Comparative commercial evaluation of alternative Superplastic Forming processes, tooling concepts and related post-forming operation as a function of production volumes for automotive application

Abstract

The automotive industry is comprised of intricate systems and technologies to make up the largest global industry. At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, five major trends began posing pressure on the Automotive industry, namely: the mobilization of emerging markets, the appearance of Mega Cities, a changing demographic profile particularly in the industrialized countries, the growing awareness of the impact of man-made green house gas emissions, and limited availability of 'inexpensive' fossil fuel and steeper competition on commodity markets. Principally the last two trends are forcing the automotive industry to invest in research & development for new opportunities to optimize cost and energy efficiency in production and operation of vehicles. Superplastic Forming (SPF) an innovative production technology has emerged has a proven potential technology-wise to provide the automotive industry with a new metal forming process that fulfills the industries desire for material and energy efficient production processes. As a result, to administer this sustainability, SPF requires ominous amounts of capital expenditure. Its numerous stage forming processes, coupled with pre and post forming operations poses questionable thoughts to companies looking to potentially "make-or-buy" certain sections of the SPF process sequence to ensure that the value-added activities are retained in-house. This thesis will address key elements to ensure that SPF continues to grow in its vertical path; the supply chain management will need to certify key elements to ensure that diligent business decisions are taken to accommodate smooth operation flow. Once the supply chain has been stabilized, only then can a foundation of criteria be laid out when a company is faced with a makeor- buy decision. This will set a stepping stone towards the financial analysis of whether to outsource the washing /treatment station of the SPF process or to keep it in house. Lastly, considering the fundamentals of this global economy, an analysis the current volume market and of contingent manufacturing markets to apply SPF technology will be assessed.