Superior, Alumax to Test Wheel-Making Technology

Superior Industries International in Van Nuys and Alumax Inc. have formed a joint venture to test production of aluminum automobile wheels using a new technology developed by Alumax.

The new technology offers the possibility of producing wheels five to 10 times faster than present means, said R. Jeffrey Ornstein, a vice president of Superior, a leading maker of aluminum wheels for the major U. S. auto makers. The new method also produces a wheel that is lighter but has the same strength as existing models, he said.

Superior now forms a wheel by pouring molten metal into a mold, or die, to create a casting. Alumax’s patented method forges a wheel using metal that is in a semi-solid state, similar to the texture of butter, and treating it with high pressure, Ornstein said.

The joint venture will test the new production method at Superior’s Fayetteville, Ark., plant. If successful, a new plant will be built for production of 1 million wheels a year. No site has yet been chosen for the plant, he said.

Alumax, based in Norcross, Ga., is an aluminum and building products company and a unit of AMAX, a major mining and energy concern.