Rio Tinto Aluminium has joined hands with Comptech to make new aluminum alloys that can be used for electric vehicles (EVs) and 5G antennas.
The company said in a media statement on Thursday that the new high-strength alloy would be made through a process called Rheocasting, which can make low-cost, high-strength aluminum parts as well as a wide range of alloys.
This process will be used for giga-casting for EVs. In giga-casting, a single large aluminum part is produced to reduce the weight of the metal and the number of components and assembly costs and time.
The company did not disclose the volumes it planned to produce once the product was finalized but a spokesperson told Davis Index that the alloys using this process can be produced across Rio Tinto’s global foundry alloy operations.
Rio Tinto noted that the products being made with this new technology are undergoing a qualification process with European automakers.