Ford is collaborating with Alcoa to develop a new aluminum alloy for the 2016 F-150 pickup that's more formable and design-friendly that the earlier material.
by Staff
September 15, 2015
Photo of F-150 hood made from Alcoa's Micromill material courtesy of Ford.
1 min to read
Photo of F-150 hood made from Alcoa's Micromill material courtesy of Ford.
Ford is collaborating with Alcoa to develop a new aluminum alloy for the 2016 F-150 pickup that's more formable and design-friendly that the earlier material.
Ford will become the first automaker to use Alcoa's Micromill material that's 40 percent more formable than the material used in the 2015 F-150. Ford will begin using the material in the fourth quarter of 2015 on some components and transition additional parts to the new material in 2016.
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Aluminum alloy produced using the Micromill process has already been validated by Ford engineers to ensure it meets the stringent requirements for producing high-quality parts, especially the kinds of complex structures that make up F-150, according to Ford.
"The door inner is one of the most difficult parts in automotive stamping," said Peter Friedman, global manager of structures and stamping in Ford's Research & Advanced Engineering unit. "The ability to produce an alloy using Alcoa's Micromill technology to make that part is a real statement for how this process can benefit the automotive industry and Ford in particular."
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