In Oct. 18th, 2018, GONVVAMA Loudi Phase 2 were put into operation in full swing, which includes 1 press blanking line of 1250ton, and world’s first new type laser welding line.
By introducing the following mature technology into China: laser welding, ablation before laser welding, and high efficiency & high precision blanking, the high-end laser welded product on high strength steel is finally localized, which filled the gap in China. The full SOP of phase 2 enables GONVVAMA Loudi ATS to facilitate car makers to face all the challenges in lightweight and boost the development of local automotive industry.
In Dec. 2016, GONVVAMA Loudi phase 1 project was put into operation. Since that, in 2017, Phase 1 of Gonvvama Changshu ATS, Shenyang ATS and Chongqing ATS were put into operation successively. Now GOVVAMA are delivering through the 4 ATSs to all the major OEMs and key stampers.
In order to satisfy the ever-growing needs of hot stamping laser welded blanks, GONVVAMA starts its phase 2 project gradually. Currently, phase 2 for Changshu and Shenyang ATS is under preparation.
>SOP ceremony - project launching<
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 GONVVAMA Loudi Plant Manager Brian Yi hosted the ceremony
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 Speech by GONVVAMA CEO Jean Marc Butin
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 Speech by Party Secretary of LYS & VAMA CEO Peixiang Cheng
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 Speech by Gonvarri CEO Josu Calvo
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Technical presentation by VAMA CTO Xiang Li: New steel grades for lighter and safer car body structures
Technical presentation by GONVVAMA CTO Yannick Yin: New car body design enabled with advanced material and processing technology
Technical Speech by Head of ArcelorMittal Automotive R&D team for China, Jieli Ma: New trends in EV body-in-white concepts
VAMA, the equal-share joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Valin Steels provides a full range of automotive steels, from mild grades to steels with very high strength. Hot-stamping grades such as Usibor® 2000 and Ductibor® 1000 are also produced by VAMA. These grades are already widely used in the Chinese market and allow carmakers to meet requirements on crash safety, weight saving, and emissions reduction.
GONVVAMA is an equal-share partnership between VAMA and Gonvarri Steel Services. Gonvarri is a global leader in steel processing and distribution. As a downstream solution provider for automotive steel, GONVVAMA will be integrated into the VAMA supply chain. GONVVAMA is specialized in the monolithic and laser welding operation for hot stamping steel, AHSS, UHSS and exposed steel. The aim of GONVVAMA is to provide good product and technology solutions to car -makers.
As a downstream solution provider for automotive steel, GONVVAMA will be integrated into the VAMA supply chain. It will act as one channel to VAMA’s clients
>Technical exhibits<
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>Site tour<
Innovative car body concept
Thanks to the technical support provided by ArcelorMittal, revolutionary new concepts will be available to GONVVAMA’s customers. These include hot stamped LWBs for the vehicle’s safety cage, a concept which is booming in EU and US markets. The proven solutions not only increase the safety of the passengers, they also play an important role in reducing the weight of the body-in-white and cutting assembly costs.
ArcelorMittal’s single-piece door ring is a perfect example of the benefits of LWB technology. Instead of ten parts, the door ring is formed from a single LWB. As well as reducing material costs via effective nesting and optimization, the manufacturing process is simplified. The performance of the part is enhanced thanks to continuous laser joints and new materials.
Over the past decade, ArcelorMittal has developed a number of generic steel solutions under the S-in motion® brand. Solutions include the body-in-white of C-segment vehicles, closures, chassis parts, and seats for cars. S-in motion® solutions offer a catalog of the lightest vehicle designs and use currently available AHSS grades. They integrate worldwide crash, stiffness, and performance standards at the lowest possible cost. For example, the ArcelorMittal S-in motion® mid-size SUV solution allows carmakers to achieve weight savings of 112 kg on the body-in-white and closures (compared to the baseline). The solutions can be implemented without jeopardizing safety and at nearly the same cost.
With the integration of ArcelorMittal technology into GONVVAMA plants, those solutions are available on the doorstep of Chinese customers today.
Electrical vehicles (EV) – the new trend
ArcelorMittal Global R&D and GONVVAMA have been developing specific S-in motion® solutions for electric vehicles which will meet Chinese regulations. The award-winning solutions, integrating the most advanced AHSS and hot stamping grades, help carmakers to achieve excellent crash safety performance with considerable weight savings, and almost no increase in cost.
ArcelorMittal Steel battery pack concepts
Several battery pack concept variants were studied, high performances on all structural loadcases at attractive mass thanks to AHSS, which also can ensure cost-efficient concepts with high material utilization and modularity.
Aluminum blanking
Through knowledge transfer from Gonvarri, GONVVAMA will consolidate its leading technical position in the blanking of exposed steel parts. This will complement GONVVAMA’s existing steel solution catalogue.
Early vendor involvement
ArcelorMittal also brings competence in co-engineering. As regulations become more stringent, OEM design centers in China are working quickly to make the next generation of cars safer and lighter. Thanks to R&D support from ArcelorMittal, GONVVAMA works directly with these design centers. We can provide them with our expertise on tailor-made solutions and applications for the body-in-white. Nesting and formability studies of LWB parts and the integrated supply chain will be carried out to help customers improve production efficiency and product performance.
Exclusive advanced processing technology and hot-stamped LWBs from GONVVAMA will efficiently contribute to vehicle weight reductions and part consolidation. At the same time, material costs will be reduced and part performance improved with limited impact on manufacturing processes. Facing the challenges of fast-changing markets, GONVVAMA is looking forward to creating a promising future together with our customers.
