Lightweight non-ferrous casting enhances Chinese manufacturing

The global foundry industry has experienced unprecedented challenges such as accelerated energy transformation, deepening low-carbon emissions reduction, and restructuring of the supply chain pattern. China's die-casting industry, with "technological breakthroughs, green leadership, and application expansion" as the main line, has achieved a historic leap from scale expansion to quality leap. To promote the core supporting role of the die-casting industry in high-end equipment manufacturing, the 5th China Foundry Association Die Casting CEO Annual Meeting and Nonferrous Casting Lightweight Forum will be held in Tianjin on May 21, 2025.

Zhang Libo, Vice President of China Machinery Industry Federation and President of China Foundry Association, pointed out in his opening speech that the production structure of aluminum magnesium alloy castings in China continues to optimize, and aluminum alloy, as the foundation of the industry, is steadily developing. Magnesium alloy is rapidly rising with its lightweight advantage. With the acceleration of breakthroughs in lightweight die-casting technology, achievements in equipment, materials, processes, and other fields have emerged frequently, and the coordinated development pattern of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain has taken shape. Currently, with the deep adjustment of the global industrial chain, the aluminum and magnesium alloy die-casting industry is facing both the historical opportunity of "lightweighting" and the practical challenge of "internal and external difficulties". Faced with the complex situation of internal and external interweaving, he suggested that the die-casting industry should gather consensus and focus on promoting the following three aspects of work: first, to break the homogenization dilemma through differentiated competition, encourage enterprises to base themselves on their own advantages, deeply cultivate segmented fields, form differentiated competitive advantages, create "specialized, refined, unique and new" enterprises, resolutely abandon low price competition, and turn to value competition with technology, quality and service as the core; The second is to respond to the changes in the global industrial chain through open cooperation, deepen international technological exchanges, and build a diversified supply chain system; The third is to solve the problem of talent shortage through the integration of industry and education, support leading enterprises in building training bases, improve the evaluation system for skilled talents, and make "great country craftsmen" the backbone of industry innovation.
In recent years, the automotive industry has accelerated its transformation and upgrading in the field of electrification, bringing new opportunities and challenges to the die-casting industry. Qu Guochun, Director of the Equipment Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Vice Chairman of the China Society of Automotive Engineers, and Senior Engineer, conducted an in-depth analysis of the development trends of the automotive industry in green, low-carbon, lightweight, low-cost, and high safety directions in the report. He proposed the main development directions of the die-casting industry in the automotive field and also suggested strengthening innovation in lightweight material technology; Promote the digital development of production processes and equipment; Expand the application scenarios of die-casting industry; Enhance international development capabilities.
The energy conservation and emission reduction of automobiles need to be achieved through optimizing the power system, improving aerodynamic performance, and promoting lightweighting. Hu Jinbao, Vice President of the China Foundry Association and Chief Scientist of China FAW Group Co., Ltd., pointed out that lightweight materials for automobiles are developing towards high-performance, low-cost, and mixed use of various materials, with a focus on the application research of high-strength steel, aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, and non-metallic materials, bringing about a series of innovations in lightweight materials, process technologies, and equipment.
Wu Guohua, a distinguished professor of Shanghai Jiaotong University, a foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Engineering, the first prize winner of the the State Technological Innovation Award, and the chief scientist of the National Basic Strengthening Program, introduced the development history of magnesium alloy materials research and application, including the application of magnesium alloys in aerospace equipment, aeroengines, automobiles, and other fields, described the main challenges faced in the preparation of high-performance magnesium alloys and the forming process of large complex magnesium alloy castings, as well as some key application technology bottlenecks and countermeasures, and also looked forward to the common problems in the development process of high-performance magnesium alloys and future development trends.
Lightweight is a major demand in national strategic fields such as aerospace, new energy vehicles, and high-speed rail. Integrated die casting and semi-solid injection molding technology can achieve near net forming of high-performance lightweight magnesium alloys. Wang Huiyuan, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Hebei University of Technology, introduced that in recent years, the team has developed a series of low-cost and high-performance semi-solid, die-casting magnesium alloy new materials, which are suitable for rear floors, wheel hubs, shock absorbers, large central control screen brackets, electric drive assembly components, battery trays, etc., and have conducted product trials and production to help promote the application process of magnesium alloys.
In addition, Yin Bo, Vice Chairman of the Political Consultative Conference of Jinnan District, Tianjin, Zhang Zhiyong, Executive Vice Chairman of the China Foundry Association, Fan Qi, Executive Vice Chairman, Wang Dongsheng, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary General, Gao Wei, as well as more than 100 corporate leaders including Wencan Group, Lijin Group, Yizhimi Co., Ltd., and Meilixin attended the meeting.