automotive industry Archives - National Material Company

6 11, 2024

Metal Processing for Electric Vehicles: When Steel and Aluminum are Needed

jane2024-11-06T15:00:59+00:00November 6th, 2024|News Blog, NMC Media|

As the electric vehicle (EV) market expands, strategic use of materials like steel and aluminum has become critical in achieving performance, sustainability, and cost objectives. Metal processing for electric vehicles is a complex field where the selection of materials can significantly influence vehicle design and manufacturing efficiency. Both automotive aluminum and automotive steel play pivotal roles, each offering distinct advantages that can enhance or hinder a vehicle’s performance, range, and cost-effectiveness.

The Steel vs. Aluminum Debate in Metal Processing for Electric Vehicles

In the electric vehicle (EV) industry, a competition between steel and aluminum has emerged, with manufacturers weighing the pros and cons of each material for specific applications. Steel, including ultra-high-strength (UHHS) and advanced high-strength steel (AHHS), is valued for its strength and cost-effectiveness. Aluminum, on the other hand, is favored for its lightweight properties and thermal conductivity, making it ideal for battery enclosures and body panels.

As original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and EV automakers strive to optimize their vehicles, choosing steel and aluminum becomes a strategic decision. This decision is influenced not only by the materials’ inherent properties but also by factors like supply chain management, the capabilities of steel service centers and metal processing centers, and the demands of EV infrastructure. Understanding the benefits and limitations of each material can guide manufacturers in creating electric vehicles that meet the highest performance and sustainability standards.

The Case for Steel

Advantages of Automotive Steel in Electric Vehicle Manufacturing

Automotive steel, particularly ultra-high-strength steel (UHHS) and advanced high-strength steel (AHHS), offers exceptional strength and durability, making it ideal for structural components that must withstand significant stress, such as the vehicle frame and chassis. In addition to its robustness, steel is generally more cost-effective than aluminum, making it a preferred choice for manufacturers with budget constraints. This is especially important for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) looking to optimize production costs.

Furthermore, steel is highly recyclable, aligning with sustainability goals and reducing the carbon footprint of vehicle production. The use of galvanized steel also enhances longevity and corrosion resistance in automotive components.

Challenges of Using Steel in Electric Vehicles

One downside of using steel is its weight, as it is significantly heavier than aluminum. This added weight can negatively affect a vehicle’s overall efficiency and range, making it less ideal for electric vehicles focused on maximizing energy efficiency. Additionally, although advancements in galvanization have improved steel’s resistance to rust, it remains more susceptible to corrosion than aluminum, particularly in harsh environmental conditions.

The Case for Aluminum

Benefits of Aluminum in Electric Vehicles

Aluminum’s lightweight nature makes it an ideal choice for reducing vehicle weight, improving fuel efficiency, and extending the range of electric vehicles. For EV automakers, automotive […]

21 03, 2019

History of Galvanized Steel in the Automotive Industry

marshall2019-09-05T20:37:54+00:00March 21st, 2019|News Blog, NMC Media|

Galvanized steel is among the most popular and useful steels due to its durability, cost effectiveness and, most importantly, its rust-resistant qualities. But galvanized steel wasn’t always in high demand.

In the early 1990’s, steel was consistently the go-to material in automobile manufacturing, but public demand for corrosion-resistant steels in the North American market hadn’t become wide enough for manufacturers to begin implementing it.

In fact, it wasn’t until the late 1980’s, when the Japanese began importing automobiles with anti-corrosion features, that Western markets would discover the advantage of the material. Galvanized steel was indispensable in Japan, a country with a coastal environment that created heavier levels of oxidation and rust.

At the time, North American made vehicles were experiencing severe durability issues due to rust – a serious issue that (quite literally) couldn’t be solved by just throwing on another coat of paint.

Western automakers had developed specific standards for their warranties which further exacerbated the problem of switching to galvanized steels, as its implementation into processing lines would take serious time and money. However, forced to compete, they began to make the transition.

This important switch led to the use of electrogalvanizing lines.

“Electrogalvanizing is a process in which a layer of zinc is bonded to steel in order to protect against corrosion. The process involves electroplating, running a current of electricity through a saline/zinc solution with a zinc anode and steel conductor. The plating of zinc was developed at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, the electrolyte was cyanide based. A significant innovation occurred in the 1960s, with the introduction of the first acid chloride based electrolyte…The 1980s saw a return to alkaline electrolytes, only this time, without the use of cyanide.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Going into the mid 90’s, electrogalvanizing was the only process that was approved for automotive quality; but automakers had set their sights on another way to galvanize steel – hot dip galvanization. This technique was being used in other markets, but hadn’t yet reached the level of quality necessary for automobiles. That is, until the 1990’s.

