Large, integrated die-cast parts are prone to deformation during heat treatment, which may lead to products that do not meet the strict standards of the automotive industry, and currently heat-free aluminum alloy materials are the preferred material.
Conventional heat treatment is critical for the mechanical properties of die-cast parts, but can lead to deformation of large-scale die castings, especially in integrated die casting of large aluminum alloy parts that require high precision.
Heat-free alloys have a special alloy formulation that can exhibit excellent mechanical properties after die-casting, avoiding the heat treatment process that can cause problems, and is an ideal solution for the production of large-scale integrated die-cast parts.
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An overview of the heat-free materials industry
Heat-free alloys are mainly divided into two categories: Al-Si series and Al-Mg series, both of which are based on aluminum, and achieve ideal physical properties through precise mixing of silicon, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and other elements.
After the heat treatment of traditional die castings, the secondary thermal expansion and contraction will lead to the change of product size and possible porosity. Heat-free materials are needed to eliminate heat treatment problems for small parts by means such as shaping tooling, while temperature, pressure, and mold flow control in die casting of large structural parts is more complex.
At present, the integrated die-casting technology uses a large amount of primary aluminum, resulting in a significant increase in carbon emissions, and recycled aluminum will be used as the main raw material for heat-free aluminum alloy materials in the future. At the same time, if the global aluminum industry expects to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it is crucial to strengthen the recycling and reuse of aluminum scrap, and recycled aluminum companies with scrap procurement channels and experience advantages are expected to occupy a dominant position in the industry.
Heat-free material industry chain and leading manufacturers combing
The upstream of the integrated die-casting industry chain includes heat-free aluminum alloy material suppliers, die-casting machines and die-casting mold manufacturers, the midstream is mainly third-party die-casting manufacturers and vehicle manufacturers with self-built production lines, and the downstream is directly connected to the main engine factory.
Diagram of the industrial chain of the integrated die-casting industry:
In terms of the global market structure of heat-free alloys, overseas companies still occupy a dominant position, and major foreign suppliers include Alcoa, Rheinfeld and Tesla, which is involved in self-development.
At present, there are more than 1,150 recycled aluminum enterprises in the country, and most of them are small enterprises. According to authoritative data, the maximum production capacity of a single plant in the industry is 380,000 tons per year, and there are only 30 companies with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons.
Lizhong Group, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Materials, Guangdong Hongtu and Weilai have successfully developed related products.
The manufacturers represented by Lizhong Group have taken the lead in achieving an important technological breakthrough in this field, and are one of the few manufacturers in China that can mass-produce heat-free alloys.
Founded in 1984, Lizhong Group is the world's leading manufacturer of recycled aluminum alloy, automotive lightweight products and new materials, as well as a leading enterprise of new alloy materials in China. The company has four major sectors: Lizhong alloy, Lizhong wheel, Sitong new material and Lizhong new energy, and has achieved the leadership of three major sub-industries of functional alloy new materials, recycled casting aluminum alloy and aluminum alloy wheels. The company solves the problem of high scrap rate of follow-up integrated die-casting parts caused by poor fluidity caused by low silicon content of foreign products, and adopts a unique low Mo metamorphic technology, and the Mo content is only 1/5-1/7.#一体化压铸 ##汽车##新能源汽车##新材料##铝合金 of similar international metamorphic content#
From the perspective of the competitive landscape, the domestic heat-free aluminum alloy material market still shows a relatively good trend, providing a broad development space for enterprises with core technologies.
The world's major manufacturers of heat-free aluminum alloy materials:
Source: China Nonferrous Metals News, Debang Research Institute
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