Recently, Guangxi Automobile Group Co., Ltd. has achieved a significant breakthrough in lightweight technology—the first successful trial production of a magnesium alloy semi-solid die-cast instrument panel crossbeam bracket. This achievement marks the initial success of the joint efforts between Guangxi Automobile Group and the National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloy Materials at Chongqing University, completing an integrated innovation of "materials—product structure and performance—forming process and mold structure," laying a solid foundation for Guangxi Automobile Group's transformation in the magnesium alloy business.
The magnesium alloy instrument panel crossbeam bracket trial-produced this time is over 1.5 meters in length, with a single magnesium alloy injection volume exceeding 8 kg, and the finished product weighing only 4.6 kg. Using a magnesium alloy injection molding machine and semi-solid forming process, the product's performance has been significantly improved: optimizing tissue density, with fine grains and no dendritic structure, and a tensile strength 10% to 20% higher than that of traditional processes; better fatigue resistance, extending service life; corrosion resistance superior to traditional high-pressure casting; effectively addressing casting defects such as shrinkage porosity and air holes.
The lightweight development of instrument panel crossbeam brackets has undergone three generations of material innovation: the first-generation steel products had limitations such as high weight and energy consumption; the second-generation aluminum alloy profile welded products achieved a 20% weight reduction; now, the third-generation magnesium alloy products combine high performance and lightweight advantages, achieving a 50% weight reduction target through integrated die-casting processes. The breakthrough in semi-solid die-casting technology has solved the problems of easy cracking and uneven tissue in traditional magnesium alloy high-pressure die-casting, enabling uniform forming of the material in a low-viscosity, high-solid-phase-fraction state, reducing porosity to below 1.5%, and increasing density to over 98%.
In the future, magnesium alloy technology will usher in a new era of full-scenario lightweighting. From "steel as the backbone" to "magnesium as the wings," the successful trial production of magnesium alloy instrument panel crossbeam bracket products provides a new direction for Guangxi Automobile Group to expand its parts business, strongly promoting the automotive industry towards a lighter, stronger, and more sustainable direction.
