Birmingham City University, England, has signed an exclusive partnership with Meridian Lightweight Technologies, Plymouth, Mich., to showcase magnesium diecast components as viable alternatives for luxury car makers and the aerospace industry.
As part of the new partnership with Meridian, academics from Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment, and personnel from the company, will be investigating new ways to offer more sustainable goods for low-volume manufacturers, while making production financially viable for Meridian and its potential clients.
The two organizations will work together in the education, research, and development of magnesium applications that will improve fuel efficiency through weight savings and sustainability. At 1.8 g/cm³, magnesium is the lightest of all structural materials, 75% lighter than steel and 33% lighter than aluminum.
Meridian opened its UK facility in July 2003. Today, its Nottinghamshire plant produces around 5000 net metric tons of diecast products annually, serving automotive clients such as Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Ford, Honda, and Volvo. However, current magnesium manufacturing processes create the same amount of waste as product, resulting in high cost.
To address this issue, the University has established the Magnesium Innovation Group to investigate ways to add value to the excess material. Some ideas being considered include reacting magnesium with oxygen and water to create hydrogen, which can be used in the fledgling fuel cell industry to power cars and smartphones going forward. Although magnesium is 100% recyclable, currently no plants in the UK can process the waste.
Research findings will be published ahead of a major international magnesium conference, which will be held at Birmingham City University in July this year.
“The strategic partnership we have signed with Birmingham City University is very much a first for us,” says Meridian’s Randy Chalmers, “but is one which we hope will pave the way for future expansion with the institution as we seek to work together on our shared strengths in fuel efficiency and sustainability.”
