“We are honored to be a finalist and receive recognition from Automotive News for our ground-breaking inner and outer door ring system, which plays a key part in offering better balance, strength and performance, while removing weight from the vehicle’s body,” said Todd Baker, president, ArcelorMittal Tailored Banks Americas. “This revolutionary technology takes the new Acura RDX’s safety to the next level.”

 

The inner door ring is comprised of five different gauges of ArcelorMittal’s patented press hardenable steel, Usibor® 1500, while the outer door ring is comprised of four gauges of Usibor® 1500. ArcelorMittal co-engineered the five-seam inner door ring blanks and four-seam outer door ring blanks in such a way that it used the same welding tooling which eliminated changeovers, leading to cost reduction. The new ablation and multi-seam welding systems both have higher throughput versus the previous generation systems used to support the 2014 Acura MDX, which showcased the world’s first laser-welded outer door ring – an innovation recognized with a PACE Award in 2014. 

 

In addition to enhancing the vehicle’s performance and safety, including supporting the achievement of an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and five-star rating for the narrow offset crash test, the door ring solution also supported the automaker’s lightweighting goals. Honda doubled the ultra high-strength steel content in the RDX to 30 percent, contributing to a weight reduction of 19 kg/42 lbs. over the previous model.