Mass Transit
Mass Transit
Lightweighting reduces fuel consumption and costly track wear in rail and urban transit.
HFQ® Technology for aluminium hot forming offers an innovative approach to fabricating high-performance parts that can reduce component weight by up to 50% compared to traditional manufacturing processes. The technology’s ability to consolidate components can simplify designs, supply chain and reduce tooling investment costs. For interiors, such as seating, sleeper beds or HFQ Technology Associates have undertaken several studies with major manufacturers of rail carriages to demonstrate how HFQ® could simplify structures such as multiple piece intermediate ends (made from extrusions, plate and superplastic formed panels). Other studies have included, seat backs, lightweight bed frames (replacing steel) and window frames. Our applications specialists can provide guidance for any applications you have.
How HFQ® reduces weight
Weight reductions of 20-50% could be possible by the application of HFQ® in suitable applications. By being able to form standard ultra-high strength 6xxx series alloys with yield strengths up to 350MPa (over twice that of 5xxx series alloys), HFQ® Technology allows engineers to reduce sheet thickness. Part integration also tends to reduce weight through the removal of joint overlaps.
Cost reduction
HFQ® is suited to volumes from ~500 units per annum for large structures through to over 200,000 units per annum for smaller structures such as seats, tables and sleeper beds. The fast cycle time of our aluminium hot forming process (which for rail parts would be 30-60s per part), is significantly lower than several minutes for superplastic forming. Moreover, the elimination of components through part integration can save significant costs in press tooling, assembly fixturing, joining operations and quality remediation steps.
