Tailored Blanks
Optimized sheet metal parts.
Made to fit.
ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks are made from individual steel sheets of different thickness, strength and coating which are joined together by laser welding. These tailor-made products ensure that the finished part features the right steel in the right place. One advantage is to reduce weight. In addition, the structural and crash performance of the vehicle body is improved: thicker or higher-strength materials can be used in highly stressed areas, while thinner sheets or softer deep-drawing grades can be used in other areas.
This targeted use of materials also cuts costs. Expensive materials are only used where they are needed.
The use of tailored steel solutions eliminates the need for additional reinforcements and overlapping joints in the body, saving material and further reducing total weight. In this way, tailored blanks contribute to meet specified CO2 targets. Reducing the weight of a car by 100 kilograms reduces CO2 emissions by between 0.5 and 2.3 tons over the average lifetime of the vehicle. Tailored blanks also reduce the number of operations that need to be performed by the vehicle manufacturer.
Advantages of tailored products
The targeted combination of different steel grades and thicknesses provides tailored products with their classic advantages:
- lower weight
- reduced part costs
- optimized crash performance through the use of high-strength materials
- optimized material utilization through efficient nesting
- lower capital costs for tooling and assembly lines through reduction in number of parts
- elimination of overlapping joints improves corrosion behavior