Casting Magnesium Alloy Plate Billet
The casting process of magnesium alloy slabs is one in which a liquid molten magnesium alloy is poured into a mould and then cooled and solidified to the required shape. The process steps include:
1. Material preparation: First of all, raw materials for magnesium alloys need to be prepared and these can be magnesium ingots, magnesium alloy powders or other magnesium alloy products. Depending on the needs of specifications and performance of the magnesium plate to be manufactured, raw materials of preference are determined.
2. Smelting: The prepared raw materials of magnesium alloy will be charged into the melting furnace and melted to the melting state. In the process, it will also need to add some additives in order to adjust the performance of the alloy, such as improving its mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, etc.
3. Pouring: The liquid molten magnesium alloy is poured into the previously fabricated mould of the casting from the pouring mould. During casting, the flow rate, temperature and casting speed have to be controlled such that the magnesium alloy is permitted to fill the mould of the casting evenly and adopt the desired shape. Horizontal continuous casting or vertical continuous casting are the general methods adopted for the production of slabs.
4. Solidification and cooling: The molten magnesium alloy in the mould solidifies gradually by the process of cooling to form a magnesium alloy slab with the desired shape and size. A close control over the rate of cooling must be maintained in an attempt to avoid cracks or defects.
5. Heat treatment: After casting, the magnesium alloy slab frequently undergoes heat treatment to improve its internal structure and mechanical properties. The common heat treatments are annealing and age hardening.
6. Magnesium plate processing: the heat-treated magnesium alloy slab may then be processed further by machining (such as cutting, stamping, welding, etc.) to create the final magnesium plate product. Processing would have to consider the easy to oxidise, easy to absorb moisture characteristics of magnesium alloy to take adequate protective measures.
7. Quality inspection: Finally, quality inspection of the magnesium plate, i.e., appearance inspection, measurement, mechanical property test, analysis of chemical composition, etc., is done to ensure the product quality meets corresponding standards and requirements of the customer.
After moulding of magnesium alloy casting slab, it can be manufactured into Casting Magnesium Alloy Plate, or manufactured into Forged Magnesium Alloy Plate by forging, or manufactured into Hot Rolled Magnesium Alloy Plate through rolling process.