Schuler group, German equipment manufacturer, has recently opened its new research and demonstration centre for hot stamping at its home base in Göppingen, Germany. The company will be showing its customers innovative applications for the future of lightweight vehicle construction at the Hot Stamping TechCenter. Schuler has invested some EUR 6.5M in the line, which is equipped with hydraulic press, roller hearth furnace, and automation.
The company uses hydraulic presses for manufacturing stainless steel components. Hydraulic presses also represent an efficient solution for a wide range of production tasks in the domestic appliance industry and for manufacturers of components made from stainless steel.
In the hot stamping (or press hardening) method, sheet steel is heated to 930 degrees Celsius, and cooled and thus hardened in the subsequent forming process. This enables the production of extremely light but highly rigid vehicle parts.
“Hot stamping is an important method for producing lightweight car bodies and plays an important role in Schuler’s product spectrum,” stated CEO Stefan Klebert. “Our new Hot Stamping TechCenter is proof of both our innovative strength in the field of fully automatic, networked production lines and of our firm commitment to Germany as a high-tech manufacturing location.”
