Products and solutions Sep 22, 2004 2:00 AM
ThyssenKrupp Umformtechnik and ThyssenKrupp Prisma form strong team
To roll or to stamp, that is the question
Truck side members are manufactured today either by stamping or by roll-forming. As a team, Bielefeld, Germany based ThyssenKrupp Umformtechnik and Messempré, France based ThyssenKrupp Prisma are capable of using both technologies.
Each of these manufacturing processes has its own specific advantages. These are as follows
Stamping
- Different manufacturing operations can be integrated in a single production step
- Short production cycles regardless of the number of holes
- High forming flexibility
Roll-forming
- Low tool costs with minimum setup costs
- High hole pattern flexibility
The different process steps of the two technologies are reflected in different cost structures. In stamping various component-geometry requirements can be accommodated in the tooling and thus realized in the stamping process. Capital outlay for tooling must be considered in budgeting. Roll-forming, on the other hand, requires little up-front investment (set of rolls), but involves additional process steps which impact manufacturing costs.
ThyssenKrupp Umformtechnik and ThyssenKrupp Prisma find cost-optimized solutions for their customers by analyzing the concrete requirements of each vehicle project, taking into consideration in particular the specifications of each individual side member design such as component shape or hole pattern.
The following basic rule of thumb applies: For parts with limited design variants and therefore high production volumes per design variant, stamping is the most cost-efficient solution. For parts with a wide range of design variants and therefore low production volumes per variant, roll-forming is preferable.
For around half the volume of truck projects in Europe today short side members up to six meters in length (articulated vehicles) are required. In this segment, the range of design variants is relatively small, i.e. the production volumes per variant are high. The remaining truck projects require side member lengths of six to twelve meters (mostly platform trucks).
These projects feature a very wide variety of designs and therefore relatively low volumes of each side member type. An analysis of these typical characteristics of side member projects shows that cost-optimized production can best be achieved by a combination of both stamping and roll-forming processes. Related to the different process steps, costs can be reduced by double-digit percentages. As a result, the requisite capital investment (in particular stamping and punching tools) is recovered very quickly.
Thanks to their mastery of both technologies, ThyssenKrupp Umformtechnik and ThyssenKrupp Prisma are currently the only independent side member manufacturers in Europe capable of offering truck manufacturers tailor-made cost-optimized project solutions.
Contact:
ThyssenKrupp Automotive AG
Thomas Jungbluth
Tel. +49 234 9 19-6013
Fax +49 234 9 19-6015
E-Mail: jungbluth@tka.thyssenkrupp.com