The research team achieved a dual reduction in both energy requirements and CO₂ emissions throughout the entire process flow—including the introduction of hydrogen in melting and heating technologies, shortened process routes, and the use of cold-formable magnesium alloys . The consortium successfully developed various lightweight product demonstrators, including magnesium computer housings, rail seat backs for high-speed trains such as the TGV, hinge parts for transport containers, and an airflow channel for a hovercraft rescue vehicle.
This new manufacturing process comprises three core modules:
Module 1: Hydrogen Substitution—Replacing fossil fuels with up to 100% climate-neutral hydrogen. Converting melting and heating processes to hydrogen and optimizing energy efficiency is a key step towards producing magnesium in a climate-neutral and more cost-effective way . Researchers use digital twins to better understand the processes and improve them during operation.
Module 2: Shortened Process Route—To achieve rapid conversion of magnesium melt into semi-finished products, the team relies on casting-rolling technology to directly produce magnesium sheets with a thickness of approximately 5 millimeters, significantly reducing subsequent forming steps . The heat from the casting process is utilized directly for forming, resulting in sheets or wires that already have nearly the desired component shape, thus reducing energy and time-consuming downstream process steps.
Module 3: Novel Magnesium Alloy Application—Utilizing the calcium-containing magnesium alloy ZAX210. This alloy can be processed well even at comparatively low forming temperatures of around 200°C, allowing forming processes to be realized at significantly lower temperatures without compromising component properties .
For wire production, the research team also developed the GieWaCon process, combining wire casting rolling with the CONFORM™ process—already established for materials like copper—and applied it to magnesium for the first time . The magnesium wires produced achieved a final diameter of 1.6 millimeters, either directly using the CONFORM™ process or through subsequent wire drawing.
Additionally, the research team investigated suitable surface coatings for all prototypes and analyzed and optimized various welding processes. A CO₂ calculator (CLEAN-Mag App) was specially developed in the project, enabling companies to compile and compare possible process chains for magnesium forming, helping to reduce emissions in industrial processes .