Solution|Ten years is still a classic, unlocking the unique charm of the hot stamping one-piece door knocker In 2014, the application of the world's first hot stamping one-piece door knocker on the Honda Acura MDX model completely subverted the traditional auto parts manufacturing model, and the concept of the door knocker has been deeply imprinted in the minds of every car person. Now, it is the tenth year of the introduction of the thermoformed one-piece door knocker.
Ten years is still a classic, what is the unique charm of the press-hardened one-piece door knocker?
High strength and tenacity achieve five-star safety
In automotive design, the safety of the door opening area is particularly important. This is because the position of the door opening coincides with the living position of the driver and occupants at the time of the collision, and there is only one door between the driver and the collision. Therefore, the door knocker must be strong enough to avoid damage to the human body caused by the fracture and deformation of the body structure, and at the same time ensure that the door can be opened in the event of an accident, and the lower area of the door knocker needs to be tougher to absorb the impact energy.
The breakthrough technology of the hot stamping one-piece door knocker is the application of ArcelorMittal's patented aluminum-silicon coated hot stamping steels USIBOR and DUCTIBOR. Through the hot stamping process, the strength of Usibor's after hot forming can reach 2-3 times that of ordinary automotive steel, which can provide high-strength living space for the driver and passengers in the car at critical moments. The ductibor, on the other hand, achieves the perfect balance between high strength and toughness after hot forming, and is particularly suitable for use in the energy-absorbing areas of the car body. In addition, compared to other hot stamping boron steels, especially bare plates, aluminum-silicon coated hot stamping steels are very suitable for high-temperature heating stamping processes, and the mechanical properties of the parts and the stability of the final dimensions can be effectively guaranteed, making it an ideal material for the realization of one-piece door ring solutions. 
From the outset, the press-hardened one-piece door knocker included a small offset crash test as part of its design strategy. Small offset collisions can easily cause severe deformation of the passenger compartment, and in a large number of traffic accident investigations, it has been found that in those accidents with high fatalities, this collision with a smaller overlap area is the main cause of fatality. Many cars with press-hardened one-piece door rings, such as the Honda Acura MDX, are a textbook performer in small frontal offset collisions, where you can still effortlessly open the doors and get in and out of the cockpit after the entire front end of the car has been hit into an accordion.
Simplify processes and reduce costs
The right material is used in the right place, through the laser tailored welding technology, materials with different strength, toughness and different thicknesses can be combined, and the structural parts such as the A-pillar, B-pillar body, door sill, and A-pillar in the front door opening area of the body-in-white are integrated into a large integral annular tailored blank.
In this way, the traditional production mode composed of multiple sheets, multiple sets of stamping dies, multiple stamping, and spot welding between multiple parts is simplified to one sheet, one set of stamping dies, and one stamping and forming to complete the entire door frame, without subsequent assembly. By reducing the number of parts and processes, the overall cost of door ring production is greatly reduced.
Lightweighting and safety are no longer a paradox
Weight reduction remains one of the most important means of improving fuel economy (range) and reducing carbon emissions. It is not an easy task to make the car stronger and safer while reducing the weight of the car, through the application of the second-generation aluminum-silicon coated hot stamping steel USIBOR 2000 and Ductibor 1000, the strength of the hot stamped one-piece door ring is increased by more than 30% compared with the previous generation benchmark solution; The appropriate downgauging of the material makes it possible to achieve a weight reduction of 86kg, a reduction of 28%.
The weight of the knocker can be further reduced by further optimising the position of the weld seam and the fabric. The 2017 Chrysler Grand Jetron uses the world's first 5-piece and 5-weld design of hot forming laser tailored door rings, which reduce the weight of the door ring design by more than 4 kg compared to the door ring design of 4 welds and 10 kg compared to the traditional spot welding design.
Complete and efficient localization chain guarantee
With the support of ArcelorMittal's global R&D and EVI's early intervention, VAMA integrated the downstream service network GONVVAMA to introduce the hot stamping integrated door ring solution to China, and worked closely with car manufacturers in the early stage of model design, which can provide a complete and efficient hot stamping integrated door ring ** chain service system for the domestic automotive industry.
Through tailor-made door ring solutions, digital simulation of hot forming, fabric optimization analysis, laser tailored blank formability study, door ring design verification and cost analysis under industrial production, we help automobile manufacturing improve production efficiency and improve body performance.
Innovation is always the core competitiveness
In the past ten years, the hot-stamped one-piece door knocker has been widely used at home and abroad, and more and more cars equipped with the hot-stamped one-piece door knocker are driving on the road, becoming the first choice for car manufacturers to improve vehicle crash safety performance, reduce body weight and cost. Through continuous innovation in materials and processes, the aluminum-silicon coated hot stamping steels USIBOR and DUCTIBOR have undergone many iterations, and their strength and toughness have been continuously improved and breakthroughs, bringing more possibilities and freedom to the design of body door rings.
In addition, in order to actively respond to the requirements of the automotive industry for the integration of the first chain, body modularization and sustainable development, the new solution of multi-part integration came into being, and also provided more new ideas and new methods for the expansion design of the hot-stamped one-piece door knocker.
More charms are waiting for you to unlock!