Structural process in focus

 Hermann: Structural components are gaining importance in the automotive industry. At the moment they can mainly be found in high-end vehicles. But battery weights in electric vehicles and the additional electric motor in hybrid vehicles are a concern for manufacturers. They need to reduce weight for better range and efficiency. Structural components offer a good solution for weight reduction.

Hermann: Die cast structural components are in competition with alternative materials and processes – such as steel or aluminum panels. Therefore we need to work on the efficiency of the die-casting process in order to be able to produce more cost-efficiently and increase our competitiveness.

Hermann:  In order to save costs, it is important to take into account the whole value chain. One starting point could be the reduction of the wall thickness. About 40 % of part costs arise from the material. Our calculations show that reducing wall thickness can lead to up to a 10 % reduction in the overall costs. But also the usage of secondary alloys and a process without heat treatment have potential for the future.

Hermann: For us it’s important to increase the competitiveness of structural components made in the die-casting process. Therefore we continuously work on detecting cost saving potential in the different process steps. Moreover, we are testing alternative production processes together with partners. With a global share of around 50 % on the market for structural components and over 100 installed structural cells, we are the market leader for the structural die-casting process. We therefore see it as our responsibility to further develop the process together with our customers and partners in the die casting industry.