Arconic's breakthrough Micromill Technology wins prestigious 2016 R&D 100 Award

Arconic announced today that R&D Magazine has named Arconic Micromill an R&D 100 Award winner. The 54th annual R&D 100 Awards, known as the “Oscars of Invention”, is an international competition that recognizes the 100 most technologically significant products introduced in the marketplace over the past year.

The Arconic Micromill technology is the fastest, most productive aluminium casting and rolling system in the world. It reduces the production time to create rolled coil from hot metal from 20 days to 20 minutes. The Micromill’s unique production process dramatically changes the microstructure of the metal, allowing for higher formability, greater strength and lighter weight at the same time. It produces metal that is 40 per cent more formable and 30 per cent stronger than today’s incumbent automotive aluminium, while meeting stringent surface quality requirements. Automotive parts made with Micromill material are twice as formable and at least 30 per cent lighter than parts made from high-strength steel.

“Arconic’s Micromill material offers a unique combination of strength, weight reduction and increased formability that was previously impossible,” said Ray Kilmer, Arconic Chief Technology Officer. “Bringing these material benefits together changes the paradigm for auto makers, offering them unparalleled design freedom.” Micromill material debuted on Ford’s best-selling vehicle, the 2016 F-150, and Ford continues to collaborate with Arconic under a joint development agreement, announced last year.

Arconic received an R&D 100 Award in 2014 for its A951 bonding technology that enabled the historic shift to aluminium-intensive vehicles. Arconic estimates that it will grow its automotive sheet revenue approximately six fold, from $229 million in 2013 to $1.3 billion in 2018.

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This year’s R&D 100 Awards were presented during the R&D 100 Conference in Washington, D.C., where top innovators in the R&D community come together each year to review the developments of the past year, provide insight into future forecasting, and foster a collaborative environment to share ideas and network with industry peers. Other award recipients included NASA, Battelle, National Laboratories, MIT and the US Department of Energy.