Sankyo Material Develops New Casting Technology for Small Mg Alloy Billet

Sankyo Material, Sankyo-Tateyama Holdings’ aluminium and magnesium casting subsidiary, announced on Monday the firm succeeded in the world first development of an innovative technology to produce small-diameter magnesium alloy billet, which is adopted to small-size forging products. The firm has plastically deformed large-diameter billet into small-diameter bar. By the new technology, small-diameter billet can be continuously casted and directly adopted to forging products. Sankyo Material already started the sample shipment to commercialize the technology within fiscal 2011 ending in March 2012.

The new method is to rapidly solidify magnesium alloy billet with 50-100 millimeters diameter by quenching the casting mold with coolant water. The casting mold is adiabatically designed which contributes to inhibition of alloy solidification inside the mold. To rapidly quench this alloy melt by water, fine and uniformed crystalline structure is available. This crystalline structure enables fewer cracks in the forging process and better formability.

Sankyo Material has deformed 150-300 millimeters diameter alloy billet by an extruding machine into smaller diameter billet for small-size forging products. The firm has engaged in research and development to commercialize low-cost and well-formable magnesium alloy forging material by new casting method with no plastic deforming. 50% of the capex is helpd by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization).