🪶 MAGNESIUM
Magnesium Suppliers and Machining in Savannah, GA
Magnesium is the lightest structural metal in common engineering use, roughly 35 percent lighter than aluminum, and that ratio is why it keeps surfacing in Savannah's aerospace and defense work. Buyers here are rarely chasing magnesium for its own sake; they are chasing mass off an airframe, a gearbox housing, or a portable defense electronics enclosure. Sourcing it well in this market means understanding which grade survives the salt-air corrosion environment of coastal Georgia and which one earns its place inside a Gulfstream cabin.
AS9100ISO 9001NADCAP
1
Why Savannah's Airframe Work Pulls Magnesium
Gulfstream's footprint at Savannah-Hilton Head International is the gravitational center of the local magnesium conversation. Business jets live and die by range and fuel burn, and magnesium castings show up in seat frames, control-column components, gearbox and transmission housings, and avionics enclosures where shaving grams compounds across an aircraft. The first-tier and second-tier shops feeding that program carry the alloy knowledge, and that capability spills over to the defense electronics and ground-support equipment built nearby.
The practical sourcing reality is that magnesium is a low-volume, high-spec buy in this region. You are not ordering truckloads; you are ordering qualified lots with full traceability. That favors suppliers who already run AS9100 systems and can produce a certified material test report tied to a specific melt. Savannah buyers who try to source magnesium like a commodity get burned on lead time, because the qualified mills and casting houses are a short list.
2
Matching Grade to the Job: AZ31B, AZ91D, and WE43
AZ31B is the wrought workhorse, supplied as sheet, plate, and extrusion. It bends and forms cold within reason, welds well with the right filler, and machines fast. For Savannah fabricators building enclosures, brackets, and non-critical structural panels, AZ31B is the default because it balances formability against a yield strength around 200 MPa.
AZ91D is the high-pressure die-casting grade. Its 9 percent aluminum content gives it excellent castability and good as-cast strength, which is why housings, covers, and complex thin-wall geometries come off die-cast tooling in this alloy. The trade-off is reduced ductility, so it is a fit for stiff, geometrically complex parts rather than anything that flexes.
WE43 is the premium answer when temperature and creep matter. This yttrium and rare-earth alloy holds strength to roughly 250 degrees C and is the grade specified for helicopter and fixed-wing gearbox housings. For Savannah's higher-tier aerospace and defense buyers, WE43 is the grade that justifies the paperwork; it also commands the longest lead time and the tightest mill qualification.
3
Corrosion, Coastal Air, and Finishing
Coastal Georgia is a brutal corrosion environment. Salt-laden air off the Atlantic and high humidity will attack bare magnesium fast, and galvanic corrosion at fasteners and dissimilar-metal joints is the failure mode that catches first-time magnesium buyers off guard. No serious magnesium part leaves a Savannah shop bare.
Chromate conversion coating per MIL-DTL-5541 or the chrome-free equivalents, anodizing systems, and full primer-and-topcoat stacks are standard. WE43 has meaningfully better intrinsic corrosion resistance than the AZ alloys, which is part of why it justifies its cost on long-service-life parts. Buyers should specify the finish and the dissimilar-metal isolation scheme in the drawing package, not as an afterthought, because the corrosion control is as much a part of the spec as the alloy itself.
4
Machining and Fire Safety Realities
Magnesium machines beautifully. It cuts faster than aluminum, generates low cutting forces, and lets shops run high spindle speeds with excellent surface finish. CNC shops in the Savannah industrial corridor that already serve aerospace handle it without drama, holding tolerances in the plus-or-minus 0.001 inch range routinely.
