US aluminum giant Alcoa, betting on strong growth in aircraft demand, on Thursday opened the world's largest plant producing aluminum-lithium alloys for the aerospace industry Based in Lafayette, Indiana, the plant will produce advanced aluminum-lithium alloys, which are lighter, stronger and less expensive than titanium and composites used in aircraft production, providing better fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs, the company said.
"The future of aviation is being built with aluminum-lithium, and Alcoa is making big moves to capture that demand," Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. The new plant is capable of producing more than 20,000 tonnes (44 million pounds) of aluminium-lithium annually. Alcoa produces aluminium-lithium components for European aircraft maker Airbus's A380 and A350 jetliners and US rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, as well as the Gulfstream G650 business jet.
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