Rare-earth magnets, from the plant floor to the investment memo.
Peculiar Materials is David Maybury's independent consultancy on magnetics, magnet manufacturing, and rare-earth supply chains. I've run a magnet plant, helped build another, and provide technical and financial diligence for investors.
Email DavidWhat I help with
- Magnetics and magnet manufacturing
Grade selection, magnetic performance and thermal limits, and process engineering for sintered NdFeB and SmCo: plant design, equipment selection, ramp-up, yield and scrap, and cost models grounded in how a line actually runs.
- Rare-earth supply chains
Sourcing strategy from oxide through metal, alloy, and finished magnet. Supplier qualification, heavy rare-earth exposure, concentration risk, and what export controls mean for your program.
- Technical and financial diligence
Independent review of magnet and rare-earth companies for investors: process maturity, capex and ramp assumptions, unit economics, and whether the plan holds up on a factory floor.
Mine to motor
Each stage of the rare-earth chain constrains the next. My core expertise is the three highlighted stages, from metal through alloy to finished magnet.
- Ore
- Concentrate
- Separated oxide
- Metal
- Alloy
- Magnet
- Motor
See who performs each stage, country by country, in the supply chain atlas
Background
I'm David Maybury. I've spent more than two decades in magnetics, with a BS and MS in Materials Science and Engineering. Magnets I've made have gone into Formula 1 cars, artificial hearts, oil drilling tools, and commercial aircraft.
I've run a magnet plant, helped build another, and led production and operations for companies that depend on them. That's what I bring to every engagement: a clear read on what a process can do, what it will cost, and how long it takes to get there.
Off the clock I play competitive trivia. I'm a Jeopardy! champion, winning my game in the 2023 Second Chance tournament and reaching the finals.
-
Calnetix Technologies
Vice President, Operations
Operations for high-speed electric motors, generators, magnetic bearings, and drive systems.
-
Anduril Industries
Head of Production, Missiles
Led missile production, including the full Barracuda product family.
-
MP Materials
Senior Director, Manufacturing Technology
Helped build Independence, MP's greenfield rare-earth magnet plant in Fort Worth, Texas, bringing magnet manufacturing technology back to the US.
-
Arnold Magnetic Technologies AG
General Manager, Lupfig, Switzerland
Ran Arnold's Swiss operation.
-
Investor diligence
Technical and financial diligence
Extensive diligence work for investors evaluating magnet, rare-earth, and materials companies.
Media
-
Podcast guest
Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men — Ep. 500, “People Who Stick Together”
Guest appearance discussing the science of magnetism — and whether Magneto’s powers hold up — alongside Josephine Riesman.
-
Podcast feature
Inside Jeopardy! — “Who is David Maybury?”
Featured profile on Inside Jeopardy!, the official Jeopardy! podcast.
Tell me what you're building or evaluating.
A short note on the question, the timeline, and who's asking is enough to start.
david@peculiarmaterials.com