MG · magnesium
Magnesium Alloy WE43 (Mg-Y-Nd-Zr, T6)
A yttrium rare-earth magnesium for high-temperature service: it holds its strength to around 250 °C where the AZ and AM grades have long since crept. Harder than the common magnesium grades and slower to machine.
Quoting this material
- Typical lead time
- 25–40 working days
- Condition
- Sand cast or wrought, T6 (solution treated and aged)
- Achievable finish
- Ra 3.2 µm (as cast) typical · Ra 0.8 µm best
Machined in-house to your drawing: see the precision CNC machining service and the machine and inspection capability it runs on.
Machinability
Our own 1–10 shop ranking, not a published index: 10 is free-cutting brass C360, 1 is Inconel 718. It ranks how a material behaves on the floor - cycle time, chip control and tool life together. Where a published index exists it is quoted in the note.
A yttrium rare-earth magnesium for high-temperature service: it holds its strength to around 250 °C where the AZ and AM grades have long since crept. Harder than the common magnesium grades and slower to machine.
Properties as supplied
| Parameter | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength (T6) | 250–280 | MPa |
| Yield strength (T6) | 170–200 | MPa |
| Elongation (T6) | 2–7 | % |
| Service temperature | To 250 | °C |
| Thermal conductivity | 51 | W/m·K |
| Modulus of elasticity | 44.2 | GPa |
Hardness, tensile and thermal figures are typical published values for the condition stated. Actual mill certificates govern; send the specification with the drawing and we confirm against the certificate before the material is cut.
Condition
Sand cast or wrought, T6 (solution treated and aged)
Heat treatment
T6 is the condition: solution treat then age to precipitate the yttrium-neodymium phases that resist coarsening at temperature. That is what separates it from the conventional grades - the precipitates stay put at 250 °C, so the part keeps its dimensions and its bolt preload.
Achievable surface finish
Ra 3.2 µm (as cast)
Ra 0.8 µm
Better corrosion resistance than the AZ grades because of the rare-earth content, but a coating system is still standard practice.
Tooling and cutting parameters
Cutting speed
- 200–500 m/min (sharp uncoated carbide)
Feed
- 0.08–0.25 mm/rev turning · 0.06–0.20 mm/tooth milling
Tooling
- Sharp uncoated carbide with generous clearance; keep the chip clear
Coolant
- Mineral-oil mist or dry; never water-based coolant on the swarf
Starting points for carbide on a rigid setup, not a guarantee. The right numbers depend on the machine, the toolholder and the fixturing - ask and we will say what we would actually run.
Typical applications
- Aerospace gearbox and accessory housings
- Engine and transmission castings
- Defence and missile components
- Racing driveline castings
- High-temperature instrument housings
DFM notes for this grade
- The reason to choose it is temperature plus weight: a magnesium housing that keeps its fit at 250 °C, where an AZ91 part would lose preload and go out of tolerance
- Almost always a casting followed by T6, so the machining is a finishing operation on a near-net shape and the casting allowance is the starting point
- The rare-earth content roughly doubles the cost against AZ91 - specify it for the temperature, not as a general upgrade
Questions buyers ask
- WE43 or Elektron 21 for a hot magnesium part?
- They are the two rare-earth magnesium alloys in this catalogue and they overlap: both hold to around 200–250 °C where the conventional grades have crept. The selection comes down to the casting house and the qualification - both are aerospace-grade materials and the drawing normally names one.
- Why does the rare-earth addition change the temperature capability so much?
- Because the strengthening precipitates stay stable. In a conventional magnesium alloy the phases that give the strength coarsen and dissolve at 100–150 °C, and the material creeps; the yttrium and neodymium precipitates resist that, which is the entire reason the alloy exists.
Grades we would quote instead
Elektron 21
6/10A rare-earth magnesium alloy for high-temperature service: around 200 °C where the conventional AZ and AM grades have long since crept.
ZK60A
7/10A zirconium-containing magnesium alloy with the highest strength of the conventional grades.
AZ80A
8/10A wrought magnesium alloy with the highest strength of the common AZ grades: it machines like a harder aluminium and holds a better finished surface than the casting grades.