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This reinforces its commitment and goal of using sustainable materials in the manufacture of components.

Research and development of solutions based on lightweight components and systems for both conventional and electric vehicles, as well as greater use of recycled materials are two of the major challenges facing the automotive sector.

The SALEMA project, in which Fagor Ederlan participates, is engaged within this framework for action. This project proposes establishing the real possibility of an aluminium industrial ecosystem for the automotive sector not dependent on the Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) established by the European Commission.

SALEMA, coordinated by Eurecat (Centre Tecnológic de Catalunya), proposes a circular economy model using remnants and scrap as an alternative source to CRMs for aluminium alloys to be used for electric vehicle components. The aim is to produce materials and processes that significantly reduce the carbon footprint.

Eber Arregi, head of Innovation projects at the Edertek Technology Centre says “SALEMA could play a major role in the future automotive and electric vehicle industry by providing new materials and sustainable processes. Sustainability, from an environmental viewpoint, employing recycled materials and minimising dependence on critical raw materials”.

Strategic participation

Fagor Ederlan’s participation in SALEMA is strategic and aligned both with its goals to offer increasingly sustainable solutions from a product, material and process related standpoint as well as its innovation objectives aimed at offering our sector components of tomorrow, where reduced weight, improved performance and competitiveness are key in our proposal to the market.

The use of recycled aluminium material to develop structural components as well as the development of alloys based on systems that replace critical raw materials such as Silicon or Magnesium are the two existing alternatives for producing new components for electric vehicles. SALEMA will develop five industrial pilot projects aimed at validating new aluminium alloys.

“Our goal at SALEMA will be to validate the alloys developed during the project in an industrial high pressure die casting process (HPDC) demonstrator at Edertek. In addition to which, the manufacture of structural aluminium injection components will be studied in depth to ascertain the moulding limits of these new alloys in future applications for body, chassis and battery components. Without doubt, it is a great opportunity to have access to information on structural components directly from an OEM and to test new structural HPDC alloys that do not need heat treatment” says Eber Arregi.

By participating in this project, Fagor Ederlan demonstrates its firm commitment towards sustainability and innovation by advancing in the development of advanced solutions in aluminium technologies.