Scalmalloy (Al-Mg-Sc)
A high-performance aluminium-magnesium-scandium alloy developed specifically for AM. Scalmalloy delivers tensile strengths above 500 MPa with excellent fatigue life — bridging the gap between conventional aluminium and titanium.
About Scalmalloy (Al-Mg-Sc)
Scalmalloy is a patented alloy (originally developed by Airbus/APWorks) designed from the ground up for laser powder bed fusion. The addition of scandium creates fine Al₃Sc precipitates that provide exceptional strengthening without the need for complex heat treatment.
With tensile strengths of 500–530 MPa and fatigue endurance limits 50% higher than AlSi10Mg, Scalmalloy occupies the performance space between conventional aluminium alloys and titanium — at a fraction of titanium's weight penalty.
The alloy is increasingly adopted for aerospace structural components, motorsport suspension parts, and high-performance drone frames where every gram matters.
Typical Applications
- Aerospace primary structures
- Motorsport suspension and chassis components
- High-performance drone frames
- Satellite and space hardware
- Load-bearing brackets optimised via topology optimisation
Engineering Considerations
- Significantly more expensive than AlSi10Mg (~4× powder cost)
- Simple aging heat treatment (325 °C / 4h) — much simpler than Ti-6Al-4V post-processing
- Limited supplier base for powder — fewer providers offer this material
- Justifiable where weight savings have direct commercial value (aerospace, motorsport)