Some new people were forced by OEM customers using this technology. Second, manufacturers with hot stamping function face huge parts price pressure, need to increase productivity and reduce manufacturing costs.

Compared to traditional stamping, its fixed investment cost is very high, and longer cycle and dedicated equipment are required. Hot stamping can be economically solved these pressures because hot stamping can make molds in a step of molding, stable, complex, and large-size parts. To simplify the adoption of hot stamping, OEM must shorten cycle time and reduce energy consumption.

Cost pressure is the direction of technology development. Stamping OEMs must reduce costs. The challenge facing manufacturing is to reduce the cost of hot printing because hot print is considered an expensive process. The second is to ensure the stability of the quality of the parts.

Aluminum, non-ferrite metal

A new development is a non-ferrite metal, especially the thermal punching of high strength aluminum alloy. Considering that aluminum is considered to be soft metal, why should it be thermally formed?

Can use different types of aluminum alloys: low-intensity alloy (2xxx) and high-strength alloys (6xxx and 7xxx). For Metal Stamping complex shape parts, soft or low-intensity parts show good value. However, structural components typically have a geometry that is difficult to stress. This means that components that are both strong and sufficient and lightweight and lightweight, requiring high-intensity materials. Therefore, it is necessary to form a high intensity aluminum for heat forming to form a high strength steel.

In order to form these materials, they need to be heated to a so-called dissolution temperature, formed and quenched. After manual aging, they recover to hard state.

As part of the research project called Locolite, Europe, using AP \u0026 T HFQ® technology, is thermoforming aluminum components. The picture is provided by the Swedish Ulri Port AP \u0026 T.

AP \u0026 T has developed production line thermostat aluminum, combined with development and uses heat treatment through exposure technology (ITL) patents, forming a new method, and in mold quenching (HFQ ®). The development of this production line is part of multi-organizational cooperation supported by the British government’s \”Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Plan\”. The HFQ method is developed in the University of Empire University of Technology and Birmingham. It is now commercialized in Locolite. This is the EU FP7 NMP project, which is designed to make patented material processing technology to be used for low cost of light structure in the transportation industry. see picture 1). The subsidiary of ITL and PAB COVENTRY is trial of this process. CIPCO will use the new production line to produce light parts for many British automakers, and continue to develop HFQ process. The Locolite project has produced the first batch of prototypes with a new method, and the first production line is scheduled to install this year. The new process has improved high-intensity aluminum alloys into complex geometry by improving the formability.Therefore, a sharp bend radius can be generated, thereby eliminating the rebound.These have significant advantages over traditional stamping processes.These qualities are the main interest in the automotive industry.The thermal stamping process currently applied to boron steel must be improved to form aluminum.

The process route itself is: material heating, molding, and quenching.There are several differences.Thermoforming aluminum requires an additional aging process to achieve the desired final mechanical properties.In this process, material treatment is completely different.New heating techniques and lubrication must use new tools, including tool materials and coatings.

Even the press must also operate in a different manner itself.It requires a faster press and lower pressure tonnage.In addition, post-treatment may vary.The final parts produced are likely to not need laser trimming.

Source: Network