Released on Thursday, August 02, 2007

A $1.65 million grant to develop the T-Mag magnesium casting process has been awarded to a joint venture involving Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and three South Australian companies.

The Australian Commercial Ready grant was given to aluminum and magnesium casting manufacturer Alloy Technologies International Pty Ltd, Adelaide, Australia, integrated industrial control and automated process systems supplier Sage Automation, Melrose Park, Australia, and special purpose machinery manufacturer Flotek, also located in Adelaide.

Australian Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane called the grant for the technology, which allows magnesium to be cast with less waste and increased energy efficiency, exciting news for the automotive component industry.

“It will offer the industry a material that is cost-effective and lighter than aluminum and steel, which is currently used,” he said. “Importantly, the lighter vehicles that result will translate to fuel savings and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.”

The Commercial Ready grant will be used to take the T-Mag casting process from its current demonstration stage to castings of 33 lbs. (15 kg), a threshold which makes the process commercially viable.

“Previous casting methods have required between 6 and 7 kg of metal to produce a 3.5 kg casting,” Mcfarlane said. “T-Mag’s technology reduces this dramatically; producing a 3.5 kg casting generates only about 200 g of waste.”