Alcoa announces innovations in alloy development and deployment

Alcoa Corporation (NYSE: AA) today announced new innovations in alloy
development and deployment, further strengthening its position as a supplier
of advanced aluminum alloys.

The Company’s innovations include the introduction of a new high-strength,
6000 series alloy, A210 ExtruStrongTM, that delivers benefits across a wide
range of extruded applications, including transport, construction,
industrial, and consumer goods.

Alcoa also announced today that its C611 EZCastTM alloy, a high-performance
alloy that does not require a dedicated heat treatment is being recognized
this week with an international award at the 2022 International Die Casting
Competition in Lexington, hosted by the North American Die Casting
Association.

The alloy has won top recognition for excellence in structural die casting
due to its application in megacasting, where large components of a vehicle
are high pressure diecast as one piece, cutting manufacturing costs and
enabling more efficiency.

“Aluminum is a material of choice for the low-carbon future, and alloy
innovations such as A210 ExtruStrong and C611 EZCast are key to providing
fit-for-purpose solutions that help automotive and industrial customers
drive down costs and achieve their sustainability ambitions,” said Kelly
Thomas, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.
“Innovating new aluminum alloy technologies that can be used in sustainable
applications like electric vehicles aligns with our vision to reinvent the
aluminum industry for a sustainable future.”

C611 EZCast: Helping Electric Vehicle Car Manufacturer NIO Megacast At Scale
C611 EZCast is a proven alloy that can be used in large die casting machines
– it is particularly well suited for megacastings in automotive
applications.

Electric vehicle manufacturer NIO is the latest to successfully qualify the
alloy for megacasting for vehicles. NIO, which has experts around the world
supporting its line of all-electric vehicles, converted to the C611 EZCast
alloy after extensive testing that proved out positive benefits, which
include gains in productivity and efficiency while ensuring reliability and
safety.

“Alcoa’s C611 alloy is the first great step in NIO’s future casting
development,” said Gary Hughes, NIO’s Director of New Product Introduction,
Engineering. “We reduced energy consumption and carbon emission by using
C611.”

The C611 EZCast alloy has been used to create, among other parts, front and
rear longitudinal beams and floor frames.

The alloy also does not require any dedicated heat treatment, achieving
final properties simply from the normal paint-baking process that is part of
every automotive manufacturer’s assembly line process. Eliminating the need
for dedicated heat treatment, saves energy, lowers carbon dioxide emissions,
and reduces the complexity in a vehicle’s manufacturing process.

Alcoa has licensed to CSMet New Material Group Co, based in Shanghai, the
exclusive right to produce and sell Alcoa’s C611 EZCast alloy in China.
CSMet is developing the megacasting application and supplying the alloy to
NIO and other top-tier Chinese automotive OEMs. Through its partnership with
CSMet, Alcoa’s alloy was qualified for NIO’s megacasting components,
including a rear floor design that is 20 percent lighter than a previous
design that used numerous parts.

A210 ExtruStrong: A New Generation of High Strength Alloys for a Wide Range
of Sectors
First introduced as part of crash protection components, the A210
ExtruStrong alloy is more than 40 percent stronger than competitive alloys,
while also boasting lighter weight and reduced thickness.

It delivers best-in-class corrosion and aging performance, particularly for
thin-wall structures. Extruded profiles created with A210 ExtruStrong can be
thinner than other competing 6000 and some 7000 series alloys. Tensile and
yield strength are improved, including the percentage of elongation.
Furthermore, anodizing results are also improved, and it provides a nearly
30 percent gain in fatigue resistance versus its competitors.

Beyond automotive applications, other uses include highly demanding
structural applications in the construction industry, including new bridges,
and for various lightweight and strong products, such as bicycles.

The A210 ExtruStrong and C611 EZCast alloys build on Alcoa’s history of
alloy development and innovation. Most of the world’s aluminum alloys were
first developed by Alcoa, including more than 44 different wrought alloys
and 40 casting alloys. Alcoa’s Technical Center and its Centers of
Excellence bring decades of metallurgy and engineering leadership to help
customers solve challenges, including developing light-weighting solutions
for electric vehicles.

To learn more about some of Alcoa’s advanced aluminum alloys, please visit
here.

About Alcoa Corporation
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) is a global industry leader in bauxite, alumina and
aluminum products with a vision to reinvent the aluminum industry for a
sustainable future. With a values-based approach that encompasses integrity,
operating excellence, care for people and courageous leadership, our purpose
is to Turn Raw Potential into Real Progress. Since developing the process
that made aluminum an affordable and vital part of modern life, our talented
Alcoans have developed breakthrough innovations and best practices that have
led to greater efficiency, safety, sustainability and stronger communities
wherever we operate.