The Development of New Applications for Magnesium Die Casting

A significant number of new magnesium die castings have appeared in the automotive field within the past few years. This paper identifies the contributions of the automotive industry, the magnesium die caster, and the magnesium industry in the development of these new applications. Economic factors beyond raw material costs are identified and illustrated in several magnesium-versus-aluminum comparisons. Progress in dealing with atmospheric corrosion is discussed in view of field experience with high purity magnesium alloy. Two cases are cited where dissimilar metals contact magnesium alloys and essentially no galvanic precautions were required.