Nowadays, the use of zinc-coated bodies for automobiles is standard procedure in auto manufacturing. The ‘body-in-white’ of a car makes up about 80% of the body, all using galvanized steel. The rust resistance of galvanized steel is also a good marketing tool for the automotive industry because they can provide anti-rust warranties to customers.

What are the Benefits of Galvanized Steel?

There’s a reason so many different industries utilize galvanized steel. It has a wide array of benefits for industries to take advantage of, including:

Low initial cost compared to most treated steels.
Lower maintenance costs than most coated steels (saves time on repairs and replacements).
Increases durability of the steel’s finished product which also increases the product’s reliability.
Galvanized steel is very protective, including sharp corners and recesses that couldn’t be protected with other coatings, making it resistant to damage.
Self-healing, meaning the galvanized coating includes an automatic protection for damaged areas. The coating will corrode preferentially to the steel, […]

5 02, 2019

Advanced High-Strength Steel Rules the Road in 2019

marshall2019-02-05T17:59:41+00:00February 5th, 2019|News Blog, NMC Media|

Advanced High-Strength Steel is a new generation of steel revolutionizing the automotive industry. The widespread use of advanced high-strength steel doesn’t seem to be slowing down as we move into 2019. This high-performance material offers high-strength and low weight, all while maintaining formability that is crucial to the automotive manufacturing process.

Strong and dependable, steel continues to be the frontrunner when it comes to car manufacturing. A recent survey showed that steel is the preferred material in automobiles, with 90% of consumers saying they believe steel is stronger than other materials used by automakers. 75% said that a car’s crash safety, and other safety features, were the most important factors when buying or leasing a vehicle.

Various automotive manufacturers have announced intentions to increase their use of AHSS in automobiles, and several 2019 and 2020 models made with higher proportions of the advanced high-strength steel have already been unveiled.

SUV’s

Source: Repairer Drive News

Last month, a large automotive manufacturer “…revealed its brand-new “flagship” three-row SUV, describing a steel body with a 13.7 percent higher average tensile strength than its next-generation 2019 coupe.”

The article continues to highlight the SUV’s new build, saying it has “…a very rigid structure, with strategic use of Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) in key suspension and crash areas to provide increased tensile-strength. Use of Advanced High Strength Steel has several benefits: lighter overall vehicle weight and greater vehicle strength and rigidity without the excessive costs of more exotic lightweight materials.”

The SUV “…is expected to achieve TSP+ from the IIHS and a 5-star NHTSA rating. Robust underbody and side structures are designed to increase energy absorption and cabin intrusion in a severe collision, especially in the small overlap test. Further, its underbody uses multiple load paths to better disperse potential crash energy in the event of a collision.’”

Sedan

Source: Repairer Drive News

Another automotive manufacturer announced that “The 2019 sedan model ‘strengthens its bones’ for its third generation, describing a body made up of 54 percent advanced high-strength steel.”

The vehicle also added “hot-stamped components”, a reference likely to indicate ultra-high-strength steels.

This new configuration is likely to restrict what auto body shops can do to the popular sedan. Higher-strength steels tend to carry heat, sectioning and repair restrictions because of their metallurgy or role in crash protection.

“Because body stiffness plays a major role in NVH performance, engineers worked to increase rigidity for a quieter cabin and better handling tuned to match the car’s sporty and dynamic exterior appearance, resulting in a 16 percent stiffer body in white,” the automotive manufacturer wrote in a news release Wednesday.

“New subframe designs help to improve lateral responsiveness, while steering feel is upgraded compared to its predecessor’s thanks to enhancements within the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) system that reduce artificial steering feel and friction.”

Throughout the last year, we shared information on the […]

3 10, 2018

Industries Utilizing Galvanized Steel

Kelly Smith2019-10-16T16:17:24+00:00October 3rd, 2018|News Blog, NMC Media|

Galvanized steel is one of the most popular and useful steels because of its , durability and ability to be applicable to a variety of projects. It can be a good match for many industries including agriculture, solar, automotive, construction, and many more. We will provide a detailed description of how galvanized steel is processed, its benefits, and how it is used in these various industries.

What is galvanized steel? What is the process?

Galvanized steel is a type of steel in which an application of protective zinc coating is applied to prevent rusting. Galvanization, the process used to apply the zinc, is done through hot-dipped galvanizing.

The steps in the galvanizing process are as follows:

Clean the steel in a degreasing solution
Pickle the steel in diluted hot sulfuric acid
Flux the steel in an aqueous solution (typically zinc-ammonium chloride)
Immerse the steel in a vat of molten zinc
Inspect the steel for consistency and a complete coating

What industries utilize galvanized steel?

