Integrated die-casting is a major trend in the future development of the industry
In the production process of aluminum alloy die castings, it is necessary to take into account a series of difficulties such as material selection, material optimization, mold development, casting, finishing, etc., and also need to communicate directly with customers and participate in product design, which require die casting manufacturers to have strong technical strength and talent reserves. In addition, the safety and protective measures in the process of aluminum alloy smelting, die-casting, and post-processing put forward higher requirements for the company's safety production technology and personnel professionalism. Finally, the mutual involvement of vehicle manufacturers and parts manufacturers at all levels in R&D has become a trend with the increasingly obvious professional division of labor in the global automotive industry chain, and this upstream and downstream synchronous R&D model has put forward higher requirements for the independent research and development, rapid response and continuous innovation ability of parts manufacturers. Therefore, it is difficult for new entrants in the industry to have strong competitiveness in a short period of time due to the lack of experience accumulation, process understanding and initial R&D strength.
1. Overview of industry development
1) Alloy has two advantages: energy difference and moderate cost, and is one of the lightweight materials for automobiles.
Aluminum alloy die castings have a wide range of applications, and are widely used in automobiles, machinery, electronic appliances, and communication equipment, among which the largest amount of die castings is used. Because aluminum alloy has low production cost, mature process and wide range of applications, aluminum alloy is the most important metal in current die castings.
Automobile lightweight refers to the targeted reduction of the weight of the car itself under the premise of maintaining the original driving safety, crashworthiness, shock resistance and comfort, and the cost of the car itself is not increased. Automobile lightweight is the integration of design, materials and advanced processing and forming technology, and is a systematic project that combines the four aspects of automobile performance improvement, weight reduction, structural optimization and rationality. In the context of the global promotion of "energy conservation and emission reduction" and the gradual rise of new energy vehicles, automobile lightweighting has become an important way to reduce the fuel consumption of traditional fuel vehicles and improve the performance of new energy vehicles.
At present, lightweight materials for auto parts include high-strength steel, carbon fiber, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy and other categories in the alloy materials suitable for the application of die-casting process, aluminum alloy has the characteristics of low density, strong corrosion resistance, good forming and cutting performance, excellent mechanical properties at high and low temperatures, and mature die-casting process. At present, the most mainstream lightweight materials in the market are aluminum alloy materials and high-strength steel, and aluminum alloy has good weight reduction performance and cost-effectiveness, so it has achieved large-scale commercial application. From a performance standpoint, aluminium is about one-third as dense as steel, and cars use 1 kilogram of aluminium to replace their own weight 225 kg of steel, and the aluminum alloy structure design optimization can achieve a second weight reduction, the overall weight reduction effect is greater than 50%, in addition to the aluminum alloy has the advantages of high strength, recyclability, corrosion resistance, low density, etc.: from the cost point of view, aluminum alloy ** is only 2 of steel5 times, much lower than carbon fiber composites. The ** of magnesium alloy is similar to that of aluminum alloy, but the corrosion problem of magnesium alloy limits its large-scale application in the automotive industry, so aluminum alloy is one of the best lightweight materials at this stage.
2) Energy conservation and emission reduction policies to promote the development of lightweight.
In April 2017, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued the "Medium and Long-term Development Plan for the Automobile Industry", which clearly stated that "by 2020, the average fuel consumption of new cars and passenger cars will be reduced to 5."0 liters per 100 km, fuel consumption of energy-efficient vehicles reduced to 45 liters of less than 100 kilometers, commercial vehicles close to the international advanced level, the implementation of the national VI emission standards, new energy vehicles energy consumption is at the international advanced level; By 2025, the average fuel consumption of new cars and passenger cars will be reduced to 40 liters and 100 kilometers, commercial vehicles have reached the international leading level, and the emissions have reached the international advanced level, and the energy consumption of new energy vehicles is at the international leading level". With the increase in consumer demand for car driving, the economy, safety and comfort brought by lightweight will better meet the needs of consumers, and the advantages of lightweight will be more obvious.
