A new casting technology developed by a Norwegian research team offers a cost-effective option for the manufacture of bolts in the automotive industry. The novel Low-Pressure Casting (LPC) method aims to cast aluminum bolts under reduced pressure. The method produces finished products with excellent surface qualities.
Extruded bolts are frequently used in the manufacture of suspension components in the automotive industry. This procedure is often expensive, time-consuming, and energy-intensive, as well as producing a substantial amount of waste and contaminants.
Low-pressure casting has various advantages, including cost-effectiveness and sustainability. It also allows for excellent performance and less waste of basic materials. The new technology eliminates one stage of component production, the extrusion stage, increasing production efficiency.
In addition to providing an environmentally safe casting option, the LPC process can produce products with high aesthetics, high accuracy, good durability, and low defects. Aluminum producers have conducted the process in vacuum conditions.
Hydro, in collaboration with the research group SINTEF and the aluminum automotive component producer Raufoss Technology, initiated the project HyForge with the intention of testing and exhibiting the possibilities of the new technology. The results have been reportedly very positive.
SINTEF is a research organization that has produced and delivered aluminum components to the majority of car models over the years.
The promising results of the project could lead to a unique Norwegian value chain, generating a great source of revenue for the country.
Meanwhile, Raufoss Technology stated that adopting Hydro’s components could cut the company’s carbon footprint even more and streamline the shipping process, making it more reliable. The company plans to replace extruded bolts with cast bolts in the current production line in Raufoss.
The project team is still working to understand the casting material’s behavior and the qualities it obtains during the forging process. The researchers used comparisons to estimate ideal alloy compositions while keeping the production process adjustments in mind. HyForge project aims to demonstrate and validate the fact that the use of cast bolts is the optimal strategy for the production of suspension components in the foreseeable future.
Article Source: Norwegian SciTech News
Photo by Simon Kadula on Unsplash
