自動車産業

The automotive industry refers to the category of economic activity engaged in the production, sale, and related services of automobiles‌. It includes the production, sales, after-sales, beauty, and other value-added services of automobiles.

With the upgrading of consumer demand, personalization and customization will become an important trend in the automotive industry. Many parts of an automobile require sheet metal, stamping, and turning/milling techniques.

The sheet metal process can produce body and other parts, which can improve efficiency and accuracy, while also reducing costs. Sheet metal machining can produce body coverings of various shapes and sizes, such as doors, hoods, trunk covers, etc.

The stamping process plays a crucial role in automobile manufacturing. It ensures the accuracy and quality of the parts by pressing the steel plate into the desired shape using a designed die.

Turning/milling technology plays an important role in the production of auto parts. For example, key components such as the crankshaft of the automobile engine and the gears of the transmission need to be completed by turning milling.

The specific applications of sheet metal, stamping, turning/milling processing technology in the automotive industry are as follows:

1. Sheet Metal: Body shell, chassis, doors, hood and other parts.

The body shell is the basic structure of the car body, which is mainly composed of longitudinal beams, beams, columns (such as A, B, C column) and various structural parts and covering parts such as reinforcement plates. It is usually made of high-strength steel or lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy. It provides the basic shape and support of the vehicle.

Steel is one of the most commonly used materials for automotive chassis, and is often used to produce traditional models such as sedans and SUVs.

The aluminum chassis is lighter than the steel chassis, which can effectively improve the fuel economy and handling performance of the car.

Magnesium alloy chassis is a relatively new material, it has the characteristics of being lighter than aluminum alloy, and high strength, good plasticity, good anti-corrosion, and other advantages, can effectively improve the fuel economy and handling performance of the vehicle.

Sheet metal processing is one of the core links of door production. Materials mainly include steel and aluminum.

It requires high machining precision, accurate size, smooth surface and no burrs. In this link, it is necessary to shear, punch, bend, stretch, flanging, pressing, and other processes.

The hood is the front cover of a car. It is usually a large, flat sheet of metal, usually made of metal or hard plastic. It covers the engine compartment above to protect the engine and peripheral equipment.

Car chassis parts picture:

2. Stamping: Automotive sheet metal stamping parts (such as body frame, bumper, etc.).

The body frame is used to support the whole body and internal parts, mainly including the following parts: Front and rear longitudinal beams, ‌A, B, C three pairs of pillars, front and rear wheel rotation, anti-collision steel beam, suspension system (including suspension rod, shock absorber, suspension spring and other parts). Usually made of high-strength steel or aluminum alloy, high-strength steel is widely used because of its affordable, high strength, and easy processing; Aluminum alloy is widely used in high-end automobile manufacturing because of its lightness, high strength, and strong corrosion resistance.

Bumper is divided into front bumper and rear bumper, the material is mainly plastic, especially in modern cars, more common. Plastic bumpers are usually made of polypropylene (PP) injection molding, which has the characteristics of good flexibility, low cost, easy processing and maintenance. The plastic bumper is composed of three parts, such as the outer plate, the buffer material, and the beam. The outer plate and buffer material are made of plastic, and the beam is stamped into a U-shaped groove with a cold-rolled sheet with a thickness of about 1.5 mm.

Bumper picture:

3. Turning/Milling: Engine parts, drivetrain parts, suspension parts, etc.

The main components of the automobile engine include the body group (including the cylinder block, cylinder head, cylinder gasket, oil pan, etc.), the crankshaft flywheel group (consisting of the crankshaft, flywheel, timing gear, etc.), the piston connecting rod group (including the piston, piston ring, connecting rod, etc.), the valve mechanism (composed of the valve group, the valve transmission group, etc.), the cooling system (composed of the pump, radiator, fan, etc.), lubrication System (composed of oil pump, oil filter, etc.) and fuel supply system (including fuel tank, fuel pump, fuel nozzle, etc.).‌‌

The main parts of the automobile transmission system include the following kinds: clutch, ‌ transmission (the two common types‌ , manual and automatic), universal joint, drive shaft, differential, half-shaft (usually made of solid steel), main reducer, flywheel.

Automotive suspension system parts mainly include shock absorbers, springs, stabilizer bars, suspension arms, bearings, cushioning rubber pads, control arms and other components, but also include other auxiliary parts, such as anti-roll bars, suspension brackets, suspension connectors, etc., these parts work together to ensure the stability and comfort of the vehicle.

Car engine parts picture: