Current and Future Uses of Aluminum in the Automotive Industry

Aluminum use is growing in automotive closures and body in white applications to improve vehicle performance and fuel economy. The auto industry is looking for higher-strength aluminum materials needed for strength-driven safety–critical parts. Through cooperation with industrial partners and support from the Department of Energy (DOE), multiple experimental 7xxx alloys were developed for automotive applications. The objective is to enable complex shapes to be formed at temperatures below 225°C. A demonstration part has been developed that is representative of the forming challenges within a current hot-stamped door ring component. This part tooling has been built and installed into a press line which includes blank heating and robotic transfer. Forming trials of these alloys are currently underway and the formability, strength and corrosion performance of these materials are being evaluated.