In 1995, the first true automated production system for the growth of Terfenol-D drivers was commisioned. Termed the ECG (which stands for ETREMA Crystal Grower, shown at right), this new system incorporated state-of-the-art furnace design. This system is capable of producing drivers as large as 65mm in diameter or, with a change of the mold configuration, able to produce multiple small diameter rods (15-30mm) simultaneously. Not only is the ECG more cost effective than any of the previous growth methods (by at least a factor of 3, and typically 7-10 times cheaper than previous methods), it also produces higher quality Terfenol-D than both the BRDG and BP techniques. The automation of the system also enables much higher repeatability in terms of batch-to-batch rod performance.

The graph below summarizes the key strain performance at 7 MPa prestress of the different types of material as a function of the rod diameter and sites the year of introduction, including expected performance increases currently in development.