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AA ATRF Document Information:
Title
Aluminum Technology Roadmap Workshop
The Aluminum Association Inc.
Publication Date:
Feb 1, 1997
Scope:
Aluminum is an essential material for industrial and consumer markets
worldwide. It has become
increasingly important in the production of automobiles and trucks,
packaging of food and
beverages, construction of buildings, transmission of electricity,
development of transportation
infrastructures, production of defense and aerospace equipment,
manufacture of machinery and tools,
and production of durable consumer products. Aluminum's unique
properties, including light weight,
high strength, and resistance to corrosion make it suitable for a
variety of special applications
and it is cost effective to recycle. As demand for more
technologically complex and ecologically
sustainable products increases, opportunities for aluminum will
continue to expand.
While the opportunities are growing, aluminum must continue to compete
with various materials that
offer lower cost, lighter weight, or other competitive advantages.
Aluminum companies must continue
to innovate to provide customers with better enabling technologies and
superior materials with
unique properties. Aluminum manufacturers must explore new process
technologies to drive down
production costs and make aluminum more competitive. Over the next two
decades, investment in
research and technology development may likely be the most important
factor in product
competitiveness.
On November 19 and 20, 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy and the
Aluminum Association jointly
sponsored the Aluminum Technology Roadmap Workshop. Its purpose was to
help identify the key
performance targets, technology barriers, and research needs of the
aluminum industry. The workshop
grew out of ajoint effort between the Aluminum Association and the
Department of Energy's Office of
Industrial Technologies (OIT) to help the aluminum industry increase
energy efficiency, reduce
waste, and increase productivity. In March 1996, the aluminum industry
outlined its vision for
maintaining and building its competitive position in worldwide markets
in the document Partnerships
for the Future. The industry reaffirmed its commitment to the goals
outlined in Partnerships by
forming a partnership with the Department of Energy that was signed by
Secretary of Energy Hazel
O'Leary and Aluminum Association President David Parker on October 9,
1996. This
industry/government partnership enables the aluminum industry and the
federal government to align
their research and development efforts to meet common R&D goals.
The Aluminum Technology Roadmap Workshop brought together 37 experts
from the aluminum industry,
its customer industries, universities, and government research
programs. The 1½-day
workshop addressed the technology barriers and research needs of the
entire industry including
primary, semifabricated, and finished product sectors. The core of the
workshop was four
facilitated work sessions in which participants explored in detail the
technology requirements of
primary products, casting, rolling and extrusion, and finished
products. These work sessions
resulted in over 160 research ideas of which about half were
considered priority. Exhibit ES-1
lists the top research thrusts for each work group.
The work group participants also analyzed the research ideas to help
describe key characteristics
that are important for research planning. Each group analyzed the
appropriate time frame in which
each research thrust is expected to yield benefits. Research
activities were assigned to one of
three time frames: near- (0-3 years), mid- (3-10 years), and long-term
(beyond 10 years). The
participants also indicated the anticipated roles for industry and
government in supporting
selected research activities. Three categories were used: single
company research,
industry-industry collaborations, and industry-government
partnerships. Finally, participants
identified important interrelationships and linkages among research
activities within their
industry segment. The results of these efforts are described in this
report and will help to shape
a comprehensive technology strategy for implementing aluminum industry
goals.
In closing remarks, the workshop participants strongly voiced the need
to follow through with the
important research ideas identified by the participants. They urged
the Aluminum Association and
the aluminum companies to use the momentum of the workshop to take
bold steps toward pursuing
collaborative research opportunities for mutual benefit.
About IHS
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