2:00 p.m.

PHS Giga Stamping at Gestamp

As the automotive sector moves further into electrification, the need to reduce cost and manufacturing complexity increases. As part of this initiative, part consolidation through use of extreme-size components is gaining traction.

Gestamp utilizes Extreme-Size Stamping Strategies to address higher impact energy levels. Benefits include part count reduction, reduced vehicle build time/complexity, green steel attributes and recyclability. Gestamp uses a holistic approach to vehicle energy management, addressing the impact event in stages with the body structure. Although all impact events are critical, the side impact and shallow offset rigid barrier are two that Gestamp has a great deal of experience with, providing many innovative solutions. Gestamp's focus today is how to best use steel door ring concepts to manage the IIHS 2.0 side impact and SORB events, while protecting the occupant and battery enclosure.

Gestamp's OLPB Door Ring and GES-Wire tailor welded blank innovations offer high strength low-cost solutions to the energy management challenge. The OLPB Door Ring, comprised of spot-welded blanks prior to hot stamping, offers (~7-10%) cost savings over traditional architectures while reducing mass, part count and plant complexity.

To further address cost savings, Gestamp is also introducing the 2nd Generation Multistep Hot Stamping manufacturing innovation. This new, revolutionary hot stamping process produces parts ~3-4x faster than conventional hot stamping, and achieves strength and ductility equal to, or better than the conventional AlSi 1500 MPa material.

2:45 p.m.

Double Door Ring Concept with Compact Rotation Furnace (CRF) Efficient Space-Saving System for Hot Stamping Large Blanks

The production of larger, hot-formed blanks is a rapidly increasing trend. Schuler Group recognized the need for reliable, energy- and space-saving furnace technology, and the company jointly developed the Compact Rotation Furnace (CRF) with BSN Thermprozesstechnik, specialist in complete heat treatment systems. The CRF system solves current industry-wide challenges:

• Extremely long roller hearth furnaces (up to 40 m/130 ft) are required to achieve economic cycle times, heat, and austenitize entire sidewalls and floor groups made from “Taylor Welded Blanks.”

• Temperature deviations can lead to challenges with the connection tolerance throughout assembly.

Hot stamping larger blanks can be compact, efficient, and cost-effective with the new CRF system. Schuler’s presentation will highlight the new technology and its clear advantages for competitive production.

3:45 p.m.

Root-Cause Analysis of Hot Stamping Defects…and Best Practices for Prevention

This presentation will address how hot-stamped part defects compare to cold-stamped defects, how the unique challenges of the hot-stamping process are managed, and how the heat treatment process impacts part geometry and tolerances as well as secondary production operations. This session also will delve into determining the root cause of a hot-stamped defect and the best ways to control defects once root causes are identified and correlated to hot-stamping process variables.

8:45 a.m.

New Production Strategies for PHS Parts Trimming Based on Five-Axis Cutting Systems

This trend combines previously separate components into larger, unified structures, yielding substantial benefits in cost efficiency, reduced complexity, and sustainable material utilization.

In this presentation, we will showcase the application of ring beam-shaping technology, enabling higher cutting speeds with reduced gas consumption. This advancement not only enhances operational efficiency but also aligns with sustainability goals through resource conservation.

Additional focus is on innovative production concepts with the integration of multiple five-axis systems, establishing high quality at full traceability. Finally, these processes prioritize user-friendliness, reducing operator learning curves, while also minimizing floor-space requirements, resulting in cost savings and optimized material logistics.

9:30 a.m.

Hot Stamped Steel and Projection Welding – Is It Possible?

Hot-stamped steels usually have tensile strengths of 1500 MPa, making them desirable for many uses in the automotive industry but offering severe complications when trying to projection weld a component which is of considerable softer material. The softer projection tends to collapse before a good weld can be made, resulting in vaporized projections and failed welds.

It is possible to make successful projection welds on hot stamped steels, but it takes an understanding of the process that made the steel. This discussion will look into the different methods of hot forming steels and how they affect the projection resistance welding process. Different resistance welding methods also will be discussed how they affect, as well as how to properly test projection weldments.

10:45 a.m.

Managing the Hot Stamping Process: Critical Features when Ordering a Line Press

Rick has worked in the stamping business for 35 years, six of those years building presses and 20 years project-managing press installations and building plants. He has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. Most recently, Rick spent 5 years as VP of Manufacturing Engineering at Cleveland Cliffs Tooling and Stamping, in charge of business development, maintenance and purchasing. While there he oversaw the construction of two factories and installation of six hot stamping lines, as well as some 20 laser cutting machines. As COO of Eagle Press & Equipment, Rick runs one of the few press-building facilities in North America.

11:30 a.m.

The Compact Strip Production Process for PHS Grades

Nucor has a carbon intensity less than half of today’s world average total emissions. And now the steelmaker is committing to a 35% combined reduction in steel mill scope 1 and scope 2 GHG intensity by 2030. This talk focuses on Nucor’s production of PHS grades for the automotive industry using the Compact Strip Production (CSP) process, with a high recycled content and a low carbon footprint. And, the steelmaker now is developing 2-GPa PHS, as well as other types of PHS grades.

Following this talk, attendees will be briefed on tour of the Nucor Steel Berkeley mill, which also uses the CSP process.

1:45 p.m.

Nucor Tour