Author：Site  Source：Network  Click to rate：1908  Post time：2013-05-24

Atlanta-based aluminium rolling and recycling specialist Novelis has signed a co-operation agreement with customised steel solutions company ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks for the development of tailored aluminium blanks.

In essence, tailored aluminium blanks is the joining together of individual aluminium sheets of different grades, thicknesses and coatings to produce customised stamping blanks that are used by car manufacturers to make lightweight body parts.

According to Novelis, the targeted use of materials in tailored aluminum blanks eliminates the need for reinforcements and overlapping joints, thus saving material, reducing weight and cutting cost. Gains in process efficiency and vehicle weight reduction further contribute to reduced CO2 emissions and improved fuel economy. Tailored aluminium blanks can also contribute to improved crash performance through the selective use of high-strength aluminium alloys.

"The product range of tailored aluminium blanks connects for the first time the extensive potential of lightweight aluminum with the engineering service of tailoring the body and chassis design on a mass scale," explained Rudolf Helldobler, CEO for ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks.

Roland Harings, Novelis’ vice president for global automotive, said that tailored aluminium blanks extend the growing possibilities for advanced and economical lightweight solutions in vehicles. “Material expertise with aluminium and know-how in tailoring of lightweight solutions are coming together in a unique way to provide this cost-effective technology on a global scale."