Magnesium Elektron wins R&D Award with Oak Ridge Laboratory

20 August 2012

MAGNESIUM ELEKTRON WINS
R&D AWARD IN CONJUNCTION
WITH OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Madison, Illinois
August 20 2012

Magnesium Elektron North America has received a research & development award for work carried out in conjunction with researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The awards, presented by R&D Magazine, recognise the top 100 innovations of 2012 and are sometimes referred to as the “Academy Awards of Science.”

The specific award made to Magnesium Elektron was for “Asymmetric Rolling Mill: A Novel Route for Processing Sheet and Plate”, and was jointly developed and submitted by ORNL, Magnesium Elektron North America and FATA Hunter Inc.

The asymmetric rolling mill provides a way to efficiently process sheet and plate, accelerating the production of magnesium in rolled form. This technology is likely to reduce the number of processing steps, reducing the cost of finished magnesium components and thereby making magnesium more cost-competitive with aluminium in many commercial products. The widespread use of magnesium as a substitute for aluminium in aerospace, automotive and military applications would reduce vehicle weight and lead to improvements in transportation by improving fuel economy and overall performance.

“Congratulations to this year’s R&D 100 award winners,” said DOE Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “The research and development at the Department of Energy’s laboratories continues to help the nation meet our energy challenges, strengthen our national security and improve our economic competitiveness.”

Funding was provided by the US DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency Renewable Energy with cost sharing from Magnesium Elektron North America.

Magnesium Elektron is part of the Elektron division of Luxfer Group.