Together with the Korean company Hwashin, AP&T has developed a unique process for press hardening chassis components for the automotive industry. The new process allows steel parts to be manufactured with high strength and low weight considerably more efficiently than before.

The tough competition in the automotive industry is the driving force behind the development of new production processes for components. Saving weight and simultaneously improving quality and strength in a cost-efficient manner is a great challenge for component manufacturers.

Greater strength and lower manufacturing cost
The Korean firm Hwashin designs and produces chassis and car body components for Hyundai and KIA Motors, among others. Now the company, together with AP&T has developed a unique, patent-pending, press hardening process for manufacturing torsion bar axles for vehicle rear professional wheel suspensions. The process has made it possible to exceed car manufacturers' demands for strength and weight by a wide margin.
"The torsion bar axle used today has a material strength of 500 MPa. With the new method, we will soon be able to triple the strength to 1400 MPa. This means that the component can be made both stronger and lighter than before," says Gi-Dong Lee, at Hwashin Research & Development.