Casting is one of the most economical manufacturing processes for providing shape to components of machinery and is used in a wide range of industries. This chapter is a brief account of the advantages, applications, limitations, and market growth of aluminum casting. It also provides information on the process of conversion of steel and iron parts to aluminum.

This chapter describes the nature of the problems arising from using advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and discusses potential remedies to minimize the adverse effects that may limit the adoption of AHSS in the automotive industry. The discussion provides information on press energy, springback, residual stress, die wear, hot forming, downgaging limits, welding, binders, draw beads, and tool material wear.

This chapter describes the different aluminum products used to manufacture modern automobile components. It discusses how automakers use these products to reduce weight, improve performance, and manage production costs. It also reflects on the changes in the aluminum industry, automakers, and their relationships. Organized by product type—castings, sheet, and extrusions—each section of the chapter describes the relevant alloys, tempers, and properties required to meet specific needs for component parts and final assembly.

Hot stamping is a forming process for ultrahigh-strength steels (UHSS) that maximizes formability while minimizing springback. This chapter covers several aspects of hot stamping, including the methods used, the effect of process variables, and the role of finite-element analysis in process development and die design. It also discusses heating methods, cooling mechanisms, and the role of coatings in preventing oxidation.

This chapter describes a sheet metal forming method, called hydroforming, that uses pressurized liquid and a shaped punch or die. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches, the effect of process variations, and tooling modifications intended to reduce sheet bulging. It identifies the factors that influence part quality and explains how finite-element analysis can be used to optimize hydroforming operations. It also discusses the economics of sheet hydroforming and presents several application examples.

This chapter discusses the types of failures that can occur in sheet metal forming tools and explains how to mitigate their effects. It describes the factors that influence galling and wear and the benefits of special treatments and coatings. It provides information on through hardening, case (surface) hardening, and nitriding as well as hard chrome plating, vapor deposition, and thermal diffusion coating. It explains how to measure wear resistance using various tests and provides guidelines for selecting tool materials, treatments, and coatings.

The increased use of advanced high-strength steels to achieve weight reduction in automobiles has led to the development of innovative tool designs and manufacturing processes. Among these technologies and processes are: real-time process control, active drawbeads, active binders, flexible binders, and flexible rolling. This chapter presents the implementation, advantages, disadvantages, and applications of these processes and technologies.

This chapter discusses the use of modeling and simulation technology in the development of sheet metal forming processes. It describes the five major steps involved in finite-element analysis and the various ways functions of interest can be approximated at each point or node in a finite-element mesh. It explains how to obtain input data, what to expect in terms of output data, and how to predict specific types of defects. In addition, it presents several case studies demonstrating the use of finite elements in blanking and piercing, deep drawing of round and rectangular cups, progressive die sequencing, blank holder force optimization, sheet hydroforming, hot stamping, and springback and bending of advanced high-strength steels. It also discusses the factors that affect the accuracy of finite element simulations such as springback, thickness variations, and nonisothermal effects.

This chapter discusses the forming characteristics of dual-phase (DP) and transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels. It begins with a review of the mechanical behavior of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and how they respond to stress-strain conditions associated with deformation processes such as stretching, bending, flanging, deep drawing, and blanking. It then describes the complex tribology of AHSS forming operations, the role of lubrication, the effect of tool steels and coatings, and the force and energy requirements of various forming presses. It also discusses the cause of springback and explains how to predict and compensating for its effects.

Martensitic steels are produced by quenching carbon steel from the austenite phase into martensite. This chapter provides information on the composition, microstructures, processing, deformation mechanisms, mechanical properties, hot forming, tempering, and special attributes of martensitic steels.

Iron and steel have been the most useful materials to meet the needs of several industries for many decades. Each iron and steel alloy offers unique attributes that make them the best choice for an application. This chapter provides an overview of each ferrous alloy—gray iron, malleable iron, compacted graphite iron (CGI), ductile iron, austempered ductile iron (ADI), and carbon steel and low-alloy steel; its versatile attributes; and its individual applications. A large section of the chapter covers the impact of electric vehicles on the future of the iron and steel castings industry, including discussion on electric vehicle categories and weights; impact of center of gravity on stability and steering; lightweighting incentives; and engineering for improved suspension.

This chapter discusses the design and operation of electromechanical servo-drive presses. It begins by comparing the operating flexibility of servo-press drives with that of their conventional counterparts. It then explains the difference between direct-drive and belt and screw-driven servo presses and describes some of the innovations and improvements made possible with high-torque servo motors. The chapter provides examples of how servo presses are used in blanking, warm forming, and other applications and compares the operating characteristics of two 1100-ton presses, one driven by servo motors, the other by a mechanical crank.

This chapter covers the mechanics and tribology of sheet metalworking processes, including shearing, bending, spinning, stretching, deep drawing, ironing, and hydroforming. It explains how to determine friction, wear, and lubrication needs based on process forces, temperatures, and strains and the effects of strain hardening on workpiece materials. It presents test methods for evaluating process tribology, describes lubrication and wear control approaches, and discusses the factors, such as surface roughness, lubricant breakdown, and adhesion, that can lead to galling and other forms of wear. It also provides best practices for selecting, evaluating, and applying lubricants for specific materials, including steels, stainless steels, and aluminum and magnesium alloys.

Root cause of failure in automotive electronics cannot be explained by the failure signatures of failed devices. Deeper investigations in these cases reveals that a superimposition of impact factors, which can never be represented by usual qualification testing, caused the failure. This article highlights some of the most frequent early life failure types in automotive applications. It describes some of the critical things to be considered while handling packages and printed circuit board layout. The article also provides information on failure anamnesis that shows how to use history, failure signatures, environmental conditions, regional failure occurrences, user profile issues, and more in the failure analysis process to improve root cause findings.

This chapter provides a concise, design-oriented summary of more than 30 sheet forming processes within the categories of bending and flanging, stretch forming, deep drawing, blank preparation, and incremental and hybrid forming. Each summary includes a description and diagram of the process and a bullet-point list identifying relevant equipment, materials, variations, and applications. The chapter also discusses critical process variables, interactions, and components and the classification of sheet metal parts based on geometry.

This article describes key processing methods and related design, manufacturing, and application considerations for plastic parts and includes a discussion on materials and process selection methodology for plastics. The discussion covers the primary plastic processing methods and how each process influences part design and the properties of the plastic part. It also includes a brief description of functional requirements in process selection; an overview of various process effects and how they affect the functions and properties of the part; and the selection of processes for size, shape, and design detail factors.

This chapter discusses various factors pertinent to the applications of low-pressure permanent mold casting process, namely decorative automotive wheels, critical safety structural components, and chassis components.

This chapter provides information on ultra-light steel family research programs conducted by the global steel industry under the umbrella of WorldAutoSteel. It discusses the collaboration efforts between U.S government, industry, and academia on advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) technology. Some of the projects on AHSS research and development are also reviewed.

Resistance welding is a group of processes in which the heat for welding is generated by the resistance to the flow of an electrical current through the parts being joined. This chapter discusses the processes, advantages, and limitations of specific resistance welding processes, namely resistance spot welding, resistance seam welding, projection welding, flash welding, and upset welding.