AMC combine an aluminium matrix with ceramic particles — typically silicon carbide, aluminium oxide, or boron nitride. What results sounds almost too good to be true: a thermal conductivity of up to 185 W/mK (roughly three times that of grey cast iron), an elastic modulus of up to 105 GPa, and wear behaviour up to 20–25 times better than conventional aluminium alloys. The density, meanwhile, remains at aluminium levels.
For a long time, the problem was not the material itself — it had already proven its performance in laboratories worldwide. The problem was manufacturing. Poor wetting of the ceramic particles by the aluminium melt, oxide layer formation, agglomeration: melt metallurgy imposed tight constraints on AMC. CMMC GmbH from Chemnitz has developed a patented, continuous process that — for the first time — integrates melting, particle introduction, and homogenisation in a single integrated process under vacuum conditions, enabling reproducible quality in industrially relevant quantities.
A further advantage that is often underestimated in practice: AMC can be integrated as ingots into existing casting processes without requiring fundamental changes to existing equipment. And the fields of application extend considerably further than one might initially expect — from aerospace and aviation to electronics and precision applications, right through to areas where nobody is yet thinking of aluminium today.
“The boundary-crosser is no longer an outsider — it is an answer to questions the industry is still asking.”
The complete article with all application fields, process details, and material properties can be found in issue 3/2026 of the specialist journal heat processing.
Authors
Dr. Nadine Lehnert, Head of Marketing &
Public Relations, CMMC GmbH (Source: CMMC GmbH)
Dr.-Ing. Nadine Lehnert
Head of Marketing & Public Relations
CMMC GmbH
Nadine.Lehnert@cmmcengineering.com
Dr. Marcel Graf, CEO, CMMC GmbH (Source: CMMC GmbH)
Dr.-Ing. Marcel Graf
CEO
CMMC GmbH
Marcel.Graf@cmmcengineering.com
