Metal part manufacturers make alloys by mixing two or more molten metals, or by mixing a molten metal with a non-metal. Thanks to the combination, the resulting mixture will display the properties offered by all the components. Many different alloys contribute to the production of metal parts on the market today. Magnesium alloys have recently become important.
Magnesium alloys
Pure magnesium produces a strong, silver-white, very soft metal. Both customizable and customizable, it emits a bright white light when turned on. Magnesium is found in abundance in nature, along with other materials.
For centuries, the metal was difficult to handle and process because of its flammability. As metallurgists learned more about making useful magnesium alloys, the demand for products containing this light metal increased. Today, parts manufacturers often produce alloys with combinations of aluminum, silicon, copper, calcium, zinc, manganese and other elements.
Name the magnesium alloys
Many manufacturers specify magnesium alloys according to the classification system presented in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification B275. This system uses appropriate abbreviations to describe alloys. It uses capital letters to refer to the elements and numbers to refer to the percentage by weight of the alloys in the composition. Using the ASTM system, manufacturers must confirm specified alloy compositions.
Current magnesium alloys can be easily divided into three main types: cast alloys, forged alloys and proprietary alloys owned by selected specialist companies or patent holders:
Smelting of metal alloys
Cast aluminum alloys are most commercially available magnesium alloys. Some magnesium alloys allow for injection molding, sand casting, and permanent casting.
The abbreviation AZ91 is used for cast magnesium alloy. It contains magnesium with 9% aluminum and 1% zinc. Adding aluminum and zinc to this mixture both help harden the metal. Some magnesium alloys in this class use silver. More recently, manufacturers have developed raw magnesium alloys that contain rare earths such as yttrium.
Metal alloys
Wrought iron-magnesium alloys used commercially by manufacturers have increased tensile strength. Some of the more commonly used wrought alloys are: AZ31, AZ61 and ZK60. The first two alloys depend on the combination of aluminum and zinc, and the last one on zinc and zirconium.
The name of the compounds
Patent mixtures cover two other categories. Some flow easily, while others work well as a wrought alloy. These Magnesium machining alloys are given specific names, usually given by the inventor or patentee. Magnesium Electron Ltd. manufactures electronic magnesium alloys. Describe this grouping.