The catch is fire. Fine magnesium chips and grinding dust ignite, and a magnesium fire cannot be fought with water. Shops that machine it run dry or with the right cutting fluids, manage chip accumulation aggressively, and keep Class D extinguishers and dry sand at the machines. When you qualify a local shop for magnesium, confirm they actually run the alloy regularly rather than treating it as a one-off, because the fire protocols and chip handling are a learned discipline, not a checklist item.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a gearbox or transmission housing serving aerospace, WE43 is the grade to specify. It is a magnesium-yttrium-rare-earth alloy engineered to hold mechanical strength and resist creep at elevated temperatures up to roughly 250 degrees C, which matters when a housing sits next to bearings and oil running hot. The AZ alloys lose strength faster as temperature climbs, so they are not the right call for a load-bearing rotating-machinery enclosure. WE43 also brings better intrinsic corrosion resistance, which is a real advantage in Savannah's coastal salt-air environment. The trade-off is cost and lead time: WE43 is a specialty melt with a short list of qualified mills, so plan your procurement window early and lock in a supplier with AS9100 certification and full melt traceability. For Gulfstream-tier and defense rotorcraft work, the certified material test report tied to the specific lot is non-negotiable.
Yes, and several CNC shops in the Savannah industrial corridor that serve the aerospace base machine magnesium routinely. The metal actually machines easier than aluminum, with lower cutting forces and excellent surface finish at high spindle speeds, so capable shops hold tight tolerances without difficulty. The real qualification question is fire safety, not machinability. Fine magnesium chips and grinding dust are flammable, and a magnesium fire cannot be extinguished with water. Shops that run magnesium regularly manage chip accumulation aggressively, keep Class D extinguishers and dry sand at the machine, and use appropriate dry-cutting or specialized fluid practices. When you qualify a supplier, ask specifically how often they run magnesium and how they handle chips and dust. A shop that treats it as a rare one-off carries more risk than one with an established magnesium routine. Confirm they can also coordinate the corrosion finishing your part needs before it ships.
Magnesium is roughly 35 percent lighter than aluminum by density, which is the entire reason it gets specified in business-jet and defense work despite costing more and demanding more careful handling. On a per-part basis, that weight saving compounds: trim mass from enough brackets, housings, and interior components and you extend range or payload, which is the metric Gulfstream-tier programs optimize for. Aluminum wins on cost, corrosion resistance in raw form, and ease of handling, so it remains the default for most structure. Magnesium earns its place where mass is the dominant constraint and the part can be properly coated for the coastal corrosion environment. The decision usually comes down to whether the weight saving justifies the added finishing, the dissimilar-metal isolation at joints, and the tighter supplier qualification. For high-volume non-critical structure, aluminum; for targeted mass reduction on qualified parts, magnesium.
Magnesium needs a complete corrosion-control stack in Savannah's environment, and it should be specified in the drawing package rather than added later. Salt-laden Atlantic air and persistent humidity attack bare magnesium quickly, and galvanic corrosion at fastener locations and dissimilar-metal joints is the most common failure mode. The standard approach starts with a chromate conversion coating per MIL-DTL-5541 or a chrome-free equivalent, often followed by a primer and topcoat system for full sealing. Anodizing systems are also used depending on the application. Equally important is dissimilar-metal isolation: where magnesium meets steel, aluminum, or fasteners, the joint needs isolating sealants, coatings, or barrier washers to break the galvanic couple. WE43 has better intrinsic corrosion resistance than the AZ alloys, which is one reason it is favored on long-service-life parts. Treat the finish and isolation scheme as part of the material spec, because in coastal Georgia the coating is what determines service life.
Expect longer lead times than aluminum, because magnesium is a specialty, low-volume buy and the qualified mills and casting houses are a short list. For common AZ31B sheet and plate, availability is better and stock can sometimes be pulled from distribution, but aerospace-grade lots with full traceability still require a qualified supply chain. AZ91D die castings depend on tooling: if the die exists, parts flow; if you need new tooling, factor in tooling lead time on top of casting. WE43 carries the longest lead because it is a rare-earth specialty melt with few qualified sources, so engage suppliers early and lock in capacity. The biggest scheduling mistake Savannah buyers make is sourcing magnesium like a commodity and discovering the qualified-lot timeline too late. Build your procurement window around the grade, the required certifications such as AS9100 and NADCAP processing, and the corrosion finishing steps, all of which add calendar time.
Last updated: July 2026
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