休斯顿，德克萨斯州 -- 一家美国公司正在德克萨斯州建造一座工厂，以在美国而非中国生产高性能磁铁的关键成分。
HOUSTON, Texas -- An American company is building a plant in Texas to make a key ingredient for high-performance magnets in the U.S. instead of China.
赫塔金属公司截至9月已累计融资1.3365亿美元的A轮融资。这包括来自美国国防部的6500万美元投资，以及来自丰田汽车和日本火花塞制造商Niterra支持的风险投资基金的资金。
Hertha Metals had raised a total of $133.65 million in Series A funding as of September. This included a $65 million investment from the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as funding from venture capital vehicles backed by Toyota Motor and Japanese spark plug maker Niterra.
赫塔正瞄准美国供应链中的缺失环节：高纯度铁，用于制造电动汽车和无人机等产品中所用的强力钕磁铁。
Hertha is taking aim at a missing link in U.S. supply chains: high-purity iron, used to make the powerful neodymium magnets found in such products as electric vehicles and drones.
该公司上周在德克萨斯州康罗举行了奠基仪式，为一座年产能达1万吨的商业工厂奠基。
The company held a groundbreaking ceremony last week in Conroe, Texas, for a commercial plant with an annual production capacity of 10,000 metric tons.
年产能为360吨的示范设施已在同一地点投入运营。新工厂预计将于2027年投入运营。赫塔表示，它将成为美国首家生产高纯度铁的公司。
A demonstration facility with an annual production capacity of 360 tons is already operating on the same site. The new plant is expected to come onstream in 2027. Hertha says it will be the first company producing high-purity iron in the U.S.
赫塔金属公司创始人兼首席执行官劳伦·梅鲁赫于10月8日在一场活动上发表讲话。
Hertha Metals founder and CEO Laureen Meroueh speaks at an event on Oct. 8.
其生产工艺利用天然气和氢气从铁矿石中去除氧气，步骤较之前的方法更少，尽管仍需要使用真空炉进行冶炼。该生产工艺可生产纯度达99.95%的铁。
Its production process uses natural gas and hydrogen to remove oxygen from iron ore, taking fewer steps than earlier methods, though a smelting process using a vacuum furnace is still necessary. The production process can make iron with a purity of 99.95%.
稀土元素钕不是生产钕磁铁的唯一瓶颈。高纯度铁占这些磁铁重量的大部分。
Rare-earth element neodymium is not the only bottleneck to producing neodymium magnets. High-purity iron makes up the bulk of the weight of these magnets.
赫塔公司由首席执行官劳伦·梅鲁赫于2022年创立，她是麻省理工学院的毕业生，开发了公司专有的冶金技术。
Hertha was founded in 2022 by CEO Laureen Meroueh, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate who developed the company's proprietary metallurgical technology.
梅鲁赫告诉记者，美国高纯度铁的供应大部分来自中国。她说，新工厂将有助于将美国制造业带回美国。
Most of America's supply of high-purity iron comes from China, Meroueh told reporters. The new factory will contribute to the return of American manufacturing to the U.S., she said.
根据公司的说法，一旦新工厂完全投入运营，它将能够供应相当于全球高纯度铁市场份额25%的产量。梅鲁赫表示，赫塔欢迎与现有钢铁生产商合作。
Once the new factory is fully operational, it will be able to supply the equivalent of 25% of the global market share for high-purity iron, according to the company. Meroueh said Hertha welcomes cooperation with existing steelmakers.