THE LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIALIZATION OF ALUMINUM-MATRIX COMPOSITES

The successful commercialization of aluminum composites depends on much more than just the development of the material and the discovery of suitable applications. In order for large potential users to consider a new material, adequate production capacity must be demonstrated and costs must be reduced to levels consistent with the products targeted. For all potential applications, appropriate secondary fabrication techniques must be developed. Recycling and reclamation assume a special importance in particularly cost-sensitive markets, such as automobiles, as they have a sizable impact on the final cost of a component. Finally, suitable analytical techniques are required by all parties, including the material producer, secondary fabricators, and end-users. While many of these enabling technologies will eventually be further developed and refined by fabricators and end-users, the initial development, in most cases, has been left to the materials producer.