Making cars lighter, more energy efficient and safer is a challenge for the entire automotive industry. American electric car manufacturer, Lucid Motors, chose a new, innovative technology to address the challenge. The Lucid Air, launched in 2021, uses several unique, light-weight components made of hot-formed high-strength aluminum, designed, manufactured and industrialized in collaboration with AP&T and the fischer Group.
“We are extremely proud of being given the chance to contribute to the realization of this fantastic car. Lucid Motors is among the first car manufacturers in the world to use hot-formed high-strength aluminum components made using our technology. It makes their success an important milestone for us as well,” says Dr. Christian Koroschetz, Chief Sales Officer at AP&T.
In 2015, Lucid was in pursuit of cutting-edge technology for the manufacturing of crash critical stampings, such as door rings, B-pillar stiffenings and battery pack protection components. They reached out to AP&T.
An exciting challenge
Lucid presented AP&T with a number of parts and process requirements – pushing the team towards new and advanced processes, which would ultimately yield low weight, high formability, strength and ductibility products at high-volumes.
At the time, AP&T was deeply engaged in innovation projects geared towards investigating how high-strength aluminum could be used to produce low-weight, high-strength car body components. As a direct result of these projects, Lucid selected AP&T as a supplier for the Lucid Air.
“AP&T presented a promising new technology. The potential benefits were significant, because hot-forming enabled the manufacturing of complex part geometries with high-strength aluminum. Thanks to the combination of high formability, high strength and low weight, the design of the components could truly be optimized. This allowed the utility package space to be used more efficiently and to achieve a high level of collision safety and low energy consumption, all to benefit the end customer,” said Eric Bach, Senior Vice President of Product and Chief Engineer, Lucid.
Developing the solution – simulations and prototype tools
During 2017, the development work accelerated, with the use of computer aided engineering analysis. AP&Ts forming experts executed FEM sheet metal forming simulations, which predict possible risks of cracks and wrinkling that could occur during the forming process. Lucid’s engineers leveraged the feedback from these simulations to iterate on the car body component design.
That same year, AP&T presented the first full-scale production line for hot forming high-strength aluminum to demonstrate the potential of the new technology. The innovation received the prestigious Altair Enlighten Award. This recognition confirmed that AP&T was on the right path and gave extra momentum to the collaboration with Lucid Motors.
In 2019 and 2020 tests were conducted to validate the robustness of the process and develop test data. While the design of the component is vital to fulfill the car body crash requirements, the strength, elongation, material and crash folding pattern all play a critical role as well. Lucid’s material engineers and car body designers collaborated with AP&T’s sheet metal process engineers and identified the ideal materials to meet the required component performance.
Numerous trials of different high-strength aluminum alloys from various suppliers were conducted in AP&T’s test line in Ulricehamn, Sweden. The team implemented parameters recommended by these material suppliers into the production process. It was during this project phase, that the optimal material, stamping process and heat treatment parameters were defined. The process robustness was validated through an intensive experimental study that included material testing at the suppliers’ test laboratories and significant component testing by Lucid`s material engineers. Material and failure models, which are needed for executing FEM crash simulations, were reviewed by Lucid’s development engineers. Lucid received tests samples extracted from finished stamped parts, which went through the entire process route at AP&T’s production line, to calibrate the models.
“We are extremely proud of being given the chance to contribute to the realization of this fantastic car.” Dr. Christian Koroschetz, Chief Sales Officer at AP&T.
After the best performing materials were selected, prototype dies were provided by AP&T. Prototype parts were stamped in AP&T’s production line to build Lucid’s Beta prototype and Release Candidate (RC) cars, which were subjected to Lucid’s rigorous component and vehicular-level testing. Expectations were met, which gave AP&T the confidence to move forward and focus on the industrialization of the technology.
“Thanks to the usage of AP&T’s FEM sheet metal forming simulation models, production capabilities were enabled in a really short time frame. It was possible to shorten the tool try out time tremendously by using the simulation models which had been optimized in a number of research projects. As a result, several production dies could be provided by AP&T in a really short time window, ” says Dr. Michael Machhammer, Manager of Development Forming Processes & Tooling at AP&T.
Read the rest of this case study via aptgroup.com
Story by AP&T.
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