Together with the Korean company Hwashin, AP&T has developed a unique process for press hardening chassis components for the automotive industry. The new process allows steel parts to be manufactured with high strength and low weight considerably more efficiently than before.
The tough competition in the automotive industry is the driving force behind the development of new production processes for components. Saving weight and simultaneously improving quality and strength in a cost-efficient manner is a great challenge for component manufacturers.
Greater strength and lower manufacturing cost
The Korean firm Hwashin designs and produces chassis and car body
components for Hyundai and KIA Motors, among others. Now the company,
together with AP&T has developed a unique, patent-pending, press
hardening process for manufacturing torsion bar axles for vehicle rear
wheel suspensions. The process has made it possible to exceed car
manufacturers' demands for strength and weight by a wide margin.
"The torsion bar axle used today has a material strength of 500 MPa. With
the new method, we will soon be able to triple the strength to 1400 MPa.
This means that the component can be made both stronger and lighter than
before," says Gi-Dong Lee, at Hwashin Research & Development.
The new manufacturing method also provides a high degree of hardness.
Obviously, the same hardness and strength can be achieved with conventional
production methods, but these require considerably more work processes,
says Kent Eriksson at AP&T. Using our previous experience in press
hardening as a basis, we developed a method where forming and hardening
occur in the same process. This means that production is significantly
faster and much more efficient and offer significant lower manufacturing
costs. It was an important key that we were able to add to the actual tool
design. AP&T's tool designers worked closely with Hwashin and material
specialists to develop methods where the material is formed a high
temperature and then cooled quickly.
Test results exceeded expectations
In the middle of June, representatives from both Hwashin and Hyundai came
to AP&T for final inspection of the equipment to be used for the
process. It was the third visit by the Koreans since cooperation began in
October 2006. A few personnel from AP&T also managed to make it
to Korea a few times as well. The first material samples were sent to
Hwashin for tests and evaluation in May of 2007.
"It was a great success", says Young Shik Choi, who is AP&T's agent in
Korea. The test results exceeded all expectations.
Finished products in 2008
The first line will be installed at Hwashin in Korea at the end of
September. And if everything goes as planned, the first cars with press
hardened torsion bar axles will roll out of Hyundai's factories in 2008.
The process will then be implemented in Hwashin's other production plants
in China, India and the USA.
Cooperation characterized by harmony and trust
"Using
our common strengths, we created something completely unique," says Gi-Dong
Lee. "The technique has fantastic potential for the future. Now we are
proceeding with efforts to jointly create cost-efficient methods for
remachining the axle ends. I am looking forward to continued cooperation
with harmony and trust."
Which is also what the word "Hwashin" literally means – harmony with trust.
