HOT FORM QUENCHING (HFQ®) - Hot curves, easy forming

Compared with steel materials, aluminium alloys offer significant weight advantages combined with comparatively high strength - but the process window for their forming properties is still limited compared with deep-drawing steels. Hot forming can be used to overcome these deficiencies.

AMAG has long been working on the use of various aluminium alloys in a wide variety of hot forming processes, and can offer an entire range of products, including AMAG TopForm SPF (super plastic forming), hot-formed 7075 material, as well as the latest material from the AMAG innovation kitchen, AMAG CrossAlloy®.57. High-strength alloys, in particular, hold great potential for lightweight construction, as this allows a reduction in the sheet thicknesses of crash-relevant components. Until now, however, improved formability at higher forming temperatures has been limited due to declining component strengths.

AMAG AL4® BIW 6ICP for use in structural components

Hot Form Quenching

This is about to change, thanks to hot form quenching (HFQ®), a new hot forming technology. This method merges the forming and precipitation hardening process by combining hot forming with die quenching. This prevents the microstructure of the alloy from deteriorating, which is the case with traditional hot and warm forming methods. The material and the process together form a special unit, because there is a close link between the process engineering and material-specific parameters. AMAG and the fischer group have collaborated intensively with other partners to achieve optimum coordination of these two influencing factors.

AMAG AL4® BIW 6ICP -High-strength lightweight structural components for improved crash performance

AMAG AL4® BIW 6ICP is a high-strength alloy specially developed for use in structural components with increased deformation capacity, and thus optimized crash safety. Premium e-automotive manufacturers use AMAG AL4® BIW 6ICP as a battery shield. As a result, precipitation-hardenable, higher-strength aluminium alloys can be used to produce more complex component geometries without loss of strength and at significantly reduced sheet thicknesses, resulting in lower component weights, even in large-scale industrial applications. This technology transforms hot forming into a process that also meets the high demands of the automotive industry for productivity and cost-effectiveness.

Customer benefits

  • Enhanced crash safety due to high ductility and low weight
  • Complex component geometry thanks to excellent forming properties
  • Sustainable due to low carbon footprint

About fischer group

"When the aluminium hot form quenching (HFQ®) project was launched, fischer did not yet have a great deal of expertise in aluminium. AMAG provided tremendous support in this regard and was on hand at all times to offer advice and assistance", Hans-Peter Fischer, Managing Director of the fischer group, praises the excellent collaboration with AMAG.

The fischer group literally started up in Hans Fischer's garage to produce metal components in 1969 in Seebach in the Black Forest in Germany. Today, more than 50 years later, the former oneman operation has grown into a company with more than 2,700 employees in nine countries across four continents. The main product is longitudinally welded stainless steel tubing and the largest customers are in the automotive industry. In recent years, however, fischer has opened up many new business areas outside the automotive industry and has turned its attention to a new material in the form of aluminium hot forming. At present, fischer is looking closely at whether aluminium can also be used in classic fischer business areas such as pipe production.

Regarding aluminium hot forming, fischer carried out initial investigations and potential studies four to five years ago. The decision to industrialize the process on a large scale was taken in 2020, and the first production plant was built at the company's home site in Achern, in the German state of Baden, in 2021.

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AMAG - Austria Metall AG published this content on 13 November 2023 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 21 November 2023 12:29:03 UTC.