The latest research from the Cranfield Center for Sustainable Manufacturing Systems in the United Kingdom shows that zinc alloys are more suitable for the manufacture of automotive parts than aluminum alloys for automobiles, thereby improving their service life and sustainability.
In recent years, aluminum alloys for automobiles have been favored by the automobile manufacturing industry due to their light weight and low cost. The Cranfield University research team compared three different alloys: aluminum-A380, magnesium-AZ91D and zinc-ZA8. After fully considering the sustainability of the product, cost, production flexibility and other factors, the research results show that the comparison For automotive aluminum, magnesium alloys, zinc alloys provide car manufacturers with a better choice.
Although aluminum alloys for automobiles are a lower cost option, zinc alloys have a better price-performance ratio when considering factors such as the environmental impact of metal extraction and manufacturing processes, and the product quality of components. Longer parts life is a more sustainable and higher performance option.
Cranfield`s previous research has shown that the automotive industry has focused on improving vehicle fuel efficiency through weight reduction (usually lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys for automobiles), which may not actually be the more environmentally friendly option. Professor Konstantinos Salonitis, head of the Center for Sustainable Manufacturing Systems at Cranfield University, said: "Aluminum alloys for automobiles have become the material of choice for the automotive industry due to their light weight and relatively low cost. However, we focus on comprehensive consideration of sustainability and Traditional factors such as time, cost and flexibility, research shows that zinc alloys can actually have better sustainability."
Professor Mark Jolly, Manufacturing Director of Cranfield University, added: "As the environmental and climate crises become more serious and consumers are more and more interested in the environmental impact of automotive products, automakers need to understand not only how to reduce costs, but also Find more sustainable product solutions."