CO2-HyChain: DYNAmore part of the funded research project on CO2 savings in functional lightweight construction

DYNAmore is part of a consortium of three institutes of the University of Stuttgart and 8 other industrial partners who have successfully launched the project "CO2-HyChain". With a financial volume of 5.7 million euros and a duration of three years, this is the largest project to date funded by the technology transfer program “Initiative Leichtbau (BMWi)”.

"DYNAmore is very happy to be part of this research project. The development of new, innovative approaches to lightweight construction will play an even more important role in vehicle design in the future," explains Professor André Haufe, Head of the Material Competence Center at DYNAmore GmbH. "In the future, vehicles must become significantly more lightweight without compromising on passive safety. This is both a challenge and an opportunity to use new materials and processes to further develop automotive designs and significantly advance new construction methods," Haufe continues.

As part of the research project, solutions developed at the MPA under laboratory conditions for joining sheet metal blanks made of aluminum and steel by friction stir welding are being further developed, scaled up and transferred to industrial practice in an interdisciplinary research net-work.

By joining aluminum and steel, the positive properties of the two materials, such as the high strength of steel and the low weight of aluminum, can be combined in a positive way. This allows the weight of vehicle bodies to be reduced in the double-digit percentage range, resulting in sig-nificant fuel, electricity and CO2 savings.

The core elements of the project are the development of two complementary prototypes of production facilities suitable for series production for the manufacture of tailor-welded blanks and tailor-welded coils, as well as a tooling concept developed for the subsequent deep-drawing of sheet metal joined as flat blanks into a lightweight component.

As representatives of the University of Stuttgart, the Institute for Forming Technology (IFU) and the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW) are involved in the project in addition to the MPA. From the industrial side, Matec GmbH and Profilmetall Engineering are involved as equipment manufacturers. Klaus Raiser GmbH & Co. KG and Preter CNC Dreh- und Frästechnik are involved in the design and manufacture of the plant technology, and CeramTec is providing wear-resistant tools. Optimess Engineering GmbH is developing concepts for non-destructive testing to safeguard the process. In addition, csi entwicklungstechnik GmbH and DYNAmore GmbH are participating in the project as development service providers. voestalpine Automotive Components Schwäbisch Gmünd GmbH & Co KG is providing support, as is Speira GmbH (formerly Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products GmbH) with test material. The associated partners Audi AG and Mercedes Benz AG will also be participating.