Magnesium Elektron’s new magnesium recycling facility in Litvinov, Czech Republic has been running at capacity since the middle of 2002, having achieved full capacity only 15 months after start up.
Magnesium Elektron, part of the Luxfer Group of companies based in Manchester, England, has been an important part of the world’s magnesium industry since 1936. Involved in many different markets within the industry, from magnesium aerospace and motorsport alloys to magnesium powders, sheet and other wrought products, the new recycling facility in the Czech Republic is a further development to support the magnesium high pressure die-casting industry. Predominantly driven by the automotive industry, the use of high pressure die cast magnesium components has been increasing steadily for the last ten years, due to the metal being very strong and very light. As automobiles are being more lavishly equipped with safety and luxury options, new materials or new applications for existing materials are increasingly sought to offset the potential weight of these options against the stringent environmental conditions imposed on the automotive industry. For products such as steering wheels, air bag housings and steering lock housings, the material of choice is now magnesium.
In order to achieve full production capacity in just 15 months, training from Magnesium Elektron’s own technical centre in Manchester and further technical development within the Czech facility was given the highest priority. The successful transfer of ELEKTRON proprietary magnesium recycling technology into the new facility linked to technology upgrades appropriate to the modular recycling equipment allowed the sometimes difficult task of commissioning a new project to be completed in a very short time.
The ELEKTRON technology employed at Magnesium Elektron’s new facility allows the production of high quality magnesium alloys which consistently meet or exceed the relevant ASTM or automotive industry specifications. The facility has achieved full ISO accreditation and operates with a flexible modular recycling system, allowing the cost-effective recycling of a wide range of magnesium alloys. Integrated with the two other main Magnesium Elektron foundries in England, this flexibility reinforces Magnesium Elektron’s position as a Class A service provider, allowing the seamless management of customer demand and supply of these high quality recycled alloys. This three-way, fully integrated manufacturing operation is capable of processing 25,000 tonnes of magnesium a year.
For a die-casting foundry or first tier supplier to the automotive industry, the efficient and cost-effective management of the magnesium scrap arisings is critical to the overall cost-effectiveness of the die-casting operation. Magnesium Elektron’s service is based on completely removing from the die-casting foundry or automotive manufacturer the task of magnesium scrap management, whilst maintaining this task as an integral part of the manufacturing operation. This allows the die casting foundry or automotive manufacturer to concentrate resource and time on their own core business.
As the automotive industry broadens the use of magnesium and more alloys are developed to cope with the higher stresses of modern applications, the flexible manufacturing approach, coupled with the proprietary ELEKTRON recycling technology will excel at catering for the ever widening range of different magnesium alloys, some of which will require specific recycling technologies unique to the alloy.
Two years since magnesium was first cast at the new facility Magnesium Elektron is ideally positioned to integrate the demands of recycling alloys at the forefront of magnesium technology with future customer requirements. Since Magnesium Elektron first began processing molten magnesium in 1936, the company has built an enviable reputation based upon quality, service and innovation.
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