Aluminium has transformed the automotive industry, and it will continue to do so in future. It offers a better cost-benefit ratio than any of the substitute materials on offer. By collaborating even more closely in future, aluminium producers, processors and vehicle manufacturers can unlock further potential for the use of aluminium here. The figures offer an impressive reflection of this trend. The average aluminium content of cars is steadily increasing. Whereas 60 years ago an average vehicle contained 19 kg of aluminium, between 1990 and 2014 the aluminium content of an average car nearly tripled, increasing from 50 kg to 140 kg. This figure is projected to increase to between 160 and 180 kg by 2020 as small and mid-size cars follow the trend set by luxury cars in the use of aluminium.
As the competition amongst materials intensifies, car manufacturers and aluminium suppliers have begun working together more closely. By investing in application-oriented research and development, the aluminium industry has succeeded in continually improving the properties of its materials, developing new products and optimizing production processes. Process and material innovations drive the development of efficient lightweight construction solutions and their implementation in series production, as with energy-saving components for chassis, engines, transmissions and gearboxes.
The use of aluminium in automotive manufacturing is also being driven by new joining technologies. Improved soldering methods, for example, have resulted in a situation where nearly all heat exchangers for automotive air conditioning systems and radiators are now made of aluminium. Innovative welding processes and bonding technologies make it possible to create complex structures that are not only better in a technical sense, but which are also more economical. Applications even extend to entire axle systems.
The future prospects of this material in automotive manufacturing will also be centre stage at this year’s No. 1 ALUMINIUM World Trade Fair from 9 to 11 October in Düsseldorf – both for many exhibitors and with such supporting events as the lecture forum and the guided trade fair tours.
This year’s Aluminium Conference – organized by GDA, the German Association of the Aluminium Industry (Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie) – will also pick up on this theme. Here the topics in focus include aluminium solutions for sustainable transport concepts, alloys, cooperations between aluminium and automotive producers, new developments in joining technology as well as additive manufacturing, to name but a few.
A total of 1,000 exhibitors and 27,000 visitors from 100 nations are expected to attend the world’s biggest trade fair for the aluminium industry. In six exhibition halls ALUMINIUM will showcase the complete cross-section of the industry – from aluminium production and machines and equipment for finishing and finished products through to recycling.
For further information please visit: www.aluminium-messe.com