Corus assists Volvo Car Corporation in achieving trouble-free press shop production for XC60

11 Nov 2008

Argus is the latest strain analysis system deployed by Corus to help carmakers ensure consistent quality of complex formed body panels at the vehicle development phase for high confidence volume production.

Corus will supply Volvo with steel for the bodyside panels. The bodyside for the new XC60 crossover model is one of the most complex and challenging components to manufacture due to surface quality finish and formability requirements.

As part of Corus’s commitment to offer added value services to its customers, engineers from the company’s Product Application Centre (PAC), in IJmuiden, worked closely with Volvo during the tooling development of the XC60. This phase included the tool buy-off and home line tryout stage for the bodyside panels, to help Volvo better understand how the steel performs during pressing. Using the new system, Corus was able to suggest improvements to the tooling set up to help significantly reduce press shop set-up lead times.

As with previous strain analysis systems, Corus combines expertise in 3D measurement technology with materials knowledge to help OEMs confidently process today’s modern automotive steels. Corus engineers measured bodyside panels to check the repeatability of the pressing and fed back the first results to Volvo engineers within hours – a process that traditionally takes days. In addition, the information gathered by Corus’s engineers can now be used by Volvo to assess any future potential changes which may be required in the production of the bodyside panels, such as if new grades of steel are considered for introduction during the XC60’s current life cycle. Another key benefit of the new system over more traditional methods of strain measurement is that it is easily portable and can be deployed and used on site in the Volvo production press shop.

Jamie Howles, Support Engineer, Corus Strip Products IJmuiden said: "With the growing use of high-tech steels in today’s automotive press shops, it is increasingly important for carmakers to better understand how steel blanks will deform and flow as they are pressed. This is particularly important for large and complex components such as bodysides."

Jamie continues: "OEMs are also increasingly under pressure to find the right balance between quality and time. Through the use of unique strain analysis systems, which combine accurate measurement of 3D geometry with the latest forming analysis techniques and materials expertise, Corus is able to offer carmakers the ability to reduce lead-times during the tryout stages resulting in a ‘right first time’ approach in the production of critical stamped parts. We are delighted to support key customers such as Volvo Car Corporation try offering this added value service."

Corus has a long track-record of supplying on-site strain measurement support with other automotive customers, including recently, NedCar in the Netherlands and Ford’s Genk plant in Belgium. In both cases, Corus helped to save the carmakers valuable time, cut costs and ensured more consistent quality.

 

Ends

Press release and pictures can be downloaded from websites: www.automotivepr.com   and www.corusautomotive.com

Corus Automotive media enquiries:

Marco Ferrari +44 (0)207 494 8050                 mferrari@automotivepr.com

Belle Moss +44 (0) 207 494 8050                 bmoss@automotivepr.com

Note to editors:

Corus Automotive

Corus is one of the leading suppliers of steel products, services and technology to the automotive industry. A broad range of Corus steels, ranging from strip and engineering steels to tubes, are used by our customers to make products that are used in body-in-white, closures, chassis and suspension systems, powertrain, seating systems, safety systems, interior trim and other components.  Corus is committed to the global automotive industry, uniquely combining its materials and vehicle engineering knowledge to respond cost-effectively to key drivers of importance to the sector, such as safety, fuel-efficiency, innovation and the environment. The Company actively supports supply chain initiatives that improve efficiency and enhance the value of steel used in automotive applications. For further information, view the Corus automotive website www.corusautomotive.com).

Corus is Europe's second largest steel producer with annual revenues of over £12 billion and a crude steel production of about 20 million tonnes. With main steelmaking operations primarily in the UK and the Netherlands, Corus provides innovative solutions to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world's sixth largest steel producer. With the recent acquisition of Corus, the combined enterprise has an aggregate crude steel production capacity of around 28.1 million tonnes with approximately 82,700 employees across the four continents.