Workers process magnesium alloy products at the Lanxi magnesium alloy semi-solid die-casting pilot test base. [Photo/Tide News]
Lanxi, a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, is accelerating the research and development of magnesium products.
Established jointly by the Lanxi government and Chongqing University in 2023, the Lanxi Magnesium Materials Research Institute has rapidly become an innovation hub for magnesium materials.
Pan Fusheng, honorary director of the National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys and a professor at Chongqing University, shifted his focus from aluminum to magnesium many years ago as he realized that magnesium shares many properties with aluminum but is more abundant in China.
Lanxi — the city that had long relied on traditional industries — is Pan's hometown. It was his support that propelled the establishment of the institute.
Pan's team overcame the long-standing challenge of magnesium materials — poor deformability — and developed new magnesium alloys with high performance. Now, dozens of various magnesium alloy products such as cold chain boxes and auto hubs are displayed in the institute's exhibition hall.
"At first, many industry insiders didn't believe that magnesium alloys could have so many applications," said She Jia, deputy director of the institute. These products are the result of the institute's focus on industries like new energy vehicles and e-bikes. More than 10 projects are in progress, with many already entering the mass production stage.
The magnesium also brings innovations in the biomedical field. The institute recently completed animal trials of degradable magnesium alloy bone nails and plates, waiting for clinical testing phases.
"The degradable products can eliminate secondary surgeries, reducing patients' pain and cutting their costs," explained She.
To bridge lab-to-factory gaps, the institute partnered with Zhejiang Yisu Sports Equipment Manufacturing Co to build a pilot test base for the semi-solid die casting of magnesium alloys in Lanxi this April. They are working on a full-fledged system for the magnesium materials industry, covering laboratory, pilot test, and industrialization.
