Applied Process Engineering Laboratory
Big research gets done in specialized labs and high bays
United States
Magnesium — the lightest of all structural metals — has a lot going for it in the quest to make ever lighter cars and trucks that go farther on a tank of fuel or battery charge.
A new process developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory should make it more feasible for the auto industry to incorporate magnesium alloys into structural components. The method has the potential to reduce cost by eliminating the need for rare-earth elements, while simultaneously improving the material's structural properties. It's a new twist on extrusion, in which the metal is forced through a tool to create a certain shape, kind of like dough pushed through a pasta maker results in different shapes.
Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory