An Austrian materials breakthrough could change the supply mix for German and Austrian carmakers: AMAG Austria Metall’s new alloy, CrossAlloy®.57, received the ALUMINIUM Innovation Award in the Technology & Product Innovation category — a recognition that underlines the material’s potential for lightweight structural parts in vehicles and other transport applications. That matters to OEMs, tier suppliers and workshops in Germany and Austria because the alloy promises a combination of strength, formability and higher recycled content while being producible on existing rolling equipment, AMAG says.
What AMAG announced
AMAG says CrossAlloy®.57 “combines the properties of multiple alloy families” to offer high strength together with good formability, weldability and corrosion resistance. The company developed the alloy at its Ranshofen site in Upper Austria and reports that it can be produced as strip, sheet and plate on existing industrial equipment; prototype components have already been tested in automotive and transport sectors. AMAG CEO Victor Breguncci described the award as recognition of the work and said the company’s next priority is to drive industrialisation.
The accolade was handed out as part of the inaugural ALUMINIUM Innovation Awards at the ALUMINIUM trade fair in Düsseldorf; the ceremony took place on 7 October and the awards drew more than 70 submissions and over 9,700 public votes, organisers reported. AMAG’s entry was the winner in the Technology & Product Innovation category.
Technical and industrial facts
According to AMAG’s public information, CrossAlloy®.57 is notable because it merges performance traits typically found in different alloy families (notably the 5xxx and 7xxx series), and it is engineered to accept a higher proportion of recycled aluminium scrap without sacrificing mechanical properties. AMAG stresses that the alloy is designed for industrial applicability — i.e., production on standard rolling lines — which shortens the path from development to series use.
