Improving environmental performance of magnesium instrument panels

Using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, the study first compares the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from conventional instrument panels (IPs) and bio-plastics as an alternative to plastics. It is found that IPs made out of steel, plastic and bio-plastic are, respectively, 15%, 29% and 37% lower than magnesium. The higher emissions of magnesium are mainly due to high impact of the source of Chinese primary magnesium used, impact of SF6 cover gas used in die casting and lower percentage of recycled magnesium content. By adopting best practice technologies in casting magnesium car cross beam, the study shows that comparative performance of magnesium IPs can be vastly improved.