Magnesium alloys

Magnesium is 33 percent lighter than aluminum and 75 percent lighter than steel, it’s the lightest structural metal.
Magnesium offers an excellent resistance / weight ratio and appears as the most powerful metal if is sought without sacrificing rigidity.

Magnesium characteristics
Hot Chamber Die Casting

  • Lightness
  • Excellent mechanical characteristics
  • Ability to produce parts with thin walls
  • Excellent abiliy of reduction of vibration transmission
  • Excellent electromagnetic protection properties (1mm thickness reduced by 80% transmission)
  • Ability to adapt to a large amount of use and application
  • 100% recyclable

Les alliages de magnésium sont principalement composés de magnésium, de zinc, d’aluminium, et de manganèse.

Magnesium composition

 Elements (%) Al Zn Mn
 AZ91HP 8,5-9,5 0,45-0,9 0,15
 AM60 5,7-6,3 0,2 0,15
  • 33% plus léger que l’aluminium
  • 3x plus résistant que le plastique
  • Durée des outillages x2 par rapport à l’aluminium
  • Meilleure fluidité que l’aluminium

Magnésium Vs Aluminium/Plastique

Magnesium alloys combine low component weight with cost competitive manufacturing. Thin walls, net shapes, high casting rates and long die lives are typical advantages to be gained from using magnesium die castings.

Other advantages include excellent machinability, good damping capacity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties. High purity alloys and modern design techniques to avoid galvanic corrosion qualify magnesium in corrosive environments.

Differents alloys

AZ91 :

The most commonly used magnesium based alloy for pressure die casting, having excellent castability and good strength.

Typically used for automobile and cumputer parts, mobile telephones, sporting goods, housings and covers, brackets, chain saw parts, handheld tools, household equipment,ect.

AM50 and AM60 : Alloys with outstanding ductility and energy absorbing properties, combined with good strength and castability.
Typical uses are automotive seat frames, steering wheels, instrument panels, brackets, fans,…

AM20 :

An alloy recognized by high ductility and impact strength.
Typical uses are automotive safety parts where the highest possible ductility is required

AS41, AS21 and AE42 :

Alloys with good creep properties up to about 150°C. Decreased aluminium content in AS21 compared to AS41 results in increased creep resistance and ductility, and in some decrease in tensile strength and castability. The properties of alloy AE42 are comparable to those of AS21. All three alloys offer good mechanical properties at room temperature

Documents to download (pdf):

Physical and Mechanical Properties Dimensional and Geometrical Tolerances