TPi April 2010

developments products &

Tailored Orbitals ® from ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks feature a function- and load-oriented structure precisely matched to the conditions in the part. Unlike other tailored products, they are made from tubular starting material, rather than from flat blanks. The rotationally symmetrical parts are manufactured on a dedicated laser welding line, onwhich up to five individual tube segments can be joined together end-on. The individual segments can consist of different materials such as carbon steel and stainless steel, and can have different diameters, different wall thicknesses and different coatings. The result is a starting material that is optimised from the outset for a particular application. Typical areas of use for Tailored Orbitals include car seats, exhaust systems, cockpit support tubes and chassis parts. For example, ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks has developed a tailored orbital alternative for a rear seat back reinforcement made from a conventional tube. The new solution reduces weight by around a kilogram because the conventional structure is made from a tube of uniform wall thickness, that Tailored orbital tubes made to measure

Tailored Orbitals can consist of up to five laser welded segments

uniform wall thickness, the Tailored Orbitals solution has a thickness of around 2.5mm only in the highly stressed lower section of the tube. Further up, wall thicknesses of well below 2mm are sufficient. In view of the high cost of the stainless steel used in exhausts, wall thickness reductions have a large impact in the shape of reduced material costs. Further savings opportunities are offered by the ability to combine different materials. The use of expensive, highly corrosion– resistant materials can be limited to areas exposed to particular attack from heat and aggressive exhaust gas constituents. Tailored Orbitals can be fabricated just like conventional straight-seam welded tubes. The orbitals do not have to be cut to length first, because this is part of the manufacturing process, as is machining of the tube ends. Dimensional tolerances are similar to those of straight-seam weldedtubes.Inaddition,TailoredOrbitals can shorten production processes by combining several manufacturing steps. The orbitals are available in lengths of up to 2,500mm, and in diameters that can vary between 30 and 90mm within one tube. They can be made in all carbon and stainless steels suitable for laser welding.

thickness being determined by the highest loads occurring in the part. The part made from a tailored orbital on the other hand is of varying wall thickness. In the lower third of the seat back, where the heaviest loads occur, the material is 1.5 to 2.5mm thick. In the other areas, 1 to 1.5mm is sufficient. Tailored Orbitals for shock absorber reservoir tubes achieve claimed weight reductions of up to 30%. ThyssenKrupp Tailored Blanks has developed a new solution for a current mid-size platform. Unlike the conventional solution, with

Tailored Orbital with varying wall thickness

ThyssenKrupp AG – Germany info@thyssenkrupp.com www.thyssenkrupp.com

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Tube Products International April 2010

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