November AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 2 5 Ford Prodigy, an all-aluminum, hybrid electric vehicle introduced in January 2000. As a low volume luxury carmak- er, Jaguar relied on full-service tooling suppliers. In 1999, securing suppliers with aluminum expertise meant using toolmakers who had worked for Audi on the A8 and A2 models. Sourcing for the 119 sets of stamping tools was divided among Läpple, Allgaier, Nothelfer, Fa- gro, and Ford’s own tool shops in Co- logne, Germany, Dagenham in the U.K., and Dearborn. The biggest surprise for the tool- ing suppliers was the requirement that they could not start machining until a successful simulation had been com- pleted. As the simulation runs accu- mulated and the weeks ticked by, the pressure to start the physical tryout mounted, but the stamping team stood firm. Finally, one by one, the simula- tions turned “green” and the physical tool tryouts could begin. In the end, the effort paid off: 86% of the draw dies successfully made a part during the first phase of the die tryout. Unfortunate- ly, the technology did not include any springback compensation nor did it in- clude the secondary operations, leaving the stamping team to face many uncer- tainties as the months went by. LUBRICANT ISSUES Toolmakers reported an unex- pected issue with the AL070 lubricant in the first physical tool tryouts: AL070 accumulated in the tools to the point of preventing them from closing, even damaging some. The problem was traced back to abnormally high coat- ing levels. The design of AL070 had focused on delivering unparalleled lu- bricity with a robust compatibility with the chosen epoxy structural adhesive, but little thought had been given to an body included seven high-pressure die castings for the suspension mounting points and center driveline mount. Ex- trusions were used for the bolt-on front bumper system and bumper beams. X350 attracted a great deal of in- terest from Dearborn, which was not always helpful. As the clay model was being finalized, Ford CEO Jacques Nass- er dropped by the studio in Whitley. Over the objections of the design and manufacturing teams, he decreed that the roof be made flatter. This required additional structure to compensate for the lost panel stiffness. Despite all such “help,” the clay was finally approved in October and engineering continued in earnest. Twenty years ago, stamping fea- sibility was still almost entirely based on experience. Although Jaguar had a rich history with aluminum sheet, it had been for low volume, specialty mod- els. For X350, the Ford/Jaguar stamp- ing team was keen to minimize uncer- tainty and decided tomandate 3D form- ing simulations of all the major stamp- ings. Alcan supported a team of anal- ysts in Whitley, while Ford had its own team in Dearborn. Both teams used Op- tris, an early commercial 3D finite ele- ment analysis (FEA) stamping simula- tion program. Ford provided the stan- dard simulation setups and evaluation criteria. Meanwhile, the aluminum tech- nology team led by Ford’s Bruno Bar- thelemy concluded that aluminum resistance spot welding (RSW) tech- nology was not mature enough to sup- port a full body shop, opting instead for self-piercing rivets (SPRs), which had entered production with the Audi A8. Choosing SPRs simplified the body shop power distribution and most- ly eliminated the need for destructive testing. Through careful optimization and the use of 120 meters of structural adhesive, Jaguar was able to keep the number of SPRs below 3200, compared to 5000 RSWs in a typical steel body. The new body was larger and offered better crash performance than its predeces- sor, yet it was 60% stiffer and 40% light- er weight than the steel model. industry-friendly application method. It could only be roller-coated at high temperature as a liquid, and Alcan’s Nachterstedt plant found the process difficult to control using the equipment at their disposal. The result was that some blanks had more than four times the expected amount. There was no time to develop an alternative lubricant before the launch, so the only solution was to find a bet- ter application method. After months of trials and equipment upgrades, the process improved to an acceptable lev- el. Even so, scheduled lubricant clean- ups from the tools remained a fixture of X350 production. Finding a lubricant solution suitable for larger production volumes became a high priority of the aluminum technology team. FORD PRODIGY, X350, D219 PROGRESS Neil Ressler, Ford’s VP of research and vehicle technology, introduced the Ford Prodigy concept car at the North American Auto Show in Detroit in Jan- uary 2000. The culmination of Ford’s Partnership for a New Generation of Ve- hicles (PNGV) work, the Prodigy was an all-aluminum, hybrid electric vehicle based on the P2000 platform, deliver- ing 78 mpg. But the buzzword in early 2000 was not fuel economy, but indus- try consolidation. That same week, GM exercised its option to complete the acquisition of Saab Automobiles. On March 14, Alcan announced it was with- drawing its bid to acquire Pechiney in the face of stiff opposition from the Eu- ropean Antitrust Commission, but it had received the green light to acquire Alusuisse. The same day, GM revealed it was buying a 20% stake in Fiat, while