“Alcoa 951” Technology Enabling the Historic Shift to Aluminum-Intensive Vehicles
Lightweight metals technology, engineering and manufacturing leader
Alcoa (NYSE:AA) today announced that R&D Magazine has named
Alcoa 951 — an enabler for adhesive bonding of aluminum-intensive
vehicles (AIVs) — an R&D 100 Award winner. The 52nd
Annual R&D Awards, known as the “Oscars of Invention”, recognize the top
100 technology innovations introduced in the past year across industry,
academia and government-sponsored research.
As automakers use aluminum body structures to improve fuel efficiency
and performance, new joining and assembly methods are required. The
patented Alcoa 951 pretreatment bonding technology is up to nine times
more durable than the competition. It enhances bond durability and
enables more cost-effective, mass production of AIVs. Alcoa 951 also
uses organic, environmentally friendly materials, and the ultra-thin
profile of the treatment more readily accepts spot welds and rivets,
making it easier to use these processes to add strength during
manufacturing.
“The Alcoa 951 pretreatment technology came out of our commitment to
making superior products for our customers,” said Dr. Raymond Kilmer,
Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “We
worked closely with the automotive companies to understand what was
keeping them from taking that next step into high volume, aluminum
intensive structures, and from that effort, our surface and joining
experts developed this breakthrough pretreatment.”
Kilmer added, “It’s an honor to be recognized with this R&D 100 award.
We are continuing to develop technologies that our customers want for
their next generation vehicles, including new alloys, fasteners, and
energy systems for electric vehicles.”
Today, Alcoa’s plant in Davenport, Iowa, has a state-of-the-art
automotive treatment line that applies Alcoa 951 to the aluminum sheet
before it is shipped to customers. The technology was co-invented by
Alcoa scientists Sherri McCleary and Jim Marinelli, and has been
licensed to Chemetall in an exclusive global distribution agreement.
“Alcoa 951 is rapidly becoming the industry standard because it simply
outperforms the competition,” said Mark Vrablec, President, Global
Aerospace, Transportation and Industrial Rolled Products at Alcoa. “For
automakers that want the best long-term performance for their
aluminum-intensive vehicles, this is the clear choice. It is widely
regarded as one of the core enablers to the big automotive shift into
aluminum vehicles.”
The amount of aluminum body sheet content in North American vehicles is
expected to quadruple by 2015 and increase tenfold by 2025 from 2012
levels. To capture that growth, Alcoa invested $300 million in an
automotive expansion in Davenport, Iowa, which is now complete, and $300
million in a second automotive expansion in Tennessee, which is on
schedule for completion in mid 2015. Alcoa projects that this added
capacity will grow auto sheet revenues six fold from 2013 to $1.3
billion in 2018.
Alcoa 951 was also recognized as the “Best Product Innovation” at Metal
Bulletin’s Global Awards for Aluminium Excellence earlier this year in
Geneva, Switzerland. Alcoa and other R&D 100 award winners will be
recognized at a black-tie event on November 7 at the Bellagio in Las
Vegas.
About Alcoa
A global leader in lightweight metals technology, engineering and
manufacturing, Alcoa innovates multi-material solutions that advance our
world. Our technologies enhance transportation, from automotive and
commercial transport to air and space travel, and improve industrial and
consumer electronics products. We enable smart buildings, sustainable
food and beverage packaging, high-performance defense vehicles across
air, land and sea, deeper oil and gas drilling and more efficient power
generation. We pioneered the aluminum industry over 125 years ago, and
today, our 60,000 people in 30 countries deliver value-add products made
of titanium, nickel and aluminum, and produce best-in-class bauxite,
alumina and primary aluminum products. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com,
follow @Alcoa on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Alcoa
and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains statements that relate to future events and
expectations and as such constitute forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements include those containing such words as
“estimates,” “expects,” “is expected,” “potential,” “projects,”
“should,” “will,” or other words of similar meaning. All statements that
reflect Alcoa’s expectations, assumptions or projections about the
future other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking
statements, including, without limitation, statements or forecasts
regarding growth opportunities for aluminum in automotive and other
applications; the expected timing for completion of facility expansions;
the potential for new technologies, materials or processes; targeted
financial, environmental or sustainability results; and Alcoa’s
strategies, outlook, and business and financial prospects.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown
risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements
include: material adverse changes in aluminum industry conditions;
unfavorable changes in the markets served by Alcoa, including the
automotive market; failure to advance or successfully implement, or to
realized expected benefits from, new technologies or innovative
products, including, without limitation, aluminum surface bond
technology, whether due to changes in the regulatory environment,
competitive developments, or other factors; the business or financial
condition of key customers, suppliers, and business partners; and the
other risk factors discussed in Alcoa’s Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2013 and other reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Alcoa disclaims any intention or obligation to
update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether in response to
new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by
applicable law.
Alcoa
Investor Contact
Kelly Pasterick, 212-836-2674
Kelly.Pasterick@alcoa.com
or
Media Contact
Lori Lecker, 412-553-3186
lori.lecker@alcoa.com