Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming TechnologyHigh strength aluminum
Lightweight construction is strongly linked to the material of aluminum, especially in the automotive industry. Mainly 5000 and 6000 series alloys are used as semi-finished sheet products. They offer low to medium strengths and moderate forming capacity, which allows for their extensive utilization in car bodies. When using 7000 series aluminum alloys, further components, which are currently still manufactured using high strength steels, can be substituted by lighter aluminum components, resulting in weight savings. The 7000 series aluminum alloys offer high strength in the cured state and very high forming capacity in the soft state. In order to enable mass production using these aluminum materials, our research activities focus on developing process routes for forming and on determining the forming limits.