Automotive

Main challenges and requirements

Prima Power has a long history of applications in the automotive sector. Our first laser machine used for the cutting of car body components dates back to 1979. The scenario of the automotive industry has dramatically changed in these decades, and machines have also been developed and innovated to keep the pace with the changing requirements of this sector. Prima Power has been a forerunner in many trends, e.g. supplying solutions suitable for the cutting of Hot Stamped Steel1 (HSS) when the use of this kind of materials was just beginning.

The main challenges for automotive mass production is the achievement of the shortest cycle times, the highest process reliability, and efficient material work flow.

Sustainability, fuel savings and safety are key concepts in today’s car manufacturing. The use of HSS materials goes in this direction, allowing lightweight but very strong vehicles with lower fuel consumption, lower emissions, and increased safety for drivers and passengers.

Also punch-laser combination machines are utilized in this sector for the precise forming capabilities of the servo-electric punching device and the flexibility of the laser, capable of processing any shape.

In the production of lightweight components, e.g. aluminum, the fiber laser can be very beneficial.

1 hot stamping, also called hot forming or press hardening, is the process of forming metal while it is very hot (in excess of 900 degrees C) and then cooling it quickly in the die. The process converts low-tensile-strength metal to a very high-strength steel (150 to 200 kilopounds per square inch).

What Prima Power can do for you

• Our 3D laser machine Rapido is a high-performance solution for intensive automotive production.
  – high dynamics and smart control techniques make it the state of the art for productivity
  – high brilliance fiber lasers have excellent performance on thickness up to 2.5 mm, typical of this field
  – best solutions in the management of both part fixing and loading/unloading operation with specifically designed turntables
  – designed for maximum reliability based on ten years of cooperation with automotive industries.
• For processing large and very large automotive components , we can offer the spacious working volume of Optimo.
• Punch-laser combination machines allow highest accuracy even for small batch sizes. All process steps such as punching, forming, marking and laser cutting are performed with a single unit.
• Different solutions for the material flow automation can be chosen to increase productivity.
• Our services cover all the stages of the product life cycle and grant maximum productivity of the customer’s manufacturing operation.
• All our products are designed and developed according to the “Green Means®” concept: productive and environmentally friendly at the same time.

Application examples

• All car body parts involved in case of crashes and affecting the strength of the safety cell. Typical parts are inside the door-ring such as the B-pillar and the A-pillar, but also the bumper or the cross-tunnel. These parts are produced with a particular technology called “hot stamping” for extreme lightness and resistance and a greater formability.
• Hydroformed parts are also laser cut in intensive production. The advantages offered by the laser are high precision and excellent repeatability. Since laser processing is the final stage, its intrinsic precision allows more economical processes to be utilized in the previous stages.
• Complex components requiring punching, forming, tapping, marking and laser cutting can be processed with a single manufacturing system.