Kunming University of Science and Technology, Tiancheng Aluminum Inaugurate Joint Research Center for Aluminum-Based New Materials

On April 8, the "Aluminum-Based New Materials Joint Research Center," jointly established by Kunming University of Science and Technology and Guangxi Tiancheng Aluminum Co., Ltd., was inaugurated in Laibin City, Guangxi. The center focuses on the R&D and industrialisation of key common technologies for aluminum-based new materials, aiming to address the industry pain point of China's high-end aluminum semis being "large but not strong" through complementary advantages of universities and enterprises, and to provide technical support for strategic fields such as NEVs and aerospace.

Currently, the global aluminum-based new materials industry is experiencing a period of rapid development. The demand for high-strength aluminum alloys for the lightweighting of NEVs is growing at an annual rate of over 15%, while the import dependency for high-temperature-resistant aluminum-lithium alloys in the aerospace sector is as high as 60%, and heat dissipation materials for 5G communication base stations still face "bottleneck" issues. However, the self-sufficiency rate of high-end products in China's aluminum processing industry is less than 30%, and the conversion rate of scientific research achievements is below 40%. Against this backdrop, the collaboration between Kunming University of Science and Technology and Tiancheng Aluminum represents a significant practice of deep integration of industry, academia, and research.