Innovation

 

Min-aluminum has strong innovation capabilities and resources to satisfy the increasing demand for lightweight, energy-efficient products with reduced environmental impact.

Dedicated to innovation

Min-aluminum’s approach to research and development resembles a multifaceted knowledge hub. We combine our own expertise and resources within leading research facilities with those of customers, universities, labs and other stakeholders.


Technology Center

With approval of National Approved Technical Center, National Certified Laboratory, National Key High-tech Enterprise and National Innovative Enterprise, Min-aluminum is a sole large enterprise owning all above mentioned reputation in China.

 

At our state-of-the-art Technology Center, our team develops lightweight aluminum products, co-creates solutions with customers, and provides technological and analytical services. Our Technology Center aims to:

  • leverage cutting-edge R&D practices to deliver a stream of sustainable, innovative, value-added solutions
  • develop options for future business growth
  • maintain technology networks in our key, shared products and processes (casting, fabrication) to ensure best-practice sharing and excellent knowledge and talent management.

 

The center’s full-scale facilities provide the ideal venue to enable us to develop new solutions that meet customer needs. Reflecting the markets we serve, the center has established multidisciplinary teams dedicated to research and innovation in our core business activities.


Analytical Services

Our outstanding research and development resources are open to our customers. The Technology Center is an initiative that offers the center’s expertise and resources to support projects requiring multiple capabilities and disciplines:

  • Material characterization and analysis
  • Production of metallurgical prototypes
  • Material design and modeling assistance
  • Corrosion study and treatment
  • Thermal treatment
  • Mechanical testing
  • Forming
  • Joining
  • Surface treatment

With our help, customers can access characterization and numerical simulation equipment and unique prototyping facilities, backed by world‑class expertise. Our equipment can be used to design, test and model high‑performance materials and processes, from the nano- to the macroscopic scale. They can benefit from support ranging from technical assistance to metallurgical prototyping. Customers can also access training programs and our extensive library of resources.

The Min-aluminum Technology Center offer thus helps customers design and produce cost-effective materials, perfectly adapted to their needs.


Partnership

We draw on our significant R&D resources and cross-pollination strategy with universities and research laboratories to provide customers with tailor-made solutions.

Long-term partnerships with many collaborations with external, scientific partners support Min-aluminum’s capacity for innovation.

Min-aluminum’s technological partnerships generate important innovation opportunities, foster new ideas, and ensure our R&D is aligned with market needs.

Furthermore, the partnerships help create a broader scientific network dedicated to discovering novel approaches to industry challenges and developing emerging technological concepts.

By involving a number of PhD and MSc students in academic laboratories and in industrial internships at Min-aluminum sites, we create job opportunities for talented scientists and engineers and train the innovators of the future.


Knowledge networking

Min-aluminum aims to help customers achieve their business objectives by delivering sustainable, innovative and value-added solutions. Min-aluminum process and technology innovation is driven by a dedicated technology organization operating a series of technology networks that bring together R&D experts and plant engineers to industrialize new products and promote best practices at plant level.

These Technology Networks cover areas including industrialization, casting, molten metal, recycling hot and cold rolling, finishing, extrusion and maintenance.

These networks also form the basis for knowledge management in these technologies. Inside learning is supported by the “Technet forum” enabling rapid and sustainable information exchanges within the entire Min-aluminum technical community. Outside learning can be rapidly assimilated into the knowledge management processes through a technology watch.


Results in the field

With 170 active patent families, Min-aluminum has a proven track record in creating new products and processes to satisfy market needs. Our knowledge hub boasts significant results. Scores of new aluminum products and designs are now making a difference across diverse industries.

Min-aluminum has also remarkable effects on production innovation, there are more than 340 inventions and patents of new appearance that places the first on quantity in domestic same industry. And we succeeded registering a new alloy No.6A61. Min-aluminum had been awarded 14 items of National Science and Technology Prizes. Every year, we take 2~3 items of governmental key science and technology projects.