Did you know that non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, make up over 10% of a car’s weight? With the increasing development of electric vehicles, the use of aluminum in car parts is estimated to increase by between 15% to 27%.
Usinagem CNC de precisão of automotive parts is on an upward trajectory. This post provides the basic insights you need as a manufacturer of aluminum auto parts machining, covering materials, advantages, manufacturing processes, and parts applications.
Aluminium Alloy Car Parts Machining
Aluminum has excellent properties that make it a useful material in the production of various auto parts.
No entanto, pure aluminum is hardly used for the machining of auto parts. Instead, Aluminum alloys are used based on their special properties and application requirements.
Therefore, most vehicle manufacturers have their recommended aluminum alloy materials for the various car parts they produce.
For instance, some manufacturers use 6061 aluminum alloy to produce door panels, roof rails, and hoods as they demand high strength and high corrosion resistance.
Production of fuel tanks requires aluminum alloys such as 3003 or 5052 because of their high formability, lightweight, and durability.
High-performance aluminum alloys are used to produce auto parts in modern cars. For instance, suspension systems, chassis, and wheels require 7075 aluminum alloys because of their high strength-to-weight ratio.
Therefore, if you plan to produce or fabricate automotive parts, you must adhere to the car manufacturer’s material specifications.
More details on the types and applications of different aluminum alloys are here.
Benefits of Al Alloys In Auto Parts Fabrication
The increasing choice of aluminum as a key material in car parts manufacturing is driven by the following advantages:
Excellent Strength-to-Weight Ratio
Compared to other strong metals such as steel, aluminum boasts a higher strength-to-weight ratio. This makes it ideal for producing lightweight but strong car parts for enhanced performance efficiency.
Good Flexibility for Enhanced Safety
The flexibility of aluminum allows it to bend when under impact without breaking. Therefore, aluminum car parts can absorb impact shocks much better. This makes them suitable for use in the manufacturing or fabrication of body panels, car chassis, and other impact-sensitive parts like crash management systems.
Soft and Easy to Work With
Aluminum alloys are softer than most metals and their alloys. Therefore, you can use different machining methods to produce high-precision auto parts from them.
Suitable for Repeatability Production
Aluminum alloys have consistent properties, which ensures that all the aluminum car parts you produce through a repetitive process are of similar quality.
Malleability Ease
Because aluminum is malleable, it allows you to create automobile parts of different complex designs and shapes through extrusion processes such as die-casting. This property allows for easy manufacturing of car parts such as engine blocks and cylinder heads.
Good Thermal Conductivity
Certain car components need to be protected from heat accumulation. Therefore, the use of aluminum in car parts such as car wheels, engine cylinder heads, and car radiators is to facilitate efficient dissipation of heat.
Aluminum is lighter in weight with excellent electrical conductivity than copper. Therefore, the use of aluminum battery cables in some cars helps in lowering their total weight.
Corrosion Resistance for Long-term Service
Auto parts should be durable and rust-resistant. The surface of Aluminum alloy car parts gets readily oxidized when exposed to air. This results in the formation of aluminum oxide that keeps the parts safe from rust, guaranteeing long-term service with minimal service requirements.
Aluminum Car Parts Enhances Efficiency & Load Capacity
The low density of aluminum results in the production of auto parts that enhance a car’s general performance.
With low car weight resulting from the use of aluminum components, performance, and fuel efficiency increase.
As a result, pollution resulting from car emissions also remains low, allowing manufacturers to conform to the set environmental regulations and standards.
Reduced Vibrations and Noise
Materials with low density have low weight and vibrations. Therefore, the use of aluminum in car parts such as body panels and suspension systems, helps in lowering noise and vibrations. This helps in improving the passenger experience.
Manufacturing/Machining of Aluminum Car Parts
Now that you are aware of the benefits of producing aluminum vehicle parts, how do you go about manufacturing or machining them to suit your production needs?
The choice of which machining or fabrication process to use in auto parts production depends on your budget, the desired production volume, and the complexity of the parts you intend to produce.
Below are some of the machining or fabrication techniques you can choose:
Aluminum Die Casting
Aluminum Die-casting is a popular, easy, and cost-effective approach you can adopt to produce a wide range of aluminum auto parts, such as cylinder heads, suspension parts, heat sinks, etc.
Manual or CNC Machining/Fabrication of Aluminum Car Parts
For low-quantity production of basic aluminum car components, a manual laser machining process is a cost-effective approach.
Investing in CNC auto parts machining is the most effective approach to manufacturing complex parts in large quantities and taking advantage of economies of scale.
Aluminum Car Parts 3D Printing
Aluminum 3D Printing is an innovative production technology that uses laser energy to bond aluminum alloy particles into layers to create a 3-dimensional component.
You can also use the technology for rapid prototyping or to produce custom auto parts, such as gear sticks, or classic car components.
Applications of Aluminum Car Parts
There are several areas where you will find the application of aluminum car parts in vehicles. Let’s group them into the following application categories:
Car Chassis and Body Parts
Another area you find application of aluminum car parts is the car chassis, and other body part components such as body panels, doors, handles, trunks, and hoods.
Radiators/Heat Exchangers
Car radiators are made of alloys, such as aluminum 6063 depending on the car model. Because of their good thermal conductivity, they are excellent as engine cooling parts.
Car Engine Blocks & Engine Components
Cars rely on high-performance aluminum alloy engine blocks as they are lightweight for improved fuel efficiency. Other aluminum engine parts include cylinder heads, pistons, connecting nodes, and engrenagens.
Aluminum Car Wheels
Another important aluminum car part is the car wheel. They are lightweight, with good thermal conductivity for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency.
Car Suspension System
Forged aluminum alloy is utilized to create lightweight and durable components of car suspension systems, such as control arms, steering knuckles, suspension brackets, etc.
Gearbox Housings
For electric cars, weight reduction is critical for improved performance. Therefore, they come with aluminum gearbox housings made of aluminum alloys.
Aluminum Car Drive Shaft
Some models of sports and racing cars use aluminum alloy drive shafts to lower their general weight and boost their performance efficiency.
Conclusão
With increasing innovations in the motor industry, such as the development of electric and hybrid cars, the use of aluminum car parts will continue to increase.
As a car parts manufacturer, your knowledge and skills in the fabrication and machining of different auto parts are critical. You must also identify the most suitable aluminum alloys for the production of various auto components.
HM specializes in the CNC machining of high-precision components using certified materiais.
We also have the expertise, and the technological capacity to help you with your auto parts machining projects.
Contate-nos for any inquiries. Let’s discuss your project requirements.
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