3) The demand for lightweight new energy vehicles has increased.
In recent years, the new energy vehicle industry has been booming, and the production and sales of the domestic electric vehicle market have increased year by year. On November 2, 2020, the General Office of ** issued the "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)", proposing that by 2025, the sales of new energy vehicles will account for about 20% of the new car sales in that year; By 2035, pure electric vehicles will become the mainstream of new sales vehicles, the core technology of China's new energy vehicles will reach the international advanced level, and the quality brand will have strong international competitiveness. Other major countries in the world are also increasing investment in the research and development and production of new energy vehicles.
New energy vehicles are equipped with three electric systems and a large number of intelligent equipment, compared with traditional energy vehicles, the weight increase is larger, and based on the current electric vehicle energy supply and energy storage technology, the short mileage and the range anxiety caused by inconvenient charging are still important problems faced by the new energy vehicle industry. In this context, through the application of lightweight technology, reducing the weight of vehicles and increasing the cruising range of new energy vehicles is of more important significance.
Referring to the "China's Aluminum Consumption Assessment Report (2016-2030)" released by the International Aluminum Association, in terms of fuel vehicles, engines, transmission systems, wheels and braking systems are the main application fields of aluminum alloys; In terms of new energy vehicles, battery systems and wheels are the main application fields of aluminum alloy, while the application of aluminum alloy for body structural parts, body panels, and chassis is still rare. According to relevant data, the penetration rate of aluminum alloy body structural parts in traditional fuel vehicles is 4%, and the penetration rate in new energy vehicles is 8%, and the market penetration rate is still low, which is a blue ocean market for aluminum alloy applications.
To sum up, aluminum alloy, as a lightweight material with excellent performance and moderate cost, is in line with the industry trend of automobile lightweight, energy saving and emission reduction.
2. The competition pattern of aluminum alloy precision die casting industry
Aluminum alloy precision die casting as a conventional auto parts, from a global point of view, from Europe and the United States and other traditional power of large parts manufacturers occupy a first-mover advantage, to Bosch, Continental as the representative of the global auto parts manufacturers have system standards, technical personnel, global chain and other aspects of the competitive foundation, has been established in the major automobile markets, joint ventures, a full range of industrial layout.
In China, thanks to the first-class policy support, the help of the capital market and the rapid development of high-tech, the R&D and manufacturing capabilities of some local advantageous enterprises have been further improved, and they have become the top and world-class auto parts suppliers in China, and have been widely recognized by global vehicle manufacturers and multinational first-class parts manufacturers.
3. Automobile lightweight, energy saving and emission reduction are the only way for the development of the automobile industry
Automobile lightweight refers to the product weight reduction achieved by the integrated application of structural lightweight design technology with a variety of lightweight materials and lightweight manufacturing technology under the condition of meeting the requirements of automobile use, safety and cost control, so as to improve the power of the vehicle, reduce fuel consumption and reduce exhaust pollution. In particular, after "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality" were proposed, the demand for energy conservation and emission reduction of automobiles became more urgent.
Reducing the weight of the vehicle also helps to improve the car's handling and safety, resulting in better handling at lower traction loads, and a corresponding reduction in braking distances, resulting in a better dynamic response of the vehicle. Due to the needs of energy saving, environmental protection and performance, automobile lightweight has become one of the important directions for the development of the global automobile industry, which is the common choice of domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers to cope with energy and environmental challenges, and is also the only way for the sustainable development of the automobile industry.
1) Automobile lightening is an inevitable trend in the development of the industry.
With the advent of a low-carbon economy, countries around the world have set stricter standards for vehicle emissions and fuel economy. The European vehicle emission standard, which came into force in 2021, stipulates that the average emissions of new cars in the EU by 2021 must not exceed 95 g-km. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued the U.S. New Light Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Economy Standard Supplemental Letter of Intent for 2017 to 2025 on July 29, 2011, which provides for a 2025 average new light vehicle greenhouse gas emission reduction from 250 g-miles in 2016 to 163 g-miles. China's "Pollutant Emission Limits and Measurement Methods for Light Vehicles (China's Sixth Stage)", that is, the "National VI" standard, was officially released on December 23, 2016, and it is planned to implement the "National VI" standard step by step in 2020 and 2023, which is more than 50% stricter than the "National V" standard as a whole.
