Processing for Aluminum Auto Body Sheet

Technical white paper by Laurent Chappuis on processing for aluminum auto body sheet and understanding key differences in working with aluminum vs steel. For more on formability, watch the replay of the 2022 Automotive Body Sheet Formability and Stamping Webinar.

Research Highlights

This report summarizes the key processing differences between aluminum and steel sheet using the same door opening panel (DOP) to illustrate all the issues faced by the major skin panels.
When processing an aluminum skin, it is important that the engineer heeds restriking Class-1 mating radii, edge stretch limitations, keeping hem flanges short, planning for trim dies, timing for flange dies, the similarities of the overall springback to DP590 and joint line positioning in trim and flange dies.

Related Resources

2023 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content and Outlook

Aluminum Galling and Lubrication for Automotive Applications

Design Workshop