In 1828, the French scientist A.A. Bussy obtained pure magnesium from molten anhydrous magnesium chloride by the reduction method.
In 1886, based on Bunsen's electrolysis tank, Germany established the first commercial magnesium electrolysis plant, magnesium alloy industrial production began in Germany.
In 1910, the world magnesium production of about 10 tons / year. 1930 Germany for the first time in the car using magnesium alloy 73.8Kg, 1935, the Soviet Union for the first time for the production of magnesium alloys for aircraft, Germany Volkswagen with die-casting magnesium alloy production "Beetle" automobile engine drivetrain parts and components, the United Kingdom for the first time in Birmingham will be used for magnesium alloy to motorcycle transmission case. Birmingham, England, the first use of magnesium alloy to motorcycle transmission shell, to 1930 the world's magnesium production grew to more than 1200 tons / year.
During the Second World War is the first rapid development of the magnesium industry, from 1935 onwards, Germany, France, the Soviet Union, Austria, Italy, the United States and other countries established magnesium factories, magnesium production capacity increased dramatically, magnesium during this period is mainly used in the manufacture of incendiary bombs, flares, tracer bombs, flares, and parts of military equipment.
In 1943 the world magnesium production reached 230,000 tons. However, after the end of World War II, magnesium demand decreased, the production decreased sharply, in 1946 the world magnesium production decreased to only 25,000 tons / year, magnesium alloy development entered a low tide period. At this time, the world began to consider the possibility of magnesium alloy development in civil industry, magnesium alloy research and development gradually turned to civil.
Until the 1990s, due to Europe and the United States of America on automobile emissions, energy consumption, noise restrictions on the further upgrading of the weight reduction, improve fuel utilization rate of the high demand forcing the development of magnesium alloy of various automobile companies.
Since then, governments around the world attach great importance to the research and development of magnesium alloy, the United States, Japan, Germany, Australia and other countries have introduced their own magnesium alloy research program, magnesium as an important strategic material in the 21st century, strengthened magnesium alloys in computers, automobiles, aerospace, communications and other fields of development and application.
Germany in 1997 by the federal government funded 25 million horse MADICA (MagnesiumDieCasting) magnesium alloy research and development program, the main study of rapid prototyping and tool manufacturing technology, cutting and machining technology, die casting magnesium alloy process, connecting technology and semi-solid molding process, and magnesium alloys used in automobiles, computers, aerospace and other fields, to improve the application capability of magnesium alloy.
Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also began to fund the "Advanced Magnesium Alloy Science and Technology Program" project in 1999, by the Nagano University of Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, the National Institute for Materials Research and other more than a dozen institutions to complete the project, the purpose of which is to solve the application of magnesium alloys in the future, and the main directions of the research are: magnesium alloy structure control, surface modification, surface modification of magnesium alloy ecology. The main research directions are: magnesium alloy structure control, magnesium alloy surface modification, magnesium alloy eco-technology and the development of new functional materials.
Since 1992, due to the rapid development of China's magnesium refining using the Pijiang method, the price of raw magnesium has been reduced to a level comparable to that of aluminum, prompting magnesium alloy to enter the second period of rapid development.
In 1995 in the international market magnesium prices rose under the pull of the construction of the climax, with the Pijiang refining magnesium production process continues to improve and perfect, China gradually embarked on the road of magnesium industry in line with China's national conditions. Although magnesium prices fell in 1996, but China's raw magnesium production has been to maintain a rapid growth momentum, China's pure magnesium production increased from 0.53 million tons in 1990 to 157,000 tons at the end of 1999.
Major automobile companies in Europe and the United States, as well as the electronics industry on the magnesium alloy auto parts and consumer electronics shells of the research and development of a large number of human resources and financial resources, led to the magnesium alloy research and development and application of the boom. 2000 world magnesium actual production reached 430,000 tons, of which, China's magnesium production reached 19.5 tons. At this time, the R&D and application of magnesium alloy is mostly die-casting magnesium alloy.
In 2017, China's raw magnesium production has reached nearly 1 million tons, accounting for about 80% of the world's total production, and China's raw magnesium domestic consumption exceeded exports for the first time. One of the important advances in China's magnesium industry in recent years is the full completion of the 100,000-ton magnesium metal integration project of Qinghai Salt Lake Magnesium Industry, which has shown good development momentum. The successful commissioning of the project can, to a certain extent, alleviate the fluctuations in the price of raw magnesium of Pijiang method due to the fluctuations in the price of ferrosilicon.
In the rapid development of magnesium alloy industry technology at the same time, magnesium alloy products began to get more and more applications recognized. At the same time, the policy environment of magnesium industry has gradually improved. Especially in 2016, our national leaders inspected the magnesium metal integration project of Qinghai Salt Lake, which will strongly guarantee and promote the healthy development of magnesium industry from the national policy level. These have created good cost conditions and environmental foundation for the sustainable development of the world magnesium industry. The substantial increase of magnesium alloy market demand, the further development of magnesium industry technology and the further improvement of industrial policy environment are expected to promote the magnesium industry from one million tons to more than 5 million tons in 5-10 years.