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Fine blanking is a shear cutting manufacturing process capable of producing sheet metal parts with completely smooth cutting surfaces, free of cracks and fracture-breaks. Additionally, this manufacturing process provides superior dimensional accuracy and surface finish compared to the conventional shearing…

Figure 1: Component usually made in PHS1500 (left), mechanical characteristics of different PHS grades (right, source ArcelorMittal)   Safety, CO2 emission reduction and lightweighting are some of the main drivers of the recent automotive industry history. All these aspects are…

To enhance sustainability performance and reduce CO2 impact on our environment, demand for alternative energy sources for vehicles is increasing. Electric Vehicle (EV) is identified as an adequate alternative to fossil-based fuels. Additionally, EV technologies are under strong development and…

Deep drawing is a complex forming process, in which the sheet metal is drawn into a forming die by a punch, so that a different kind of stresses are applied on the material blank. If the depth of the part…

AA5754 H111 is the most common Non Heat Treatable (NHT) aluminium alloy and temper used in automotive to produce medium strength pieces, due to its high formability and good corrosion resistance. This material has been produced keeping the hardening element,…

Conventional tool try-out in the sheet forming industry often means many loops of die spotting, a high effort to compensate the tool surface and to rework specific areas of the tool. The try-out procedure can take up to a couple…

Standardisation in FormPlanet project UNE, the Spanish standardisation organisation, is leading the activities related with standards in FormPlanet. UNE’s main objective is to increase the visibility and impact of the project, as well as to contribute to the acceptance and…

Brittle fracture in hot-stamped AHSS due to hydrogen embrittlement. Nowadays the increasing complexity of automotive components together with the need to reduce fuel consumption led to the use of materials which have a good combination of strength and ductility parameters.…

Within the sector of precision cold-rolled steel, reaching the highest quality is always the most important added-value requested by industrial customers, especially in the highly demanding automotive sector. This affects not only the finished product, but to all the processes…

Sustainability is a growing priority to business approach by requiring constant adaptation for risks and opportunities to creating long-term values, such as healthy ecosystems, productive economies integrating sustainability principles into their organisations. All manufacturing companies endeavour to achieve excellence, innovation…

Sheet metal components are widely used in several industrial sectors. Automotive OEMs, among others, take advantage of high-strength sheet metals to reach an improved performance and a balance among resistance, low-weight parts and cost reduction. The application of new high…

One major aim in the field of production technology is the scrap reduction. This requires comprehensive monitoring of both the processes and the resulting product quality. For this purpose, process data, which is sensitive for the result of the manufacturing…

In the recent years, it has increased the importance of lightweighting in the automotive industry due to the CO2 emission regulations. Generally, the vehicle trend is to increase the weight because more equipment is onboard than the previous model to…

In a time when the mobility industry is constantly in flux and evolving it is important that companies stay on the cutting-edge to be able to foresee future needs and create solutions to meet them. In collaboration with the FormPlanet…

High strength sheet materials, such as advanced high strength steels (AHSS) or high strength aluminium alloys, are fundamental for the development of new automotive lightweight concepts. Such materials are characterised by their unique mechanical properties combining high strength and excellent…

Applus+ Laboratories will develop a Smart Contract traceability solution for product certification services based on test data from the FormPlanet Test Bed. Applus+ Laboratories is defining a common certification methodology to remotely audit the quality of the tests performed by…

Today carmakers are facing big challenges regarding the impact of the automotive market on the environment. They must propose cars with reduced CO2 release while maintaining a high level of protection for passengers. One of the key levers to reach…

The industry faces regularly long-term goals regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. A lot of effort is therefore put in finding new design solutions and material selections, which can reduce the lifecycle ecological footprint through energy efficient production and…

The mechanical properties of the material, such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation and reduction in cross-sectional area of the specimen are basic mechanical characterisation values in engineering design. The evaluation of the local mechanical properties of in-service components…

What is standardisation? Standardisation is a consensus-based process leading to a voluntary agreement between experts. This process is developed in the framework of standardisation organisations, such as national standardisation bodies, CEN or ISO, whose work consists in managing and promoting the development…

In recent years, the growing attention to the problem of pollution linked to the growing number of cars has prompted the automotive industry to invest in the construction of low-emission cars. Reducing the weight of the car plays a major…

Sheet metal forming is currently a fundamental manufacturing process, used to produce components for several industrial sectors. Especially under automotive and aerospace driving force, sheet steels with improved mechanical performances are increasingly demanded to meet lightweight and cost reduction targets.…