Page 70 - MetalForming October 2011

Hot Stamping:
An Economic
Leapfrog
Hot stamping may provide a leapfrogging mechanism
that can open doors for Tier Two and Three metalformers,
as there is an immediate need for hundreds of hot-stamped automotive parts just in the United States alone, not to mention the rest of North America.
BY GEORGE KEREMEDJIEV
In 1776, Thomas Paine described the fledgling American experiment in independence as, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Today’s economic uncertainties like- wise tug mightily at the corporate ranks, as metalformers of all sizes seek a more secure path through the economic thicket. Our industry needs a technological jolt to innovate its way to prosperity; this is especially true for Tier Two and Three suppliers of metalformed parts.
This article attempts to propose just such an economic opportunity: hot stamping, a technology that currently resides primarily with OEM and Tier One suppliers. Also referred to as hot forming, hot press forming, press harden- ing and pressure-controlled hardening, the fundamentals of the technology are well established and have been proven economically viable worldwide.
Not Just for the Big Guys
Throughout the past several years there have been numer- ous articles published on hot stamping. This presentation dif- fers from the rest, as it’s focused primarily on hot stamping as an opportunity for lower-tier metalformers. The word on the street is that there is an immediate need for hundreds of hot-stamped automotive parts just in the United States alone, not to mention the rest of North America.
The chicken and egg question always arises when I pro- pose that metalformers consider hot stamping. That is: “Will they issue me a purchase order for hot-stamped parts before
George Keremedjiev is president of Tecknow Education Serv- ices, Inc., Bozeman, MT: 406/587-4751; www.mfgadvice.com. Keremedjiev, who writes the monthly Metalforming Elec- tronics column for MetalForming, thanks Schuler, AP&T and Graebener for their cooperation in the preparation of this article.
I commit to the process investment?” Frankly, this is absolute- ly the wrong way to begin your inquiry about hot stamping. The more correct question to ask: “If I invest in hot stamping, can I expect to enjoy new opportunities from new and exist- ing customers?”
In other words, I view hot stamping as a leapfrogging mechanism that can open doors within existing customer ranks as well as within a multitude of new ones.
A History Lesson
Although considered by many to be new and mysterious in North America, hot stamping was invented in Sweden in 1973 by Carl-Erik Ridderstrale, of Plannja Hard Tech, for the manufacture of farm implements. The motivator was the need for lightweight yet strong steel components—similar to the requirements dictated by the automobile industry’s increas- ing safety and crash-survival standards, along with the need to minimize vehicle carbon footprint. Now we’re seeing hot- stamped parts displace cold-stamped high-strength steels in some critical areas of automobiles, such as safety pillars.
Continuous-Cooling Transformation Diagram
1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100
Austenite
Martensite
Approximately 30 deg./sec
Bainite
1 10
100 1000
Time, sec.
68 MetalForming/October 2011
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Temperature, deg. C
Ferrite
Pearlite