Modelling modules develops quality aluminium casting techniques from recycled aluminium

The Norwegian project "Modelling-assisted Innovation for the Aluminium DC Casting Process" (MINAC), has developed modelling tools that show the impact of even minute adjustments to the casting process on casthouse products.

The aluminium industry is facing three challenges in particular: increasingly complex products, demanding customers and ever more stringent recirculation and recycling requirements. This means that the industry is in need of a predictable and reliable casting process that is not based on trial and error.

The research being carried out in the MINAC project is of interest both for the quality-focused automotive industry, which is striving to develop cars that are lighter and more environment-friendly, and for the construction industry, where the products used must also satisfy stringent requirements.

"Producing aluminium the first time around is a relatively expensive and energy-intensive process. After the initial production, however, aluminium can be re-melted and recycled countless times," Dr Myhr explains.

"The recycling process we are working on is far less costly than the initial production process, largely because the total amount of energy needed for recycling is only five per cent of what was used originally. These savings, combined with more environmentally sustainable processes, make it far more attractive to use recycled aluminium," he points out.

Launched in 2009, the MINAC project builds on researcher-driven expertise from as far back as the early 1970s. The objective has been to create and further refine modelling tools that the aluminium industry can use to simulate the outcomes of choosing certain alloys and casting parameters, thereby increasing processability. Greater predictability in the casting process reduces the occurrence of casting defects which otherwise result in large additional costs. Another increasingly important area of application for the simulation tools developed under the MINAC project include the certification of new alloys for high-demand customers in the transport and construction sectors.

The lineup of participants in the MINAC project reveals the keen interest displayed by aluminium producers in the development of simulation tools. Industrial partners in the project include Hydro Aluminium, Alcoa and Aleris. These three actors, competitors in several areas, have come together to form a forward-looking consortium that will continue even after the MINAC project's lifetime.

"The MINAC project was concluded in the summer of 2013, having achieved most of what we had set out to do. It is particularly satisfying to see one of the most important objectives fulfilled -- developing an entirely new model capable of solving the problem of variations in the chemical composition through the cast product," explains Dr Myhr.

Once the aluminium industry has improved the casting process so that aluminium parts can be produced faster, in the correct shape, with fewer defects and thus more uniformly, the results will be of great significance to the array of increasingly discerning customers. Developing alloys for new products also boosts competitiveness significantly. Even minor improvements in the casting process can have an enormous impact. For one, the use of modelling tools makes it possible to reduce the amount of time needed to certify new alloys for use in the automotive industry.