Sunday, March 15, 2015

Is Aluminum In Our Future

MagnaTech is currently working to develop a system of aluminum alloys for one of its customers. Aluminum powders have been available for some time now, but  the application for their use has not progressed. Both ASTM and MPIF have specifications that define mechanical properties of both 2014 and 6061 alloy sintered parts. However the difficulty in reducing the stable oxide and the limited possibilities for alloying to improve strength and retain ductility are limited. Other possibilities for consolidation to improve sintered density are cost prohibitive.
However, improvements in alloy technology have increased interest, particularily in the automotive industry where weight reduction to improve fuel economy and emissions control are driving factors.Current usage includes marine transport, hand tools and office machinery.
In the automotive industry, the major application is the cam shaft bearing cap.Additional potential applications include connecting rods and oil pump gerotors for automatic transmissions.
MagnaTech is proud to share a small part in this research that may have impact on future materials. MagnaTech has  experience in alloy development, especially developing powders for emerging applications. Therefore MagnaTech has interest in the development of advanced materials for turbine applications as well and has proposed work for development in that area as well..