[China Aluminum Industry Network] Development Trend of the Automotive Industry The development of the automotive industry is experiencing pressure from all aspects. Over the past decade, in order to reduce the weight of vehicles, vehicles use thinner and stronger materials, so the cars are lighter and the fuel consumption is reduced; but the price is that these materials, such as new advanced alloys, will be more expensive by themselves, and they must Can adapt to higher working temperatures to be manufactured; these metals and alloys are more susceptible to oxidation at high temperatures than steel. Some companies use a variety of strategies to combine old and new technologies, processes, and materials. David Buddy, automotive industry manager at Huffington International, said: "It is indeed difficult to adjust." Budi’s main job is to help production equipment manufacturers assist in the production of cars that are under development or expected to be listed in 2022 or 2023. Buddy said that in order to meet the US company's average fuel economy (CAFE, measured in miles per gallon of gallons of gasoline burned), U.S. equipment manufacturers have adopted different strategies to reduce vehicle weight. Some manufacturers make lighter engines, while others make lighter structural parts such as body panels to increase CAFE. Equipment manufacturers are looking for materials with good ductility and wear resistance. "We noticed that in more specific engine parts, more aluminum alloys contain titanium, such as powertrain valves, camshafts, pins, crankshafts, and components such as exhaust and intake valves," Buda said. His colleague Dr. Zhao Yixing is a senior scientist and head of the innovation team. He added that the new aluminum alloy has high toughness and is harder. Dr. Zhao said that in fact, the application of titanium to the aerospace industry has been very extensive, and the products previously developed by lubricant media manufacturers for the aviation industry are increasingly used in other industries. Development of processing media As materials and alloys change, the process must also change. Formulators are looking for long-life processing media to reduce downtime and increase productivity. Their customers want faster processing speeds, but the tanks are expected to be smaller in order to reduce their usage. Everyone wants to create a low-foam and non-corrosive work fluid, but also to maintain stability in hard water, while its additives can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria (of course, in line with the regulations allow the use of antibacterial agents). Moreover, manufacturers of metalworking fluids are developing processing media that are compatible with all the miscellaneous oils that leak into the machining fluid. Most North American and Asian companies use water-based processing media, but European companies have also begun moving from using mineral oil to using water-based processing media. Dr. Zhao said that water-based processing media is more complex and you must balance all of the components. More heat is generated when processing high-strength materials, and water-based processing media is a better coolant than mineral oil. The new water-soluble processing media have better detergency (prevent the accumulation of dirt particles and adhere to the metal surface), and have strong dispersing and wetting capabilities. These features are all necessary for the processing of light metals. High temperature and high pressure Machining fluids suitable for high-speed machining of soft metals must have good cooling and lubricating properties to prevent overheating caused by friction. If the temperature is too high, the soft metal will expand and lose strength. However, many new high-strength alloys must be heated to higher temperatures to make them. McCarl said that aluminum alloys previously used only in the aerospace industry have now begun to be used in the automotive industry. 6000 and 7000 series alloys are usually formed at high temperatures of 260-400°C (500-750°F). This reduces the range of lubricants used for forming. McCarl said that the automotive industry must use lubricants under high temperature and pressure conditions, and that lubricants need to be compatible with adhesives, cleaners, primers, and welding. Oxidation of aluminum Ferrous metals are susceptible to corrosion in neutral to acidic environments but do not occur in strongly alkaline environments because their surface oxide layers are stable at high pH. Aluminum easily forms a protective oxide layer, but the oxide is stable in a rather narrow pH region on both sides of the neutral point. In general, the pH of metal processing media is maintained above 9 to protect expensive steel tools. However, at this high pH, ​​the aluminum parts will corrode and the highly alkaline liquid will quickly dissolve the protective alumina layer, so the metal processing media needs to add corrosion inhibitors. Machining or grinding removes oxides on the surface of the workpiece and creates new metal surfaces. In this process, the processing medium is used to protect the new metal surface from direct contact with the tool or chips and generate built-up edge. Slight corrosion can lead to yellow or gold discoloration