Opel Lightweight doesn’t have to be expensive, COST-EFFICIENT, LIGHTWEIGHT BODIES, COMPARISON OF SPECIFIC COSTS, CFK, /kg), lacquer), 88 Section bent

Lightweight doesn’t have to be expensive

COST-EFFICIENT LIGHTWEIGHT BODIES Environmental protection necessitates lower fleet consumption, while tough competition requires strict cost management. Although lightweight construction concepts are central to the former, they still tend to hinder the latter.

One effective remedy is the cost/weight optimization method developed by IVM Automotive.

Lightweight construction is an obvious solution in the quest to cut fuel consumption and harmful emissions. These

days, a wide range of lightweight options exist: the first generation of aluminum bodies produced during the nineties saw the steel industry respond with a plethora of new steels and processing techniques. Even magnesium can now be obtained in something other than

cast form, and it is almost impossible to number all the different plastics and composites currently in use.

At the moment, however, lightweight construction is having problems establishing itself in series production; strict cost management by OEM facing an unfavorable market environment would appear to leave little scope for innovative production materials and

COMPARISON OF SPECIFIC COSTS

20

18

16

14

12

					for a medium-sized series (30 to 50,000
					vehicles p. a.) of body components (materi-
					al, finishing, ready for assembly, without
	6	6
					lacquer)
			12
					1	Stamped sheets with low waste
					2	Drawn sheets with low waste
3
					3	Sheets with high waste
				11	4	Benchmark for magnesium sheet techno-
	5	5
						logy and hot shaping in one process

10

8

2

10

5 Large castings6 Small castings

/kg)

6

1

97 Straight sections with large cross-section88 Section bent

(€

4

34

7

9 Section stretch-bent

Specific costs

2

2

1

10 Section bent, IHPF11 Section, stretch-bent, IHPF, intensive machining

Sheet steel	Aluminum	Magnesium	Aluminum	Magnesium	CFK	Aluminum	12 Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFK) -
shells	sheets	sheets	castings	castings		section	IM and SMC benchmark (from 2008)

12