components—but not in a good way. Many still consider the material prone to igniting, and its light weight makes
M
agnesium has taken on a mythical qual- ity for many design- ers and purchasers of engineered metal
magnesium seem weaker than com- parable materials. But a part sourced by Ford Motor
Co., Detroit, for the 2010 Lincoln MKT is helping to change at least the second of those two myths. The award winning single piece
magnesium liftgate inner panel (the part has been decorated by several metalcasting industry organizations, as well as the Automotive News PACE Awards committee and internally by Ford) is the fi rst diecast magnesium closure ever to satisfy 55 mph rear crash requirements. It’s also the fi rst implementation of a magnesium clo- sure in North America and the largest diecast magnesium closure panel in use in the world. According to the PACE award judges’ panel, the high pres- sure die casting, produced by Meridian Magnesium Products of America, Eaton Rapids, Mich., “proved that it was possible to use magnesium as a substitute for steel as a liftgate inner structure.” And the designers at Merid- ian think the part could lead to more structural magnesium use down the road. “Now that we have
The magnesium panel (left) constitutes the inner por- tion of the Lincoln MKT’s rear liftgate (below). It serves as the attachment point for much of the rest of the assembly.
30
MetAl CAsting Design AnD PurChAsing
July/August 2010
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