“Alnovi” Superplastic Aluminum Alloy Can be Molded Freely Like Plastic

EVs, ships, aircraft equipment, rolling stock, architecture

Home Our Business Electronics“Alnovi” Superplastic Aluminum Alloy Can be Molded Freely Like Plastic

“Alnovi” superplastic molds
can be used to create complex designs,
greatly expanding the expressive ability of aluminum plate.

Superplastic molding is a forming method that utilizes the remarkable ductility exhibited by aluminum at high temperatures, making it possible to mold difficult-to-machine components integrally as single pieces.

UACJ Corporation’s “Alnovi” has excellent superplastic properties and is extensively used for low-temperature or high-speed molding of difficult-to-machine components for applications such as automobiles and aircraft.

Furukawa Sangyo supplies Alnovi to a wide range of molding companies (Tier-1) in Japan and overseas involved with EVs, aircraft, and rolling stock, and also contributes to reducing the weight of structures and lessening the labor and time of joining work required for them through integral molding.

About Alnovi

Alnovi is a superplastic aluminum alloy that can be freely molded like plastic.

UACJ's Alnovi superplastic molding aluminum plates were created to further expand the application of superplastic alloys, which were developed primarily for use in aerospace equipment.

By utilizing its high elongation properties, Alnovi can be used to mold deep and complex uneven shapes.

Compared to conventional superplastic alloys, it allows molding at higher speeds and has superior corrosion resistance and weldability.

It is ideal for lightweight structural materials such as automobile body panels with a high sense of design, rolling stock outer panels, building materials, and housing exterior products.

Features

  • It allows molding at higher speeds than conventional superplastic alloys.
  • It can be used for integral molding of products and can thereby reduce the number of components and welding points.
  • Molding can be performed with only one side of the mold, reducing costs.
  • Complex shapes and highly flexible designs can be molded.
  • It has excellent transferring properties.
  • It has excellent shape-fixing properties (no springback).

Superplastic Molding

Superplastic alloys can exhibit high elongation of 200% - 1,000% at high temperatures of approximately 400°C - 500 °C.

By utilizing these properties, complex shapes like those formed from plastic can be created through blow molding despite being metal alloys.

Item Press molding Blow molding
Molding temperature Room temperature Approx. 500°C
(mold + material heating)
Molding time
(strain-rate (/s))		 Several seconds
（1 to 10）		 Several minutes - several tens of minutes
（0.01 to 0.001）
Changes in plate thickness Small degree of change Large reduction in plate thickness
Productivity Suitable for mass production Suitable for small lots
Low springback
Molding time Press molding Blow molding

Applications

Automobiles (body panels, optional parts, components, interior and exterior panels), construction materials (residence doors, gate doors, fences, building material exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings, access floors)

Medicine (electronic equipment cases, electromagnetic shielding), precision models, decorative items

Components and Properties

Allowable Range for Manufacturing
Plate thickness 0.3～3.0 mmt
Plate width 1,600 mm (maximum)
Plate length 4,000 mm (maximum cut)
Thermal refining H18
Chemical Components
  Si Fe Cu Mn Mg Zn Cr Al

Notes
Alnovi-1 < 0.1 < 0.1 < 0.1 0.4 to 1.0 4.0 to 4.9 < 0.1 0.05 to 0.25 Remainder 5083 SPF
Alnovi-U < 0.1 < 0.1 < 0.1 1.0 to 1.7 4.0 to 4.9 < 0.1 < 0.1 Remainder Series 5000 SPF
Mechanical Properties
  Tensile strength (N/mm2) Yield strength (N/mm2) Elongation (%) Fatigue strength 107 (N/mm2)
Alnovi-1 275 to 350 125 to 200 ≧ 16 150
Alnovi-U 295 to 370 135 to 210 ≧ 16 160
Molding Properties
  Superplastic elongation (%) m-value (strain-rate sensitivity index)
Alnovi-1 300 to 500 0.5
Alnovi-U 300 to 500 0.5

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