Yizumi 1,250 t semi-solid magnesium machine enters production

Following the successful development of the UN650MGII semi-solid magnesium alloy injection molding machine, Yizumi has made another breakthrough in large magnesium alloy equipment. The 1,250-tonne semi-solid magnesium alloy thixomolding machine, developed jointly by Yizumi headquarters and its German R&D centre, produces large magnesium structural parts. It has been installed at the German customer HETTICH and has gone into production.

The machine is currently used by HETTICH to produce a scooter chassis weighing about 1.2 kg, one part every 41 seconds with an average wall thickness of 4 mm.

Manuel Klinge, project manager at HETTICH, said: 'We want the scooter chassis to be strong and stable so that it survives rough ground; the machine must fill and cast well. This machine meets our requirements.'

Founded in 1888, HETTICH is a well-known German magnesium parts molder with extensive experience, and has moved into semi-solid magnesium injection molding for furniture and kitchen hardware, automotive and large appliance components and construction parts.

In recent years HETTICH has entered the field of large magnesium automotive structural parts. Limited by small tonnage and shot size, earlier semi-solid machines could hardly compete in large structural parts. At the end of 2017 HETTICH decided to order a large-tonnage semi-solid machine from Yizumi.

In magnesium structural molding the runner often weighs far more than the part itself. During a year of development, to raise material yield, Yizumi Germany identified and introduced European hot-runner technology; the Chinese R&D team applied it for the first time and reworked the process for the 1,250-tonne machine.