LightMetals

Creating and processing light metals

CSIRO is a leader in the creation of light metal alloys for use in manufacturing, and processing technologies that allow industry to utilise them efficiently.

• 3 December 2005 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Overview
• Skills and experience
• Implementation
• Facilities
• Partnerships

Overview

CSIRO creates new aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys for a broad range of industrial applications where low weight and high strength are important.

We also develop new ways of processing these light metals to make their production cheaper and more efficient.

Our experience in forging new light-metals technologies has made CSIRO an invaluable partner for local and international organisations searching for the metals of the future.

Skills and experience

We continue to work closely with companies and research bodies through the Light Metals Flagship research program, harnessing the skills and facilities of CSIRO.

Our specific areas of expertise are:

• light metal alloy design and formation
• alloying processes, including heat treatment
• powder metallurgy
• joining, welding and casting processes
• surface modification and coatings
• fatigue performance
• micro-structure property relationships
• handling of molten magnesium
• foundry equipment development
• optimisation of manufacturing processes by modelling and numerical simulation.

Implementation

This expertise has led to the development of solutions that:

• increase productivity
• maximise efficiency
• minimise environmental burdens
• help build global competitiveness among Australian manufacturers.

For example, our light metal technologies are proving invaluable in the aerospace sector, where weight savings translate directly to increased payload and revenue, and in the automotive sector, where lighter vehicles are more environmentally friendly with improved fuel economy and reduced emissions.

We have been instrumental in developing several significant technologies, including:

• AM-SC1, a new magnesium alloy for modern car engines
• T-Mag, a high-yield, low-cost magnesium die casting process
• Magnesium alloy sheet, using high-volume, low-cost production processes
• T6i4 and T6i6, two aluminium heat treatment processes that produce alloys up to 20 per cent tougher
• CASTcoat™ - a patented thermal spray technology creating the first ever long-life die coat.

Facilities

Our expertise in light metals is complemented by the following key facilities and equipment:

• machines for melting, alloying and casting
• arc and laser welding laboratories
• surface coating tools
• fatigue and mechanical property testing machines
• corrosion testing tools
• microstructural analysis equipment:
  • electron microscopy
  • metallography
  • X-ray fluoroscopy
  • spectrometry
• process and product development computer engineering tools.

Partnerships

CSIRO is a key member of the CRC for Cast Metals Manufacturing (CAST), a collaborative group composed of Australian Government research agencies, several universities, smelting companies, manufacturers and die-casting companies. We are also a member of the CRC for Welded Structures. 

We have established significant relationships with other Australian and international companies including:

• Alcoa
• BHP Billiton
• Magnesium International Limited
• Queensland Aluminium
• Rio Tinto Alcan.

Find out more about CSIRO work in Metals.