MagLite Magnesium components for lightweight applications via AM

Important results from the project

Magnesium alloys are already used in lightweight applications, but the hexagonal crystal structure cause difficulties when machining many Mg alloys. With the appropriate AM process, components could instead be manufactured near-net shape directly from metal powder, which could eliminate many machining problems. The objective of this feasibility study, called MagLite, was to evaluate new possibilities of manufacturing complex, lightweight components of magnesium with industrially interesting material properties, using AM technology.

Expected long term effects

When measured data for the AM-made material was compared with literature data for the same Mg alloy, the evaluation showed that microstructure, chemical composition and mechanical hardness results were reasonably close. Attempts to build components with complex geometries were also successful. Thus, the objectives of the project - to evaluate whether complex lightweight, Mg-based components with acceptable material properties could be manufactured using AM technology - were met.

Approach and implementation

The project plan was simple and straightforward - test pieces were produced using the selected AM method and evaluated. A risk analysis was also performed. Unsurprisingly, the results of MagLite showed that future work should include continued efforts to finalize and optimize process parameters, and to document the material properties for the intended applications. Similarly, further work is needed to minimize the safety risks associated with the handling of Mg and Mg powder if the process chain is to be scaled up for commercial production.