Two
qualities of automotive parts have stood the test of time. The lighter and
stronger the materials used for making a part, the better. Considering the
integrity of the automobile as a whole, the quest for the right mix of metals
for each particular component is ongoing. The process most relied upon for the
manufacture of parts nowadays is die stamping because of its mass production
advantage. Also known as pressing, this is the process of stamping shapes from
sheets of metal.
High
Strength Steels
Towards
the end of the 1900s, increasing awareness of the human impact on our planet
sped up the search for ways to reduce our energy use. This was most apparent in
the automotive parts industry. Safety regulations became stricter. People
increasingly want cars that are more environmentally friendly and that operate
more cost effectively. Advanced high strength steels developed for the
automotive industry are changing the way cars are made.
Steel
versus Aluminium
There
is constant debate in the automotive industry about whether to use aluminium or
steel in the production of automotive parts. Essentially this is a quest for
finding material strong enough to be safe for use in automobiles that is
formable and cost effective. Most of the top car manufacturers are opting for
decisions of which material to be used being made on a part by part basis.
History
of Die Stamping
Dating
back to 2000BC, with stone-age man beating iron with a hammer to make tools
with heated metal resting on a bed or bolster, the idea of stamping metals is
not new. Die stamping was first used to produce bicycle parts in the 1890s.
Although die stamping produced parts with less durability than traditional
forging, there was advantage in using machines to manufacture automotive parts
more quickly. As demand for motor vehicles grew, faster production methods were
welcomed.
Progressive
Stamping
A
variety of metalworking methods are incorporated into the die stamping
manufacture of automotive parts. Beginning with simple methods like bending the
metal along straight lines, there are nine other ways machines are working with
metal during the stamping process. Flanging, embossing, blanking, coining, deep
drawing, stretching, ironing, curling and hemming each allow progressively more
detailed parts to be made.
Improving
Automotive Parts Manufacturing
Along
with developing steel sheets for die stamping that are thinner and more
lightweight than ever while having increased strength, machining is becoming
more technologically advanced. Modern control systems and computer aided design
and machining along with improved mechanisms for spot-welding, riveting and
door-latch making are transforming the automotive parts manufacturing process.
Overall
Productivity
Computers
are an integral part of numerical control at play in today's component design
and machining systems. Along with advances in automation using computer aided
manufacturing, automotive parts can be more
productively and cost-effectively produced than ever before. The precision
possible through die stamping methods used in automotive part manufacturing
going into this millennium is improving productivity and lowering environmental
impact.
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