Substitution of Critical Raw Materials on Aluminium Alloys for electrical vehicles

The EC and national public officials are well aware of the economic importance and supply risk of Critical Raw Materials and are promoting solutions which are feasible, reliable and cost-effective to reduce this dependence. SALEMA addresses this concern for the CRM-reliant high performance Aluminium grades required in electrical vehicles.

Changing the input materials required to produce these advanced alloys, SALEMA proposes a circular economy model using scrap metal as an alternative source of Critical Raw Materials and the substitution of CRM for commonly available alloying elements.

These developments will be deployed in four industrial pilots (High Pressure Die Casting, Cold and Hot Sheet Stamping, and profile Extrusion), representing the most relevant processes in aluminium manufacture for lightweight automobiles.SALEMA puts together an industrially and user-driven consortium that represents the whole sector of aluminium in automotive applications, who will extensively work during 3-years to proof that the presentedmeasures are competitive, technically feasible and contribute towards circular economy strategies and sustainability goals.

The project addresses in a coordinated and cooperative manner the key challenges in the different levels of the value chain: improving scrap classification and sorting systems to turn scrap into a valuable raw material; demonstrating the feasibility to substitute CRMs in alloying systems; developing recycled aluminium alloys with improved mechanical performance; optimizing High Pressure Die Casting, sheet metal Stamping and Extrusion processes in a timely and cost-efficient manner in order to ensure the adoption of the developed alloys.

SALEMA will deliver 4 industrial pilots, validate the new developed Al alloys with 5 car-part demonstrations in 5 industrial case studies, which guarantees a prompt industrial deployment and take up.