Nissan to bring cost saving steel to car manufacture
1 min read
Nissan has announced a new lightweight steel in its car production process that will help cut manufacturing costs according to the firm.
The Ultra High Tensile Strength Steel rated at 1.2 gigapascals (GPa). The steel will be produced as steel plates for use in cold pressing structural body parts from 2013, Nissan said.
The material will reduce manufacturing costs as superior cold-pressing formability supports mass production, Nissan said.
The steel will also reduce vehicle body weight by up to 15 kilogrammes according to the company.
The material was developed in collaboration with Nippon Steel Corporation and Kobe Steel, Ltd.
Traditional high tensile strength steel give increased strength but a subsequent reduction in press formability, Nissan explained. Maintaining quality in spot-welding has also been an ongoing challenge with standard steels.
The Ultra High Tensile Steel oivercomes both by offering better cold pressing formability teh car giant claimed.
Traditionally, only high tensile steel rated up to 980 megapascals (MPa) can be used in cold pressing structural body parts, requiring complex press work, the company said.
