MONTREAL, Sept. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Mining Group Ltd. ("Imperial") (TSX VENTURE: IPG; OTCQB: IMPNF) and partner Eck Industries (“Eck”) are pleased to announce that they have completed a successful series of tests based on scandium-modified aluminum-magnesium (535-series) alloy components and have collected characterization data (see Imperial Mining press release: May 18, 2021) for the material.
The test data shows that the material properties for EV battery box requirements, as specified by a major North American automotive manufacturer, have been met or exceeded. Imperial and Eck will now begin prototyping components while concurrently vetting business cases and looking to maximize weight savings for the transportation sector. In addition, investment attraction initiatives in search of partners in the aerospace and defence sectors, are ongoing.
“Imperial is very pleased with the initial results of the testing and will continue to work closely with Eck Industries as we move into the prototyping phase of the program,” said Imperial’s President & CEO, Peter Cashin. “With Imperial being the only potential primary hardrock source of scandium in North America, we have been aligning our strategic marketing activities with projects that require important weight and carbon footprint reductions. Major manufacturers have set this as a high priority.”
“There has been a broad concern about the application of scandium in cast alloys.” said David Weiss, Eck’s VP Research and Development. “While this is true in some cast alloys, it is not universally true. This work, entailing innovative casting methods and heat treatment, lays the groundwork for additional improvement in cast alloys. We thank Imperial Mining for their support of this work.”.
Overall, the project continues to work towards the objectives of the Canada/US Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Collaboration (January 2020) as well as the existing US National Technology and Industrial Base directive (see the “About Section” for details on these two critical initiatives).