A new era of eco-friendly efficiency is on the horizon for the automotive manufacturing industry, with technology and environmental consciousness leading the way. On September 10, 2024, VAMA and GONVVAMA, together with over 30 automotive manufacturing enterprises, convened in Beijing to explore the future of multi-part integration. This gathering showcased the industry's commitment to integrated, green, and adaptable transformation.
Innovative Steel Solutions: Great Achievement in Lightweighting and Strength
Since 2017, second-generation aluminum-silicon-coated hot-formed steels, Usibor®2000 and Ductibor®1000, have made a significant impact in the Chinese market. The upcoming third-generation Ductibor®1500, noted for its exceptional strength and toughness, promises to revolutionize automotive body design and is set for domestic mass production next year. Additionally, Fortiform®, a representative of the new generation of cold-formed steels, has surpassed the limitations of cold stamping technology with its blend of high strength and plasticity, paving the way for lightweight automotive structural component design. Furthermore, ArcelorMittal's zinc-magnesium-coated products offer a new option for safeguarding automotive inner and outer panels due to their outstanding corrosion resistance, with VAMA's No. 2 galvanizing line already mastering the core technology for producing such advanced steels.
Multi-part Integration: Shaping the Future of Automotive Body Design
The multi-part integration solution, which deeply combines aluminum-silicon-coated hot-formed steels, hot forming technology, and laser welding technology, achieves high integration of multiple components, significantly reducing part numbers and assembly steps, streamlining production processes, enhancing production efficiency, and effectively lowering carbon emissions. For instance, parts in key areas such as the front and rear body frames can be substantially reduced, while the number of stamping parts in the car body side panel can be streamlined from 14 to 2. The on-site demonstration of the multi-part integration solution for laser-welded front floor and inner and outer double door rings fully illustrates the immense potential and flexibility of this technology.
Laser welding technology combined with hot-formed steel provides robust technical support for multi-part integration. It allows precise combination of materials with different strengths, toughness, and thickness based on area-specific needs, making component design more adaptable. The introduction of ablation 3.0 technology further integrates the partial removal of AlSi coating with the welding process, enhancing production efficiency, product quality, and reducing inventory and costs.
Battery Pack Design Innovation: Enhancing Electric Vehicle Performance and Cost Efficiency
In 2023, VAMA successfully developed the first domestically produced hot-formed tray, bringing revolutionary changes to battery pack design with its outstanding strength and precision. Hot-formed steel trays, in comparison to cold-formed steel trays, offer higher structural compactness and cost-effectiveness, providing more possibilities for integrated electric vehicle design. This innovation not only enhances overall electric vehicle performance but also fosters greater flexibility in battery pack design.
The conclusion of this roadshow has introduced numerous innovations and breakthroughs to the automotive manufacturing industry. These achievements are poised to drive continuous industry development and lead the way to a brighter future.
