5XXX and 6XXX sheet aluminum alloys may be produced from proprietary alloy compositions. Each family shares similar characteristics, but each alloy retains unique features. For example, AA6022 has the strength of AA6111 and the formability of AA6016A, but may be more costly since the low copper and low iron requirements make it difficult to produce from recycled stock. Certain alloys may be available only from specific companies, and may be [...]
A slideshow of photos taken at I-CAR’s booth at SEMA 2018 is at the bottom of an article containing information about AHSS content in 2019/2020 vehicles. These photos highlight sections of the 2019 Silverado body, showing several parts labeled with strength levels and grade. You can see several 780MPa and 980MPa steel parts, as well as some UHSS parts. GMs strategy on their new truck is to use 6XXX aluminum [...]
I always read what Pete Ulintz writes. His September 2018 article in Metalforming Magazine discusses tooling wear when forming stainless and aluminum. A few additional comments from my experience: A) Your metal supplier may be able to provide you coils with the PE/PVC coating already applied. B) You might need to adjust your forming approach. I've worked with parts where the polymer coating was ripped off when going through the [...]
Every few months, we at EQS and 4M send out a newsletter covering info related to the sheet metal forming industries. Topics in a recent newsletter included material selection strategies at automakers, friction stir welding, servo presses, Tesla build quality, and laser blanking. If you want to get on the distribution list, please sign up on the EQS website. Here's a reprint of that newsletter from the 4th quarter of [...]
Steel and aluminum alloys are looking to be the chosen metal in auto bodies. Why? There are 2 tons of sheetmetal purchased for 17MM vehicles sold each year in the US - there is no other industry with such high-volume sales opportunities. Read about strength, stiffness, and joining in my article in the May 2018 issue of MetalForming Magazine at www.metalformingmagazine.com/magazine/article/?/2018/5/1/The_Aluminum-Steel_Battle_in_Automotive_Applications
Nissan's plant in Smyrna, TN makes 640,000 vehicles a year, which is more than 1 per second. The stamping plant goes through 15 tons of steel and over half a ton of aluminum EVERY HOUR. automotivemanufacturingsolutions.com/focus/stamp-of-approval
The February issue (Part 1) discusses some of the general terms you’ll encounter. Remember, it’s important that you and your supplier both use the same language to be sure you’ll get what you need. The March issue (Part 2) describes the limitations of ordering AISI 1008/1010, and why you might need to change to something like SAE J2329 for more consistent performance. The April issue (Part 3) highlights terms you’ll [...]
