Interest in magnesium alloys and their applications has risen in recent years. This trend is mainly evident in casting applications, but wrought alloys are also increasingly coming into focus. Among the most common forming processes, forging is a promising candidate for the industrial production of magnesium wrought products. This review is intended to give a general introduction into the forging of magnesium alloys and to help in the practical realization of forged products. The basics of magnesium forging practice are described and possible problems as well as material properties are discussed. Several alloy systems containing aluminum, zinc or rare earth elements as well as biodegradable alloys are evaluated. Overall, the focus of the review is on the process control and processing parameters, from stock material to finished parts. A discussion of the mechanical properties is included. These data have been comprehensively reviewed and are listed for a variety of magnesium forging alloys.

Due to their high specific strength, magnesium alloys are promising materials for further lightweighting in mobility applications. In contrast to casting and forming processes, additive manufacturing methods allow high degrees of geometrical freedom and can generate significant weight reductions due to load-specific part design. In wire arc additive manufacturing processes, large parts can be produced with high material utilization. Process-inherent high melt temperatures and solidification rates allow for the use of magnesium alloys which are otherwise complicated to process; this enables the use of unconventional alloying systems. Here, we report the development of a Mg-Al-Zn-Ca-rare earth alloy for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). Compared to parts made of commercially available filler wire, the newly developed alloy achieves a higher strength (approx. +9 MPa yield strength, +25 MPa ultimate tensile strength) in WAAM.

Aluminum scrap is often contaminated with steel parts, leading to accumulation of Fe in recycled Al alloys. Consequently, low limits for Fe in Al wrought alloys are difficult to meet by recycling without dilution with primary Al. Wrought alloys with a higher tolerance for Fe could help overcome this problem and improve the sustainability of Al wrought products. Here we study the effects of increasing the Fe content in EN AW-6060, 6005A, and 6082 from 0.2 to 0.7 wt pct. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys after extrusion and artificial ageing are compared to the standard alloys. We found that 6082 is more tolerant to above-standard Fe contents than 6005A, which in turn is more tolerant than 6060: the strength of the 6082-based alloy with increased Fe content is comparable to that of standard 6082 and the elongation at break is increased. In contrast, the artificial ageing potential of the 6060-based alloy with more Fe is drastically reduced compared to 6060. This data and literature values show that the effective Si content is a good overall predictor of alloy strength. Effective Si is not bound in AlFeSi-type phases and is available for precipitation hardening. Additional effects of increased Fe levels are discussed.

Magnesium alloys are perspective materials for use in transportation, aerospace and medical industries, mainly because of their good load-to-weight ratio, biocompatibility and biodegradability. For the effective production of magnesium components by the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, the process parameters with verified mechanical properties need to be determined. In this paper, we prepared bulk samples with a high relative density of AZ91D magnesium alloy. Tensile tests were then performed on LPBF samples to evaluate the mechanical properties. Our results show that the bulk samples achieved a relative density >99%, in multiple planes over the full sample height, while the mechanical properties reached values of Y_S = 181 MPa, UTS = 305 MPa and A_5.65 = 5.2%. The analysis by scanning electron microscope revealed fine β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ particles in the microstructure, which have a positive effect on the mechanical properties. The chemical composition of magnesium alloy AZ91D changed slightly during processing by LPBF due to the evaporation of the Mg content. However, the resulting composition still corresponds to the range specified by the ASTM standard for the AZ91D alloy.