The project RECYMAGNET has ended with the following results and challenges found:

Automatic process:

- Design of an automatic system (Module I) for extraction and separation of NIB magnets from HDDs. The process equipment consists of 3 steps: i) input, separation and alignment; ii) magnet position detection and iii) HDD cutting.

- The main challenge of the project was the automatic extraction of the magnet from the HDD with enough purity. Although refinement of the stream could concentrate the magnet, a considerable level of different impurities, around 65 % is present in the first extracted stream.

Manual process:

- Manually extract the magnet only takes 5-6 minutes reducing in a great manner the type of impurities and the quantity to around 45 %, easy to be separated in a second refinement.

- Validated process parameters and designs for the Module II (refinement module) including three main stages: i) demagnetization, ii) size reduction and separation from non-magnetic material iii) coating removal.

General results:

- Results obtained from the LCA reveals that the recycling process represents much less impacts to the environment than the production of a primary NIB magnet.

Although the project has early ended due to the challenges found for the development of an automatic module which can separate the magnet with enough purity for their further processing and application, interesting results has been found in order to continue the activities in future researches for implementing recycling process for magnets from different sources.