Alcoa unveils new alloy

Alloy wheel producer, Alcoa has unveiled a new alloy for aluminium wheels. The new alloy, MagnaForce, is “lighter and is on an average 16.5% stronger than the industry standard 6061 alloy, also made by Alcoa. The new material also provides the same corrosion-resistance as compared with this industry standard.

The use of MagnaForce will allow for lighter, stronger wheels with the same corrosion-resistant characteristics found in the current Alcoa range, the company says.

Currently, most forged aluminum wheels are manufactured using Alcoa’s 6061 alloy composition, which the company introduced in 1968.
The 6061 alloy wasn’t the first aluminum rim innovation from Alcoa. The company introduced the first forged aluminum wheels in 1948, followed by one-piece rims for tubeless tires in 1957. Alcoa’s Dura-Bright® corrosion resistance product followed in 2001 with the addition of “XBR™” technology. In 2009, the company introduced the LvL ONE wheel, touting its 45 lb. Weight.