Wind & solar industries – Solar projects must have a continuous workflow once installed and any repairs/maintenance results in disruption to service (a.k.a. revenue loss). This means that hot dipped galvanized steels are popular in solar projects for their corrosion protection. It is also popular for its ‘environmental’ friendliness because it does not produce emissions and ensures decades without maintenance.
Agriculture- Galvanized steel is often utilized in the agriculture industry because of equipment is susceptible to being easily corroded, creating a demand for tougher, resilient equipment. Hot-dip galvanized steel provides corrosion protection that can often last for decades, even when exposed to the harsh environment of farming
Automotive industry – Though only used on luxury models up until the 1980s, the use of zinc-coated bodies for automobiles is now the norm in auto manufacturing. The ‘body-in-white’ of a car makes up about 80% of the body, all using galvanized steel. The rust resistance of galvanized steel is also a good marketing tool for the automotive industry because they can provide ‘anti-rust warranties’ to customers.
Construction industry – Whether for residential or commercial, the durability of galvanized steel has made it popular for over a century in the construction industry. It is also selected for construction because of its aesthetics; the ‘shine’ that galvanized steel provides gives it a contemporary feel and is popular in modern architecture designs. Also, it isn’t just used for large structural pieces but things like fencing, gutters, rails, tubing, poles, and much more.
Telecommunication industry – Phone lines are not an easy maintenance job, they are tall and often difficult to reach. Hot-galvanized steel can be used on phone wiring and equipment boxes which decreases the risk of damage and need for maintenance at all.

Benefits of galvanized steel

There is a reason so many different industries utilize galvanized steel. It has a plethora of benefits, all of which these industries take advantage. The benefits include:

Low initial cost as compared to most other treated steels.
Lower maintenance costs than most other coated steels (saves […]

29 11, 2017

The Applications of Advanced High-Strength Steel

marshall2019-10-02T18:42:10+00:00November 29th, 2017|News Blog, NMC Media|

What’s the material that is on the forefront of innovation in the automobile industry? If you guessed aluminum or composite steels, you guessed wrong. When it comes to increasing fuel efficiency, quality, affordability, and durability, no material has made more of a difference than Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) and Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS).

In this and future communications we will begin sharing information about these products.

Advanced High-Strength Steel refers to a new generation of steel that provides high-strength (up to 2,000 MPa) and durability while maintaining formability that is crucial to the manufacturing process.

The primary AHSS grades are produced on high tech Continuous Annealing Lines that provide very high heat followed by a rapid controlled cooling rate of the austenite phase. Further controlled heating and cooling can take place depending on the desired properties.

The difference is this production process and finished microstructure of the steel. Where conventional Low Carbon thru HSLA steel grades exhibit a nearly 100% Ferrite microstructure, AHSS / UHSS steels will exhibit a variety of different microstructures depending on the grade.

The primary types of materials being utilized are Dual Phase, Complex Phase/Multi Phase, Trip, Martensite and Press Hardenable Steel.

Dual Phase Steel

Ferrite-Martensite dual-phase steel is a low-to-medium carbon material with between 5-50% volume fractional martensite islands that are dispersed in a soft ferrite matrix. In addition to martensite, bainite and retained austenite components can also exist; these are normally produced when improved edge stretch formability is desired.

These variations in microstructure give dual-phase steels a wide spectrum of strength and ductility. DP steels are known to be capable of absorbing large amounts of energy. Combined with a low cost of production, these properties make DP steels highly desirable for automotive applications.

Dual-phase steels can be produced as both hot rolled and cold rolled based material. When Hot Rolled, the rolling temperature and cooling process on the Hot Strip Mill is carefully controlled to produce the ferrite-martensite structure from austenite. When Cold Rolled, the properties are developed on Continuous Annealing lines where there is even greater control over thermal treatment.

Automotive parts that currently use DP steels including but not limited to Crossmembers, Pillars, Roof Rails, Frame Extensions, Shock Towers, Crush Cans and Wheels.

Complex Phase Steel

Complex Phase steels gain their strength through extremely fine grain size and micro structure containing small amounts of martensite, pearlite and retained austenite embedded in a ferrite-bainite matrix. High grain refinement is achieved by precipitation of micro alloying elements such as Nb, Ti or V or retarded recrystallization.

CP steels have a higher minimum yield strength in comparison with dual phase steels of identical tensile strengths of 800 Mpa and greater. When compared to DP steels, CP steels have a much higher yield strength to tensile strength ratio.

Complex Phase steel is being produced as both hot-rolled and cold-rolled which can be hot dipped galvanized for corrosion protection. Hot-rolled products are available in the higher thickness ranges needed to produce structural type parts.

Press-Hardened Steel

Press Hardened Steel or Hot Formed Steels undergo a unique manufacturing process where the […]