What are Materials?

Materials used in metal forming and fabricating operations include a variety of ferrous and nonferrous alloys, in sheet, coil and wire forms. Each type of material demands special consideration as to forming and fabricating techniques and tooling design and selection. Material may be cut into blanks to improve the forming and fabricating of parts. Fabricators may employ nesting software to efficiently orient part outlines on a sheet prior to part production, which reduces material waste.

What is High-Strength Steel?

High strength steels, including high-strength low-allow (HSLA) grades and advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), contain alloying elements to provide improved mechanical properties, including yield and tensile strength, compared to mild or carbon steels. They are typically defined as steels with yield strength in excess of 210 MPa and tensile strength greater than 270 MPa.