Mg-alloy-supply-forms-grade-selection

How to Select Magnesium Alloy Grades by Supply Form and Manufacturing Process 

In engineering practice, magnesium alloy selection cannot be made by grade alone.
A viable solution must align:

Application → Process Route → Supply Form → Alloy System

1. Structural Parts & Sheet Forming (Stamping / Bending)

Applications

• 3C housings (laptops, tablets, smartphone mid-frames)

• Automotive interior structures (instrument panel brackets, seat back panels)

• Lightweight enclosures and thin-wall components

• Local aerospace skin panels

Process Route

Continuous casting & rolling → Hot rolling → Warm forming

Supply Form

• Sheet (0.5–200 mm, width up to ~1500 mm)

Recommended Alloys

• AZ31B

◦ General-purpose wrought sheet

◦ Excellent formability, most widely used

◦ Low cost, globally available

• ZK61

◦ High-strength wrought alloy

◦ Suitable for load-bearing structures

◦ Moderate cost, limited supply

• WE43

◦ Rare-earth magnesium alloy

◦ Suitable for 150–250 °C service

◦ High cost, mainly supplied in Europe & North America

• LA103M / LA103Z

◦ Ultra-low density, high ductility

◦ Industrial availability is extremely limited (mostly custom/R&D)

Engineering note: prioritize commercially available systems over experimental alloys.

Regional Supply Insight

• China: strong in AZ and ZK series

• Europe/US: dominant in WE43

• Mg–Li alloys: emerging toward industrial maturity

2. Precision Machining & Forging Stock

Applications

• Aerospace structural parts (brackets, connectors)

• UAV structures (arms, frames)

• High-end lightweight components

• Precision machined parts (CNC)

Process Route

Casting → Extrusion → Machining

Supply Form

• Billets / bars (Ø60–800 mm)

Recommended Alloys

• AZ91

◦ Typical casting alloy

◦ Suitable for die casting + machining

◦ Not a mainstream extrusion alloy

• ZK60

◦ High-strength extruded alloy

◦ Ideal for CNC machining

• WE43 / EV31A / QE22

◦ Rare-earth alloys with heat resistance

◦ Used in aerospace & high-temperature applications

3. Die Casting & Semi-Solid Forming (Thixomolding)

Applications

• Laptop frames / smartphone structures

• Automotive seat frames

• Thin-wall, complex geometries

• Lightweight substitutes for aluminum die castings

Supply Form

• Granular feedstock (not powder)

Feedstock Types

• Chips: irregular, from machined stock

• Pellets: engineered particles with controlled size/flow (industry standard)

 Not interchangeable.

Recommended Alloys

• AZ91D

◦ Excellent fluidity

◦ Suitable for complex thin-wall parts

• AM60 / AM50

◦ High toughness

◦ Ideal for energy-absorbing structures (e.g., seat frames)

4. Welded Structural Assemblies

Applications

• Automotive body joining

• Lightweight frames (aerospace/UAV)

• Sheet assemblies (enclosures, housings)

• Repair and reinforcement

Process Route

• MIG / TIG welding

Supply Form

• Welding wire (2.0–6.0 mm)

Process Key Points

• Shielding gas: Ar or Ar + He

• Control heat input to avoid hot cracking

• Filler composition must match base material

Recommended Alloys

• AZ31 / AZ61 filler wire

• WE43 filler wire (high-temperature applications)

• MB8 (corrosion-resistant system)

5. Functional Magnesium Materials

Applications

• Dissolvable downhole tools (oil & gas)

• Biodegradable implants (screws, scaffolds)

• Temporary structural components

• Electrochemical materials

Characteristics

Focus shifts from mechanical performance → electrochemical / biological functionality

Supply Form

• Custom bars

• High-purity powders (PM / additive manufacturing)

Design Principle

Controlled degradation via:

• Electrochemical potential differences

• Second-phase regulation

Typical Uses

• Oil & gas dissolvable tools

• Biomedical implants

High cost, primarily custom supply.

6. Material Selection Workflow

Recommended engineering sequence:

1. Define application type
(structural / thin-wall / welded / functional)

2. Determine process route
(stamping, machining, casting, welding, etc.)

3. Select supply form
(sheet, bar, pellets, wire, powder)

4. Match alloy system
(AZ, ZK, rare-earth Mg, Mg–Li, etc.)

5. Evaluate cost & availability (critical step)

6.  Supply Form vs. Alloy Mapping