KN OWLEDGE PARTNERS
ALUMINIUM - THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE
A key ALFED objective is to constantly bring new knowledge to our members to fundamentally stimulate innovation. These include such as technical, industry, process and product development: • Holistic information, on topics outside the core expertise of the aluminium industry, energy, employment law and legal support. • Insights and analyses of the global aluminium industry, that of UK industry, including product demands. • Identify opportunities for aluminium as a strategic metal in emerging technologies, such as electro-propulsion and hydrogen as an energy store. ALFED has created Knowledge Partnerships with universities, specialist providers, market analysis organisations and other trade bodies, to provide expertise, new thinking, and intelligence, to compliment that of the ALFED team and indeed wider membership. Knowledge Partnerships are dynamic, interactive, and reciprocal so partners bilaterally support each other and share information. Aluminium is becoming the global designer’s dominant choice, substituting,
displacing other metals, steel, materials, plastic and even wood/paper. Global growth in aluminium is unprecedented, 30% since the millennium, with total predicted primary and secondary production of 95 million tons this year. ALFED provides lectures to our knowledge partner universities; educating, cultivating, and nurturing the next generation of technologists and designers. Education includes that of the lecturers, identifying new course opportunities and topics for research. Reciprocally ALFED is supporting knowledge partners bids for research funding, involving our members in collaborative research projects and participation in advisory bodies. Increased comprehension of aluminium is creating new applications in cryogenics, in nuclear (aluminium is transparent to neutrons), in super microscopes and not least semiconductors. Research into new and higher strength alloys is
phenomenal, with the creation of exciting new aluminium strontium alloys, bimetallic components and even High Entropy Alloys. Knowledge partners are changing the frontiers of metallurgy. ALFED facilitating the collaboration between our knowledge partners has led to the automotive industry evolving aluminium fore front lightweight and decarbonising strategies. Global warming has focused humanity on the veracity of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, climate, food, architecture, housing, transport, energy production and the finite resources of earth, decarbonisation is the elixir and aluminium is the epitome of the circular economy. Knowledge partners are active within the entire hierarchy. Specific work is ongoing into the circular economy, packaging, material and alloy sorting technologies and recycling. The aluminium industry is facing the transition from gas to renewal electricity process heating, another knowledge partner expertise.
ALFED KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS • Advanced Forming Research Centre www.strath.ac.uk/research/advancedformingresearchcentre/ • Bartlett School of Architecture (University College London) www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/architecture/ • British Safety Industry Federation www.bsif.co.uk/ • Brunel University London www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Centres/BCAST • Burchill GC www.burchillgc.com/ • Coventry University www.coventry.ac.uk/ • CRU Group www.crugroup.com/ • Energy Management www.energymanagementltd.com/ • HanaTech www.hana-tech.co.uk/ • Institute of Materials Finishing www.materials-finishing.org/
• Make UK www.makeuk.org/ • Science and Technology Facilities Council part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation www.stfc.ukri.org/ • Swansea University www.project-metal.co.uk/ • The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders www.smmt.co.uk/ • The University of Sheffield www.sheffield.ac.uk/materials • The Welding Institute www.twi-global.com/ • University of Warwick www.warwick.ac.uk/ • University of Wolverhampton www.wlv.ac.uk/
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