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Lightweight doesn't
have to be expensive
COST-EFFICIENT LIGHTWEIGHT BODIES
fleet consumption, while tough competition requires strict cost management. Although light-
weight construction concepts are central to the former, they still tend to hinder the latter.
One effective remedy is the cost/weight optimization method developed by IVM Automotive.
COMPARISON OF SPECIFIC COSTS
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
3
4
2
1
2
Sheet steel
Aluminum
shells
12
L
ightweight construction is an obvious
solution in the quest to cut fuel con-
sumption and harmful emissions. These
days, a wide range of lightweight options
exist: the first generation of aluminum bodies
produced during the nineties saw the steel
industry respond with a plethora of new steels
and processing techniques. Even magnesium
can now be obtained in something other than
3
2
1
4
Magnesium
Aluminum
sheets
sheets
castings
Environmental protection necessitates lower
6
6
12
5
5
Magnesium
CFK
castings
cast form, and it is almost impossible to num-
ber all the different plastics and composites
currently in use.
At the moment, however, lightweight con-
struction is having problems establishing
itself in series production; strict cost manage-
ment by OEM facing an unfavorable mar-
ket environment would appear to leave little
scope for innovative production materials and
for a medium-sized series (30 to 50,000
vehicles p. a.) of body components (materi-
al, finishing, ready for assembly, without
lacquer)
1
Stamped sheets with low waste
2
Drawn sheets with low waste
3
Sheets with high waste
11
4
Benchmark for magnesium sheet techno-
logy and hot shaping in one process
5
Large castings
6
Small castings
10
7
Straight sections with large cross-section
9
8
Section bent
8
9
Section stretch-bent
7
10
Section bent, IHPF
11
Section, stretch-bent, IHPF, intensive
machining
12
Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFK) -
Aluminum
section
IM and SMC benchmark (from 2008)
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