Magnesium is a light and strong structural metal. It is 36% lighter than aluminium and 78% lighter than iron. Manufacturers use magnesium alloys in a wide variety of die cast applications in the automotive, power tool and electronics industries
Both industries require applications that are lightweight. The magnesium alloy industry supplies material that Original Engineering Companies (OEMs) and Tier 1 manufacturers convert into applications. The most ubiquitous magnesium alloy application in the automotive industry is the steering wheel while other applications include gearbox cases, valve covers, instrument panel (IP) beams and increasingly the tailgate (5 th door).
‘Lightweighting’ automobiles improves fuel efficiency and emissions in a time of increasing focus on airborne pollutants and climate change. New magnesium alloys, developed by Magontec, also address stress resistance offering additional benefits in high stress applications such as pistons and cylinder heads.
The consumer electronics industry also values lightweight materials for products such as mobile phones, tablets and laptop computers. These products also value thermal conductivity, a key metric for battery life. Magontec has developed a family of new alloys that offer enhanced thermal conductivity properties. These new magnesium alloy materials may also offer solutions for electronic applications in the solar electricity industry.