Spray-Formed DISPAL® Aluminium Alloys Offer Lightweight & Versatility

With its sustainable features and properties, aluminium has earned its label as the “green” metal. Its unique combination of lightweight, strength, corrosion resistance, versatility, impermeability, and infinite recyclability has allowed its use in a wide range of application areas, spanning multiple industries, like automotive, aerospace, and high-precision machinery. And one of the most innovative processes in manufacturing such aluminium alloys is spray-forming. An example of high-performance spray-formed aluminium materials is DISPAL® from Gränges Powder Metallurgy. So, what makes lightweight aluminium alloys so versatile? Why is spray-forming a suitable process? And what benefits do DISPAL® aluminium alloys offer?

Many industries require high-performance materials that can exhibit and maintain their properties under varying conditions. With its variety of alloys, aluminium has demonstrated an unmatched versatility thanks to its excellent physical, thermal, and chemical properties. This enabled it to be a material of choice for numerous application areas, including robotics, heavy machinery, aerospace, automobiles, and electronics. Not to mention, being infinitely recyclable without losing its integrity and properties has helped earn aluminium its sustainable status.

Aluminium alloys can be produced through multiple processes, but one particularly innovative method of manufacturing is spray forming. Spray forming is a powder metallurgical process in which liquid metal droplets are sprayed and deposited in a layer-by-layer fashion onto a substrate where they rapidly solidify and form a near-net-shape preform. It is inherently simpler than other technologies and significantly more time- and cost-effective. It helps remove macrosegregation and reduce microsegregation, two issues that require extensive treatment and processing in conventional casting methods. It also provides rapid cooling and solidification of the sprayed particles, even with a significant amount of alloying elements we reach a homogeneous microstructure. Also, MMC (metal matrix composites) are possible where insoluble particles like SiC or B4C are incorporated in an aluminium matrix.

Al alloys with excellent formability and high strength

Under spray-forming, the aluminium alloys solidify exceptionally quickly, resulting in an extremely fine grain and a homogeneous microstructure with no inclusions or oxides. This provides a material that is lightweight with excellent mechanical properties.

Products like lightweight functional components for engines and gearboxes or semi-finished items for high-precision machinery, when made from Gränges’ DISPAL^® aluminium alloys, ensure exceptional formability, lightweight, and multiple performance upgrades.

DISPAL^® has properties comparable to those of steel at only a third of its weight. It has dimensional stability comparable with steel and iron-casting alloys and resistance to wear and tear on the same level as cast iron alloys, thanks to the high amount of alloying elements.

The DISPAL^® alloy offers customized thermal expansion rates, optimal wear and tear properties, high stability and rigidity, as well as very good heat dissipation and reduced weight compared to other materials and technologies.

High-performance aluminium materials

Products made from DISPAL^® materials have established themselves in the marketplace thanks to their optimized thermal expansion coefficient, higher strength and rigidity, very good heat dissipation and excellent machining properties.

Considerable weight savings are possible due to the optimized material properties. With the reduced inertia for moving parts allowing increased speed and acceleration without overshoot, a reduction in cycle times is possible. Additionally, increased precision and accuracy are possible when assembling micro componentry.

Very good thermal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient ensure that performance is maintained under all operational conditions. Electrochemical coatings are possible for optical sensors if required, but due to the excellent mechanical properties, hard anodizing is usually not needed to improve wear resistance.

Properties and benefits of DISPAL^® alloys

Thanks to their advanced spray-forming production process, DISPAL^® materials exhibit fantastic material properties and significant advantages over other materials, such as:

• High strength – specific values comparable with Titanium and Ferrous alloy systems
• High stiffness – 30 % more rigidity than conventional aluminium alloys, elasticity modulus of up to 115 GPA
• Thermal expansion – adaptable from steel (= 14*10-6 /K) to aluminium/magnesium (= 23*10-6 /K) by adding up to 35 % silicon to the alloy melt
• Thermal conductivity – adaptable from 90 to 160 W/(m.K)
• High-temperature stability – at application temperatures of up to 450 °C
• Resistance to wear and tear – on the same level as cast iron alloys
• Dimensional stability – comparable with steel and iron-casting alloys
• Very good machinability and formability – due to the fine and homogenous morphology
• Weight-savings – up to 60 % in comparison with ferrous alloys

The table below shows the properties of some of the high-performance spray-formed Al alloy DISPAL^® materials. For more information, explore the datasheets of all DISPAL^® materials. You can also compare the three materials in the table below here.

 

	DISPAL® S260 F	DISPAL® S220 O	DISPAL® S225 F
General properties
Density	2.66 g/cm3 at 23 °C	2.54 g/cm3 at 23 °C	2.58 g/cm3 at 23 °C
Mechanical properties
Elastic modulus	85 GPa at 23 °C	80 GPa at 23 °C	86 GPa at 23 °C
Elongation A50	1% at 23 °C	2% at 23 °C	1% at 23 °C
Hardness, Vickers, 30	110 at 23 °C	58 at 23 °C	85 at 23 °C
Thermal properties
Coefficient of thermal expansion	1.67*10-5 – 1.77*10-5 1/K at 23 °C	1.46*10-5 – 1.56*10-5 1/K at 23 °C	1.46*10-5 – 1.56*10-5 1/K at 23 °C
Melting point	507.1 °C	575.9 °C	570.3 °C
Thermal conductivity	135.5 W/(m.K) at 30 °C	152.4 W/(m.K) at 30 °C	126.6 W/(m.K) at 30 °C
Electrical properties
Electrical conductivity	1.44*107 S/m at 23 °C	1.57*107 S/m at 23 °C	1.18*107 S/m at 23 °C
Chemical properties
Chemical composition	Al: balance Cu: 4% Mg: 1% Si: 25%	Al: balance Si: 35%	Al: balance Fe: 2% Ni: 1% Si: 35%

Applications of aluminium alloys

Aluminium alloys have found their way into numerous industries. DISPAL^® materials’ versatility is evident in their range of applications, including:

• Automotive powertrain
• Industrial robotics
• High precision machinery
• Aerospace
• Satellites
• Motorsport
• Optical industry
• Defence
• Metrology
• SMT
• Pick and place
• Linear technology

About Gränges Powder Metallurgy

Gränges Powder Metallurgy is a global supplier of spray-formed aluminium products and aluminium powders for additive manufacturing. Their products can be found in automotive, aerospace, industrial robotics industries, and more. They have powder production capabilities in Germany and France and are a wholly-owned subsidiary of the global aluminium technology company, Gränges.

Visit the Gränges supplier profile page for more information on their materials listed on Matmatch and to get in direct contact with them.

You can also learn more about Dispal® on the Gränges website and contact Gränges Powder Metallurgy via email.