Light and strong? Magnesium parts are the answer
Why are Magnesium parts so effective? Excluding titanium, Magnesium is the alloy with the best strength-to-weight ratio of all structural metals. This week, Gurelan reveals every secret of this material that allows us to take die casting of technical parts to the next level.
Automotive, aerospace industry, state-of-the-art technology... Magnesium parts are today a key resource for the most demanding applications. From an industrial point of view, Gurelan considers Magnesium as a fundamental input when it comes to meeting maximum quality and efficiency requirements in all projects.
What is Magnesium?
Everyone knows about Magnesium, but few people really know what it is used for. Magnesium is one of the most common elements on the planet, accounting for about 2.5% of the composition of the earth´s surface. In its original state it is too soft to be used in structural applications. However, thanks to other alloying elements such as aluminium and zinc, Magnesium´s strength can be significantly increased.
Perhaps the most critical feature of Magnesium alloys lies in their low density. Thus, Magnesium parts surpass aluminium components of equal geometry in terms of volume and applications. Certainly, some plastics can be lighter and more competitive in terms of price/volume, but the physical and mechanical properties of Magnesium tip the balance.
75% lighter than zinc and 33% lighter than aluminium, Magnesium absorbs vibration and noise, resists impacts and buckling, and is fully recyclable. Fantastic, isn´t it? Just to get an idea, the performance of this material is such that many MotoGP manufacturers build their rims with Magnesium: a set of two rims weighs 7.4kg, almost half the weight of cast aluminium wheels.
Magnesium die casting: a compelling reason
Of course, weight reduction is an appealing reason when choosing Magnesium parts or other materials. However, the main explanation is that Magnesium is ideal for its use in hot chamber die casting processes, as it allows to eliminate or reduce machining operations to a minimum and to obtain maximum precision finishing (near-net-shape).
At the same time, the pressure injection of Magnesium parts significantly reduces both processing time and waste material. Take a look at the different Magnesium parts with precision finishing that Gurelan produces according to the highest standards of quality, safety and efficiency.
Gurelan: more than 80 years casting illusions
When planning the industrialization of Magnesium parts, Gurelan participates in the whole design process since the initial projection together with our customers. In this way, including the pressure injection supplier early on ensures that the design will incorporate all the requirements and specifications requested. Consequently, Gurelan´s early involvement in the manufacture of Zamak, Lead or Magnesium parts reduces costs both in design and production.
Another great advantage of Magnesium parts over aluminium: the moulds manufactured by Gurelan present a longer useful life than those used for aluminium, guaranteeing a minimum of 600,000 cycles with maximum quality.
At Gurelan, our production of hot chamber die cast Magnesium parts is geared towards small and medium sized parts, or those with several cavities. The objective of Magnesium pressure injection is to make the resulting parts competitive with aluminium injection parts. For this reason, it is common for Magnesium injected parts to weigh more than 100 g, usually exceeding 300 g.