PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining major Rio Tinto has partnered with casting solutions provider Comptech to bring a new generation of aluminium alloys to the market for use in advanced technologies such as electric vehicles and 5G antennas.
Rio’s metallurgical experts have designed the alloys for the semi-solid Rheocasting process offered by Comptech, to meet the requirements of producing large, specialised single piece designs, known as giga-casting.
The alloys offer high strength, electrical and thermal conductivity properties, while Rheocasting allows fast, low cost production of advanced lightweight designs. The products are currently undergoing qualification with automakers in Europe.
“Through this partnership, we are delivering a new range of specialised alloys designed to deliver high performance, lower cost solutions for advanced applications like electric vehicles and 5G antennas,” Rio VP for sales and marketing aluminium Tolga Egrilmezer said.
“This is an area of emerging demand where our industry leading research and development capability allows us to deliver products that meet the specific needs of manufacturers and end customers.”