Nippon Wico Co., Ltd.

Aluminum alloy connecting rods

Connecting rods, also known as conrods, play a vital part in internal combustion engines, compressors and other devices to convert rotating motion to linear motion for energy.

While more than 90 percent of the world’s conrods are made of an iron-based material, Nippon Wico is an exclusively aluminum producer of conrods. One advantage of aluminum is the lightweight quality, about one-third the weight of iron, which decreases the overall weight of the components to save energy and space. Aluminum conrods also decrease vibration and noise. The primary uses of aluminum conrods include power generators, general-purpose engines such as for construction equipment, outboard motors, air conditioning and heaters, and pneumatic compressors and pumps.

While aluminum alloys conventionally have less mechanical strength than iron materials, technological developments have led to powder metallurgy and other specialized methods to bring the strength of aluminum in line with iron. The range of applications of aluminum alloy conrods has therefore spread, today including such uses as automobiles and motorcycles. Nippon Wico uses specialized equipment to produce high-quality conrods, saving time for superior cost performance.