EuroBLECH 2016 Highlights
03.11.2016 | Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH
At the 24th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, exhibitors presented their new products and innovations in a space covering more than 86,000 m2 for the visitors from numerous sectors such as machine construction, the automotive industry and cold rollers. As a figurehead for the region, Salzgitter AG and its subsidiaries were housed in Hall 17 where they showed various material solutions that can be used in the body, chassis or drive chain.
This year, Salzgitter Flachstahl focused on applications in the cold-rolling industry. As a special highlight, it presented a clutch gear from the company ZF. This exhibit allowed customers, partners and interested parties to learn about the possible uses for Salzgitter's broad product range of case-hardened and quenched/tempered steels
With the help of an automotive body roof made of StronSal® MC, the trade visitors could see the outstanding body shell quality for themselves. StronSal® MC is an innovative zinc-magnesium coating for sheet. It offers improved corrosion protection that ensures that the coating thickness can be reduced without loss of corrosion resistance. The reduction in zinc furthermore leads to weight savings that have a positive effect on the CO2 balance. The especially good tribological characteristics are a further argument for the use of StronSal® MC in the body shell: Thanks to its optimized friction characteristics, StronSal®MC offers automakers additional savings potential because the significantly reduced abrasion in the tool significantly increases the process stability in the mold.
The VW Golf 7 GTI MQB chassis was a real attention grabber at the Salzgitter AG stand. More than 40 vehicle models from Volkswagen AG use toolkit elements from the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB or Modularer Querbaukasten). Salzgitter Flachstahl supplies SZBS800 bainitic steel, the exclusive material for transverse control arms (3.8-mm sheet), trailing arms (3.5-mm sheet) and spring control arms (2.0-mm sheet). The bainitic steels’ unique microstructure architecture leads to a very homogeneous hardness distribution. These steels furthermore combine high yield strength with good formability and have very good fatigue properties, making the materials particularly ideal for use in components subjected to dynamic stress.
An exhibit made of RobuSal®800 made a special impression on the visitors. Using RobuSal®800 on the integral member made it possible to reduce the thickness and consequently the component weight by 8% compared to the predecessor model. This was illustrated with a scale, which allowed an easy weight comparison directly at the stand.
We appreciate the many constructive talks and look forward to seeing you again in 2018!