In the wave of automotive lightweighting, how can stamping parts meet the dual demands of high strength and lightweight design?
Publish Time: 2026-01-30
Driven by the goals of "dual carbon" (carbon emission reduction and carbon reduction) and the electrification transformation, automotive lightweighting has become a core strategy for the global automotive industry. As a manufacturing process accounting for over 60% of the body and chassis systems, stamping parts are facing unprecedented challenges: significantly reducing weight to improve energy efficiency and range, while maintaining or even enhancing structural strength to ensure collision safety.
1. High-strength lightweight material replacement: From ordinary steel to multi-material hybrid applications
Traditional low-carbon steel, while low in cost and good formability, has high density and limited strength. Modern stamping parts widely use advanced high-strength steels, such as DP, TRIP, and QP, with tensile strengths reaching 980MPa to over 1500MPa, 2-3 times higher than ordinary steel, while reducing thickness by 20%-30%, achieving "thinner materials for thicker materials." Meanwhile, aluminum alloys, with a density only one-third that of steel, are used in body panels such as hoods and doors; some high-end models even incorporate magnesium alloys or hot-formed boron steel for critical safety components like A/B pillars. Multi-material hybrid design has become mainstream—using high-strength steel in load-bearing areas and aluminum in non-load-bearing areas, balancing performance and weight.
2. Topology Optimization and Biomimetic Structures: Making the Most of Every Gram of Material
Using CAE simulation and topology optimization algorithms, engineers can perform structural reconstruction of stamping parts to "redundantize and retain essentials" while meeting stiffness, modal, and collision performance requirements. For example, the internal design of honeycomb-shaped reinforcing ribs in door anti-collision beams improves bending stiffness while reducing mass; longitudinal beams adopt variable cross-section thickness designs, locally thickening in stress concentration areas and thinning in other areas. Even more cutting-edge solutions draw inspiration from biological structures, generating organic forms with non-uniform wall thicknesses, which are then realized through incremental forming or hydroforming processes, increasing the load-bearing capacity of parts by more than 15% under the same weight.
3. Advanced Forming Processes Break Through Material Forming Limits
High-strength materials often exhibit poor plasticity and high springback, making them prone to cracking or dimensional deviations in traditional cold stamping. To address this, the industry has introduced several innovative processes: hot stamping heats boron steel to 900℃ for austenitization, followed by rapid stamping and quenching to achieve ultra-high strength with virtually no springback; warm forming processes aluminum alloys at 200–400℃ to improve their ductility; hydroforming utilizes a liquid medium to uniformly transmit pressure, enabling the one-time forming of complex hollow components, reducing welds and connectors, and achieving structural integration and weight reduction. Furthermore, laser-welded sheet metal technology welds sheets of different thicknesses or materials together and then stamps them as a whole, precisely matching local performance requirements and avoiding "over-design."
4. Collaborative Design Throughout the Lifecycle: Lightweight Integration from Parts to Systems
True lightweighting is not isolated weight reduction, but rather system-level optimization. Stamping parts design requires deep collaboration with the body-in-white architecture, connection processes, and assembly procedures. For example, through integrated part design, five stamped parts can be combined into one complex structural component, reducing weight by 10% and decreasing the number of molds and assembly time. Simultaneously, digital twin technology is applied throughout the entire process of material selection, mold development, and trial molding verification, significantly shortening the R&D cycle and ensuring the rapid implementation of lightweight solutions.
In summary, in the wave of automotive lightweighting, stamping parts have evolved from a traditional "shape replication" role to a high-performance engineering carrier integrating materials science, mechanical simulation, and intelligent manufacturing. Through "stronger materials, smarter structures, more advanced processes, and more systematic thinking," stamping technology is continuously driving the automotive industry to achieve a delicate balance between safety, energy conservation, and sustainable development.
