnet output reached 500 kg; a separate PM machining section was organized in 1972-1973.

• 1971

  An original method of sintering PM blanks was developed in August; from September the plant began supplying mechanically strong magnets with maximum magnetic energy above 15 MGs×E.

• 1969

  An experimental section for permanent magnet production was organized at the plant.

• 1968

  A laboratory technology for rare-earth permanent magnets was developed through joint work between UrGU's Problem Laboratory of Permanent Magnets and the Pyshma Experimental Plant.

• 1966

  Publications appeared describing new high-energy magnetically hard materials based on rare-earth metal alloys with cobalt, prompting research in the USSR.

Russian manufacturer of high-energy rare-earth permanent magnets and magnetic systems, with products listed in the registry of Russian industrial products.

• Permanent magnets based on SmCo alloys

• Permanent magnets based on Nd-Fe-B alloys

• Magnetic systems with permanent magnets

• Master alloys (ligatures)

• Consulting services in magnetic system design

1. 1ПОЗ-Прогресс official websitepoz-progress.ru
2. 2ПОЗ-Прогресс — Wikipedia (Russian)ru.wikipedia.org
3. 3Pyshma Experimental Plant - Progress — Wikidatawikidata.org