From an international point of view, there are three main ways to solve the problem of automobile energy conservation and emission reduction: First, vigorously develop new energy vehicles and reduce dependence on petroleum resources by promoting the use of new fuels and electric vehicles; The second is to vigorously develop advanced engine technology and improve fuel economy through the application of a series of electronic technologies; The third is to vigorously develop automobile lightweight technology, and achieve energy conservation and emission reduction by reducing the weight of the vehicle itself on the premise of ensuring the safety and other basic performance of the vehicle. Considering the potential and constraints of the above three technical approaches, vigorously developing and promoting automobile lightweight technology will be an important and feasible way to save energy and reduce emissions.
2) The development of new energy vehicles puts forward a more urgent demand for automobile lightweight.
New energy vehicles refer to vehicles that adopt new power systems and are driven entirely or mainly by new energy sources, including pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles. In October 2020, the executive meeting adopted the "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)", aiming to account for 20% of the total annual vehicle sales by 2025. The relevant incentive policies for new energy vehicles will progressively promote the application of new materials such as aluminum alloy in automobile lightweight.
At present, a major problem faced by new energy vehicles is that bulky batteries increase the weight and volume of the car, thereby restricting the range and handling performance. Therefore, if there is no major breakthrough in battery technology in the short term, new energy vehicles urgently need to reduce the overall quality of the vehicle to reduce the pressure of battery weight. This will greatly promote the development of lightweight material application technology and provide a broader development space for die-casting enterprises based on light alloys such as aluminum alloys. Aluminum alloy material has the characteristics of light weight, high dimensional stability when manufacturing complex and thin-walled castings, strong corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, high thermal and electrical conductivity, and high strength at high temperatures, which is an ideal choice for lightweight automobiles.
4. Integrated die-casting is the general trend of industry development in the future
Pure electric vehicles are different from traditional fuel vehicles, and the battery + motor replaces the engine as the power take-off system of the car. The design of the electric drive system has undergone independent and two-in-one.
First, the development stage of three-in-one and all-in-one. It is the general trend for the electric drive system to integrate more functions, and the design of the electric drive shell will also move from independent to integrated design: from the simple integration of split, that is, the reducer, motor and electronic control have their own independent shell design, to the integration of the motor and reducer shell and the integration of the three major shells. As more functions are integrated into the electric drive, more functional designs will be added to the housing. Motor, electronic control and reducer all need cooling systems, and the design of the housing needs to consider the design and layout of the cooling pipeline. This puts forward higher requirements for the product development and design capabilities of shell manufacturers. Integrated die-casting is a major trend in the simplification of automobile structure. The integrated die-casting body is an upgrade of lightweight technology, which reduces the number of body parts and greatly simplifies the body structure; At the same time, it simplifies the first-chain link, which has many advantages such as reducing vehicle weight and battery cost, high utilization rate of raw materials, and reducing factory floor space, so as to greatly improve the efficiency of automobile assembly. With the development of high vacuum die-casting process and large-tonnage die-casting machine, aluminum alloy die-casting structural parts can meet the performance requirements, making this kind of product popularized in new energy vehicles.
For more industry information, please refer to Pricewater's Strategic Consulting2024-2030 automotive aluminum alloy precision die casting industry market research and development trend reportAt the same time, PwC Consulting also provides industrial research reports, industrial chain consulting, project feasibility reports, specialized and special new small giant certification, national manufacturing single champion enterprise certification, 14th Five-Year Plan, post-project evaluation report, BP business plan, industrial map, industrial planning, blue IPO fundraising feasibility study, IPO working paper consulting and other services.