Novelis Inc., a sustainable aluminum solutions provider and aluminum rolling and recycling company with its automotive customer solution center in Novi, has started its new roll forming development line.
The new line was created to help Novelis meet industry demand for a process that can produce large volumes of high-strength aluminum auto parts. Investment Casting Stainless Steel
The work will be done at the company’s Novi solution center and was started to offer Novelis customers the advantage of conducting full-scope, year-round research and development on roll forming in house. It also designed to facilitate innovation and expedite the process to ensure complex, high-strength aluminum roll forming is developed, and process robustness is proven more swiftly.
As the automotive industry moves toward electrification, it is demanding faster production of lighter, greener parts. With the roll forming process, strips of aluminum incrementally are formed in a continuous fashion to form a desired shape having various degrees of detail and strength.
Offering a process that is scalable and customizable, aluminum roll forming provides opportunities for production of high strength aluminum at scale. While roll forming is not new to the industry, its ability to produce complex, high-strength aluminum parts has yet to be fully developed and will require innovation and investment to maximize its potential.
Novelis’ introduction of its own roll forming development line is a step to moving the technology forward, the company says. The shift to the mass production of aluminum-intensive vehicles offers other benefits of aluminum, such as increased safety, reduced risk of corrosion, and improved performance.
“The auto industry understands the benefits of aluminum and is looking to Novelis to develop technology that supports their growth initiatives,” says Jamie Zinser, vice president, global automotive for Novelis Inc.
Mechanical Parts “One of these technologies is roll forming. We are introducing this development line to accelerate research and development, not to become a roll forming company. Our goal is to work with our automotive and Tier 1 partners to innovate and develop aluminum sheet technology that will support the electrification movement.”