of aluminum parts. Even if the correct metal processing media is selected, this is generally only used for a longer period of time. The corrosion inhibitor additives have almost been consumed. Occurs. If aluminum parts are machined using processing media that are only suitable for ferrous metals, they can often lead to more severe corrosion and produce a gray or black discoloration. Even if the correct metalworking fluid is used, if the additive amount of some additives (such as triazine bactericide) is large, the pH of the processing medium will rise too high, which will cause corrosion of aluminum parts during processing. Adaptability issues Some processing media formulations have been advertised as having multiple uses for a wide range of metal processing applications. "This is a balancing act," McCarl said. You can optimize for a metal or a recipe, but "users don't want to store too many different processing media in the factory." Therefore, this is a tradeoff between simplifying inventory and optimizing performance. McCarl said: "If this processing is critical, then you can only use a specific processing medium in a particular type of operation." The processing media must not only be compatible with the workpieces (which can be subjected to various surface treatments, including galvanized coatings on high strength steels), but also with the various tool materials and mold coatings they come in contact with. envirnmental factor The main factor driving the development of light metals is the increase in the demand for fuel for vehicles, which is conducive to environmental protection. Environmental factors also influence the formulation of the processing media. There is currently a trend of "MQL" to replace "bulk lubrication". This method usually requires changing manufacturing equipment and processing media. Dry machining has proven to be successful in many operations, but metal processing media is still required for operations that require cooling and lubrication to reduce tool wear and produce higher yields by reducing residual stress, dimensional errors, and surface finish variations. Quality parts. Processing media also allows the machine to run at faster speeds without generating excessive heat. Environmental factors also affect the use of additives. For example, traditional EP additives, including sulfur, chlorine, and phosphorus additives, can react with steel but not necessarily react with non-ferrous metals, galvanized steel, and tool coatings. The equipment manufacturer's factory no longer uses chlorine-containing processing fluids, but in some heavy-duty processes, such as the machining of some stainless steels, chlorine-containing processing media are difficult to replace. Slickman said that regulatory requirements vary by region. We must conduct a thorough review of our product line to ensure that the product meets standards. In order to keep up with regulatory changes and at the same time reduce the amount of work required to readjust recipes, we need to find raw materials that are allowed to use in many different areas when developing products. Camodi pointed out that many of Houghton's customers want to use these products in most or all regions of the world, but sometimes it is necessary to make a special regional formula to adapt to the differences in water quality and other aspects. Looking to the future McClure said that competition and regulation jointly promote the reform of metal processing media. The changes in processing media formulations are not only driven by the new requirements of component manufacturers, but also by chemical companies to develop new laboratory products. It is expected that the demand for private cars and light commercial vehicles will increase by 5.5% in the next five years. Demand for small and medium-sized fuel cells will increase at the same time, in part because new materials, such as lightweight aluminum and titanium alloys, are trying to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency. The technical progress also needs to improve the performance of the metal processing medium, prolong the tool life, and reduce the comprehensive use cost on the premise of guaranteeing the processing quality. With the miniaturization of the V8 engine to the V6 and I4 engines and the addition of turbo charging, the car's weight loss trend continues. Smaller turbocharged gasoline engines generate more heat, which increases the temperature under the hood. A few years ago, some manufacturers used thermoplastics instead of steel engine parts, but nowadays some of the commonly used thermoplastics do not always economically handle the high heat generated by these high heat-dissipating small engines. Therefore, aluminum and magnesium are considered as more cost-effective alternatives. The integration of various new materials and new processes into efficient and reliable vehicles is a complex challenge facing the industry. However, experts in the research and development of the metal processing media in the automotive industry have clearly been fully prepared for this purpose. Disperse Dyes,Polyester Dyeing,Disperse Yellow E-3G,Disperse Dyes For Polyester ZHEJIANG E-DYE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT CO.,LTD. , https://www.easytodyes.com