Ford and Alcoa are broadening their partnership by means of using a more moderen type of aluminum that is stronger and extra simply formed into auto physique elements for the carmaker’s in style F-150 collection pick-up vans. The alloys will be developed with the help of Alcoa’s Micromill technology which creates aluminum alloy with 40% more formability than the automotive aluminum now used.
Ultimately Ford will become the first automaker to use the advanced automotive aluminum commercially. This collaboration supports our continued drive for innovation, as we research automotive applications for even greater light-weighting.
Alcoa initially plans to make the Micromill steel in San Antonio, Texas, but is considering building additional capacity as demand for the material grows, CEO Klaus Kleinfeld said.
Use of aluminum in auto making has been growing for years, as car companies seek to produce lighter vehicles that get better mileage.
Micromill is the fastest, most productive aluminum casting and rolling system in the world combining multiple technologies into a streamlined production system. Micromill can take only 20 minutes to turn molten metal into coil, as compared to traditional rolling that will take 20 days.
The first components using the new aluminum alloy will appear in the 2016 year model F-150, including for the tailgate and the bed of the pickup truck, adding to the vehicle’s towing and hauling capabilities, Nair said.
As the name implies, the advancement is billed as a milling breakthrough rather than an entirely new alloy, though it could be used to produce next-generation alloys.
A lot of the pickup’s physique is already manufactured from aluminum, a change Ford determined to make a pair years in the past. The high formability of the material allows parts comprising of multiple pieces to be produced as a single part, thereby, bringing down the assembling time and the complexity. “Automotive parts made with Micromill material will be twice as formable and at least 30 percent lighter than parts made from high strength steel”, according to a news release posted on the Ford website.
That means it can be used in parts of a vehicle, such as fenders and inner door panels, for which conventionally produced aluminum had not been an option, said Raj Nair, Ford’s product development chief. New alloys will improve design flexibility on lightweight parts and provide better vehicle performance – helping Ford produce the types of quality, lightweight vehicles customers want.