„Aluminium Praxis“ magazine reports on the „Magit“ gas injection project
The trade journal „Aluminium Praxis“ recently reported on the participation of ALUWAG AG in the „Magit“ gas injection project. As a cooperation partner, the Niederbürer company makes an important contribution to the electrification of road traffic and the achievement of European environmental goals.
By 2030, around ten million electric vehicles should be registered in Germany alone. In order to save costs and material in series production, the MAGT project consortium - consisting of scientists from Aalen University and international project partners - is working on new technologies for the more efficient production of hollow and thin-walled components.
ALUWAG AG was selected from over 300 projects at the beginning of 2020 and elected to the project consortium. The project volume amounts to around CHF 1.65 million.
More efficient production in e-mobility
By participating in the “MAGIT” gas injection project, Aluwag is making a valuable contribution to Switzerland as a business location and is actively involved in technological progress.
In order to reduce costs and save material in the series production of electric vehicles, scientists at Aalen University are currently working on a new technology for the more efficient production of hollow and thin-walled components. This is particularly relevant for the automotive industry. The MAGIT project (magnesium and aluminum gas injection technology) makes an important contribution to the electrification of road traffic and thus to more sustainability in mobility. Together with its cooperation partners, which also include the Swiss company Aluwag, the university’s foundry laboratory is concentrating on the development of a new gas injection technology for die-casting processes for the production of light magnesium and aluminum components.
By 2030, seven to ten million electric vehicles should be registered in Germany, according to the goal of the federal government. In order to advance the electrification of road traffic, lightweight components with complex cavities to reduce the weight of e-cars are becoming increasingly important. In addition, there is an increasing need for components with channels that, for example, carry the coolant for the electric motor. Previously, electric motor housings were produced in two separate parts using die casting. Thanks to the innovative gas injection process, the cooling channel can be introduced directly in the casting process without any complex additional processes.
Faster die casting production for e-mobility through gas injection
The research team at the foundry laboratory at Aalen University works under the direction of Prof. Dr. Lothar Kallien works on the innovative production technology together with three international project partners. “Gas injection is a new process for producing die-cast components with complex channels,” explains Kallien, who teaches in the degree programs “Mechanical Engineering/ Production and Management”, “Lightweight Design” and “Product Development and Manufacturing”.
The use of gas injection technology in large-scale production makes a significant contribution to the electrification of road traffic and the achievement of European environmental goals. By producing the electric motor housing in a single part, the research team has already successfully identified a large field of application for this innovative process. This makes series production cheaper, easier and faster thanks to material savings.
Focus on market launch as a process suitable for large-scale production
The MAGIT project is funded by the European Union as part of the European RTI program with around 4.1 million euros. In addition to the many years of research experience at Aalen University, the project consortium combines the competencies of TiK-Technologie in Kunststoff GmbH in the field of gas injection technology in die casting, the Swiss Aluwag AG in the field of innovative serial die casting and the Belgian Surtechno in the field of toolmaking and die casting tools.
“During the three-year project period, our focus is on the market launch of MAGIT’s gas injection technology as a process suitable for large-scale production,” says Kallien. To this end, the project team wants to optimize the gas injection system technology and offer it in the industrial foundry environment as a user-friendly MAGIT power module that can be integrated into any cold and hot chamber die casting machine.