Magnets and Rare Earths

The Magnet Tracker learning path has been updated as of October 29, 2026, offering a seven-step program that explains why every joint motor requires a magnet, what materials go into it, and which companies produce nearly all of the global supply. Each short step, running from "The Strongest Magnets" to "Export Controls Today," includes a quick quiz and links directly into the live tool it covers, including the magnet card in Robot Parts, magnets in the Supply Chain view, neodymium on the World Map, the 2010 case in History, and the bottleneck analysis. The module matters because rare-earth magnets are a critical input for joint motors, and production is concentrated among a handful of suppliers, leaving buyers exposed to export controls and single-source risk. The 2010 case study gives users historical context for how those controls have disrupted supply before. Next, watch whether the tracker adds new steps or data as export-control policy evolves.