Hydro expands R&D centre with aluminium research lab

Hydro has expanded its research and development capabilities with the launch of an aluminium research lab in Finspång, Sweden. 

The Extrusion Test Center will allow Hydro to “test new types of aluminium alloys and their extrudability for eventual use in applications that are innovative and which can help customers reduce their carbon footprint.” Work on the building and installation of the machinery was completed in August.

Egil Hogna, EVP responsible for Hydro’s Extruded Solutions business area said: “Research and application development has always been one of our strong points as a supplier of innovative aluminium solutions, and with sustainability now the key word in our industry, we need to speed these efforts to meet market needs.”

The center has a new aluminium extrusion press and metal casting facilities. The extrusion press will allow the company to test extremely fast and for extremely hard aluminium alloys, including 7000-series alloys. The press was delivered by Prizma Engineering. The melting furnace for casting will yield a large part of the metal supply used within the lab, Hydro said.

“The test center will be an integral part of the global Innovation & Technology (I&T) unit of Extruded Solutions, which includes the product application lab in Finspång and an automotive-focused research and development lab outside Detroit, in Troy, Michigan. I&T also operates aluminium tubing corrosion laboratories in China and the United States,” Hydro said through its press release.

The application lab in Finspång carries out robotic welding, hot metal gas forming, friction stir welding, thermal testing and the testing of components, such as crash testing of automotive systems. The test center will offer services that complement the work of the application lab, said Ole Daaland, who heads the I&T unit for Hydro.

“This extends our offering and makes it possible for us to develop alloys and prototypes much faster and more efficiently,” he said.

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