On July 6, 2022, Dr. Zhang, the chief engineer of NBTZ Die Technology Corporation, the leading enterprise of super-large magnesium alloy structural parts mold in China, accepted an exclusive interview with Hay Think.
Hay Think: Compared with aluminum alloys and die castings, what do you think are the advantages of magnesium metal and magnesium alloy castings in application promotion?
Dr. Zhang: The automobile manufacturing industry is the industry that uses the second largest amount of magnesium. The high-pressure die-casting process is used to produce parts, and a small number of parts are gravity-cast. The output of magnesium alloy die-casting parts in the international developed countries is much higher than that in China.
According to relevant research, 60% of the fuel consumption of a car is due to its own weight. For every 10% reduction in the vehicle's own weight, its fuel efficiency can be increased by more than 5%; for every 100KG reduction in the vehicle's own weight, the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers can be reduced by about 0.7L.
At present, in order to promote energy conservation and emission reduction, all countries in the world have implemented policies forcing car manufacturers to reduce vehicle fuel consumption, making vehicle lightweighting an important breakthrough for major car companies.
Among the many paths to automotive lightweighting, magnesium alloys are one of the most promising options. In terms of weight, magnesium alloys have a significant advantage, which is reflected in the fact that the weight of magnesium alloy die castings is 2/3 of the weight of aluminum alloy die castings.
According to China's "Technical Roadmap for Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicles", by 2030, the consumption of magnesium alloys in China's automobiles will reach 45kg, while the average consumption of each domestic vehicle is less than 3kg, which means that there is a huge market demand space. . It is estimated that by 2030, the demand for magnesium alloy die castings in China's automobile market will reach 1.31 million tons, and the compound annual growth rate from 2020 to 2030 will reach 13.2%.
Large, precise, complex, thin-walled magnesium alloy components will win unprecedented development opportunities, lightweight products, such as automotive instrument panel brackets, subframes, transverse beam structures, shock towers, center armrest brackets, new energy vehicle bodies, chassis High-end magnesium alloy products such as automotive structural parts such as battery shells, aerospace components, and magnesium alloy building templates have been industrialized.
Magnesium alloys have a lower heat capacity than aluminum alloys, and their iron content is also low, so the mold has a longer life. In the magnesium alloy die casting process, if the process parameters are designed properly, the magnesium alloy will show better die casting process performance than the aluminum alloy.
Hay Think: What is the technical level and market application of NBTZ's magnesium alloy die-casting molds?
Dr. Zhang: NBTZ is a national high-tech enterprise focusing on the design and manufacture of high-end alloy die-casting molds. The company has successively won the key backbone enterprises of China's die-casting molds, the top 10 die-casting mold enterprises of China Die and Mould Industry Association, and the top 20 comprehensive strength enterprises of die-casting mold enterprises in China's foundry industry.
NBTZ has made certain achievements in die-casting molds for large and complex light metal automotive structural parts and functional parts, complex molds for 5G communication, and digital collaborative production.
The company has developed into a leading enterprise of super-large magnesium alloy structural parts mould in China, and has mastered the core competitiveness technology of large-scale magnesium alloy mold design, manufacturing and large-scale magnesium alloy die-casting production process.
In 2020, the company successfully developed the world's first magnesium alloy automobile sub-frame with several Chinese OEM car companies and Shanghai Jiaotong University, providing solutions for the research and development of global automotive lightweight parts, and won the first prize of invention and innovation from the National Invention Association.
Hay Think: What is your opinion on the market prospect of magnesium alloy die castings?
Dr. Zhang: Magnesium is an emerging lightweight metal material, compared with higher strength steel and aluminum alloy, and the weight reduction effect of magnesium alloy is more obvious. Magnesium alloy is light in weight, strong in shock absorption, good in casting performance, strong in automated production capacity, long in mold life, and dimensionally stable. It is the most effective lightweight material for automobiles.
In addition, the die-cast magnesium alloy material can be recycled without affecting the performance of the material, which is especially suitable for circular economy and energy-saving and low-carbon production requirements, which is conducive to environmental protection and resource conservation.
Due to the huge market potential and the high technical threshold of super-large magnesium alloy automotive structural parts, there are not many companies that can do it in China at present. Faced with such a situation, enterprises with large-scale magnesium alloy automotive structural parts die-casting technology reserves should seize the opportunity to invest in new or expanded automotive magnesium alloy die-casting bases to meet the growing market demand.