Ytterbium
Ytterbium, produced in only a few-hundred-tonne stream from Chinese heavy-REE circuits, dopes high-power fibre lasers that cut automotive steel, weld EV batteries and 3-D-print aerospace alloys. Its ytterbium-doped amplifiers dominate the rapidly expanding industrial-laser sector under Industry 4.0. Niche uses in quantum sensing and cast-steel grain refinement add technological cachet but little volume.
Supply Dynamics
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Supply is a by-product of heavy-REE separation from Chinese ion-adsorption clays; output linked to Dy/Tb economics.
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Myanmar disruptions tighten feedstock and can halve spot availability.
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No Western commercial separation lines yet dedicated to Yb; planned AU/EU plants could debut post-2027.
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Recycling from spent laser modules is technically easy but volumes are diffuse.
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Overall market remains price-sensitive to marginal oxide availability, not mining cost.
Demand Dynamics
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Fibre-laser installations grow >10 % CAGR, directly driving Yb-oxide demand.
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Ultra-fast lasers for additive manufacturing expand Yb usage per machine.
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Quantum clocks and geophysical stress sensors provide small, value-dense offtake.
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Traditional CRT phosphor demand has vanished, removing a swing factor.
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Substitution is impractical; other dopants lack the same gain bandwidth.