Ford has announced that its partnership with Alcoa, Inc. will yield use of Micromill aluminum technology in future vehicles.
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“The announcement is good news for Alcoa in general, but it does not have any impact on Massena’s production”, Alcoa spokeswoman Laurie A. Marr said.
The whole agreement between Ford and Alcoa goes beyond the current Micromill alloy and applies to future developments, for at least several more years.
Automakers have turned to lighter aluminum alloys instead of high-strength steel, which is far heavier, to build more fuel-efficient vehicles that still meet safety standards. That means it’s easier to shape into more intricate forms, such as the under-hood panel shown below, which have to be made with steel now. A traditional rolling mill takes around 20 days to turn molten metal into a coil; Micromill does it in just 20 minutes.
Simultaneously, the chairman as well as the CEO of Alcoa (NYSE:AA) Klaus Kleinfeld said that Alcoa’s (NYSE:AA) advanced Micromill technology proposes significantly differentiated automotive products that have the strength along with weight and formability as well as surface quality.
Raj Nair, a vice president at Ford Group and chief technical officer of Global Product Development, said in the press release that the collaboration is supporting the company’s “continued drive for innovation”. The expected use of Micromill material on Ford vehicles is anticipated to more than double from 2016 to 2017. This technology has more design flexibility and can produce superior vehicles giving Ford a distinct advantage. Ms. Marr said there is no update on the schedule, with company officials planning to conduct a financial review at the end of 2015 to determine if the project will move forward. The Micromill aluminum material exhibits more strength, and therefore, thinner sheets can be used without any decrease in dent resistance. Ford will start to produce aluminum-based tailgate parts for F-150 in the fourth quarter and other parts next year.
Some background on Micromill: it is the fastest, most productive aluminum casting and rolling system in the world, combining multiple technologies into a streamlined production system.
Apart from facilitating the shaping of parts, the material will also allow parts made of numerous components to be produced as a single unit. Ford will be the first automaker to use Micromill, and will use it in both structural components and exterior panels. A Ford executive noted in a statement from the companies that the inner door is one of the most hard parts in automotive stamping.
“This technology will help Ford to produce the type of vehicles our customers want”, added Friedman.
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Engineers from Ford have already validated the Micromill aluminum alloy in meeting the rigorous requirements for the manufacture of high-quality parts like those that make up the complex components in the F-150.
