Innovation in automotive materials and processes for the future _ Solving the practical problems of automotive lightweighting

With the rapid development of China's auto industry and the constraints of global environmental energy, automotive materials and processes with low development costs and high performance and safety will surely become the development direction of China's auto industry.

The "2015 4th Automotive Materials and Crafts Summit Forum" hosted by China Automotive Consulting Center will be held in Changshu on September 17th and 18th. This forum covers practical operation cases of automobile lightweighting in recent years, research and development of new materials and new processes, and future development.

Facing the future, the innovation of automotive materials and processes, and solving the practical problems of lightweight vehicles, is the original intention of organizing this summit! This summit will directly address the various difficulties faced by OEMs and materials companies in the light weight practical application process! Promote the technological innovation and application of China's own brand car lightweight! Strengthen the collaborative development of the automotive industry and research institutes on lightweight re-materials and processes, project docking and industry chain cooperation!

When it comes to automotive materials technology, it is always indispensable to reduce weight. John German, senior researcher at the International Clean Transportation Committee (ICCT), believes that the next generation of new car technology is mainly in the direction of the drive system. A very important part is from weight reduction, that is, lightweight, product design and material factors will each account for half. For example, the use of the power system can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Especially for some technologies that use new energy, because if you reduce the weight of the battery pack, you can also reduce a lot of costs. In addition, through simulation, manufacturers can optimize materials, shapes, such as other sizes and materials in automobiles, and also perform secondary weight reduction.

According to US standards, it is predicted that by 2025, cars will lose 7%. For example, the latest development is the weight reduction of the 2015 Ford F150. In this model with the largest sales in the United States, 95% of the body is made of aluminum, 77% of the frame is HSS high-strength steel, and the engine is reduced.

Chen Yilong, director of the Expert Committee on Automotive Lightweight Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, pointed out that car lightweighting is not simply equivalent to using lightweight materials, not just technical issues. As a big automobile producing country, China must be lightweight in terms of material technology and understanding management. Look. He said that at the end of 2007, when the automobile lightweight alliance was just established, Chinese passenger car companies did not regard lightweighting as a design link. At that time, the light weight level of domestic automobiles seriously lags behind the development of the world.

“Automobile lightweighting is not a simple weight reduction, but a product weight reduction achieved by meeting product functional requirements and product control conditions.” Chen Yilong emphasized that the three technologies of automotive lightweighting – design, materials, technology, and three aspects Technology needs to integrate applications. "For the principle of lightweight materials for automobiles, it is not that whoever is the lightest material is the best. The concept of the automotive industry should not exist." The current international two-language sentence is: "The correct materials are used in the right place, The right technology is used in the right place."

The new materials cover a wide range of metal materials, inorganic non-metallic materials, organic polymer materials, and advanced composite materials. These professional divisions are difficult to define for ordinary people.

Professor Yuan Jian from the China Industrial Research Institute pointed out that new materials refer to newly emerged or developing materials with excellent properties and special functions that traditional materials do not possess; or new technologies (processes, equipment) Materials with significantly improved properties or new functions.

He believes that there is no clear boundary between new materials and traditional materials. New materials are developed on the basis of traditional materials. Traditional materials are improved in composition, structure, design and process to improve material properties or new properties. Can be developed into new materials. Therefore, whether a certain material belongs to a new material is mainly defined by the comparison with traditional materials according to relevant international or national technical standards.

"For any kind of high technology, it is inseparable from materials for major projects and major projects in our country, and the development of new materials will lead to a new industrial revolution. New materials are the foundation of the future industrial revolution. With the development of high technology, the status of new materials will become more and more prominent, because any breakthrough in high technology must be based on material technology breakthroughs." Tang Jianmao added.

In this regard, Professor Yuan Jian also holds the same view. He told reporters that all countries in the world are currently undergoing industrial reforms. Germany and the United States have proposed the reform theme of Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet.

China's "Made in China 2025" reinforces the areas in which China's industry needs to be strengthened, and strives to transform from an industrial power to an industrial power in 2025. As the core issue of industry, the focus of manufacturing is on high-end manufacturing. High-end manufacturing is inseparable from technological innovation and technological advancement, and the new materials industry is the forerunner of technological innovation. The discovery of every major new technology in history and the successful development of a new product are inseparable from the discovery of new materials and application. Therefore, the new materials are the support and guarantee for the development of strategic emerging industries, and are the revolutionary forces that drive the upgrading of traditional industries. In particular, the driving force for the traditional industries of raw materials is more obvious, and it plays a pivotal role in the industrial transformation of China. ”

According to the "Made in China 2025" plan, special metal functional materials, high-performance structural materials, functional polymer materials, special inorganic non-metallic materials and advanced composite materials are the development priorities, and accelerate the development of advanced smelting, solidification molding, vapor deposition, Key materials and equipment for the preparation of new materials such as profile processing and high-efficiency synthesis, strengthen basic research and system construction, and break through the bottleneck of industrialization. Actively develop military and civilians to share special new materials, accelerate the two-way transfer of technology, and promote the integration of military and civilian development in the new materials industry. Pay close attention to the impact of subversive new materials on traditional materials, and make advanced layout and development of strategic frontier materials such as superconducting materials, nanomaterials, graphene and bio-based materials. Accelerate the upgrading of basic materials.

From the words "accelerating research and development", "high attention", "advanced layout and development" in the article, it is not difficult to see the promotion and basic role of new materials in the new round of China's industrial transformation.

We sincerely invite you to participate in this conference. We will invite related associations and research institutes, vehicle manufacturers, aluminum alloy enterprises, high-strength steel enterprises, plastics enterprises, auto parts research and development centers, mold development and design companies, and die-casting. Enterprises, simulation software companies, testing organizations and equipment parties, third-party overall service solution providers, a two-day constructive and creative discussion on the opportunities, challenges and countermeasures currently faced by China's automotive materials and processes. . After the meeting, the Jaguar Land Rover exhibition area will showcase the latest application results of the automotive all-aluminum production line. This summit will be the top event for domestic automotive lightweight materials and processes.